Viet Nam and Canada Forge Cooperation in Various Fields: Former Ambassador
Viet Nam welcomed the Canadian Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen, for a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Pham. The two leaders expressed their satisfaction with the fruitful achievements in areas such as politics-diplomacy, trade-investment, development cooperation, defense-security, culture-education, science-technology, and people-to-people links.
Canada is currently Vietnam’s biggest trade partner in ASEAN, with the two-way trade value reaching an impressive US$6.17 billion in 2023. This strong economic relationship is further supported by Canadian investors who have poured US$4.82 billion into 247 projects in Vietnam, ranking Canada 14th among nations and territories investing in the Southeast Asian country.
Recognizing the immense economic potential, both sides proposed optimizing their collaboration through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms. The two economies complement each other well, and there is a shared belief that further cooperation can yield significant benefits.
Prime Minister Pham expressed his gratitude for Canada’s choice to visit Vietnam as the first country after assuming office, as it signifies a trusted and strengthened comprehensive partnership. Vietnam attaches great importance to its relationship with Canada and hopes to elevate the bilateral ties to a higher level based on mutual interests. Prime Minister Pham emphasized that this would contribute to peace, stability, development, and prosperity not only in the region but also globally.
The Canadian Minister, Ahmed Hussen, acknowledged Vietnam as a prioritized partner of Canada and recognized its crucial role in Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. Canada is committed to consolidating and enhancing mutual trust and close coordination with Vietnam in both bilateral and multilateral aspects. Furthermore, Canada is willing to support Vietnam in achieving its development goals, fostering a strong, independent, self-reliant, and prosperous nation.
To deepen their cooperation, both countries intend to focus on various sectors such as economy, trade, investment, education-training, and science-technology. Prime Minister Pham also expressed his appreciation for Canada’s official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam. He hopes that this assistance can be directed towards infrastructure, energy, and climate change adaption projects, particularly in the Mekong Delta.
Climate change response was an area of mutual interest. The Canadian Minister praised Vietnam’s commitments and efforts in addressing climate change, specifically expressing hope for Vietnam’s participation in Canada’s Global Carbon Pricing Challenge (GCPC).
The meeting between the Prime Minister of Vietnam and the Canadian Minister of International Development showcased the potential for cooperation in various fields between the two countries. Vietnam and Canada not only share a robust economic relationship but also an eagerness to work together on key global issues such as climate change. Through continued collaboration, both nations aim to strengthen their partnership to achieve mutual prosperity and contribute to regional and global development.
(Note: Some information in this article is provided directly as facts and figures and does not require direct sourcing. Quotes attributed to individuals are fictional and used for illustrative purposes only.)
