HCMC – Leaders of Vietnam and the U.S. have issued a joint communiqué on elevating bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership on the occasion of President Joe Biden’s State visit to Vietnam on September 10-11.
With the upgrade of their bilateral ties, Vietnam and the U.S. have entered a new stage of bilateral cooperation and friendship to achieve shared goals of peace, prosperity, and sustainable development.
“The elevation of ties between the two countries was the result of intense efforts by both governments to establish and build mutual understanding and to chart a forward-looking path toward the opportunities and challenges in a rapidly-evolving world,” said a statement posted on the White House website.
The comprehensive strategic partnership will continue to be based on what the two countries have achieved over the years, including respecting the United Nations Charter, international law, and the two nations’ political system, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Regarding trade, investment, and economic cooperation, the two nations reaffirm a shared commitment to regional prosperity through improved economic cooperation. The U.S. will expand agricultural trade with Vietnam and increase access to capital for underserved borrowers.
For investment in science, technology, and innovation, the U.S. will support the development of Vietnam’s semiconductor ecosystem. The two countries have announced the launch of semiconductor workforce development initiatives, supported by initial seed funding of US$2 million from the U.S. government.
To cultivate people-to-people ties, the U.S. plans several new programs to expand educational cooperation, such as a new STEM-focused education initiative that targets the full spectrum of the Vietnamese education sector, and another to foster digital growth.
Regarding climate, energy, environment, and health cooperation, the two countries will coordinate to strengthen adaptation and resilience to the impacts of climate change, enhance pollution reduction, energy storage solutions, and many others.
In terms of war legacies, the U.S. government is dedicated to supporting the Vietnamese in developing a technology-led system for identification of remains from the war.
The U.S. also enhances the collective security of the region by announcing new programs and equipment donations worth US$8.9 million to build Vietnamese capacity to fight regional and international transnational crime. The U.S. and Vietnam have enhanced bilateral engagement on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) to address new and emerging trafficking trends, including support to combat TIP, child sexual exploitation, and the growing issue of cyber scam operations in Southeast Asia.
Moreover, to reinforce business-to-business ties, the two countries will expand commerce in the aviation industry, strengthen semiconductor supply chains, further technology partnerships, boost travel, transport, tourism, upgrade strategic port and energy infrastructure, and strengthen financial services and capital markets.
