Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam is a strategicpartner of the UK, affirmed UK Secretary of State for International TradeElizabeth Truss at a meeting with Chairman of the National Assembly’sCommittee for Economic Affairs Vu Hong Thanh in Hanoi on December 11.

At the meeting, the guest informed about the official signing of the minutes onthe conclusion of negotiations over the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) by the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the UK Department for InternationalTrade.

In the coming time, the two sides will soon completeprocedures for the agreement to take effect on January 1, 2021, therebypromoting cooperation between the two countries, she said.

She added that the UK is currently looking to join theComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)to which Vietnam is a member.

WishingVietnam to support and promote the UK's CPTPP joining, the UK official believedthat through the deal, the two countries can strengthen bilateral cooperation,especially in areas of UK interest such as green economy and climate change.

For his part, Thanh affirmed that Vietnam always attachesgreat importance to all-round cooperation with the UK. He wished that the twosides will soon complete the procedures to make the bilateral FTA effective.

Hesaid that among the free trade agreements that Vietnam has signed, the CPTPP isa new-generation FTA that is assessed to have positive impact on the Vietnameseeconomy. He hoped that the UK will soon join the pact, thus facilitating economiccooperation between the two countries.

Regardingclimate change and sea level rise, Thanh stated that as one of the heavilyaffected countries, Vietnam is aware of the risks from these phenomena. This isa global issue that requires the cooperation of all countries, especiallydeveloped countries, including the UK./.