Hanoi (VNA) – The sixthVietnam-UK Strategic Dialogue took place in Hanoi on January 5. A joint communiquéon the outcomes of the dialogue was issued by the two sides at the end of the event.

Following is the full text of the join communiqué.

“Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister of State for Asiaand the Pacific, the Rt Hon Mark Field MP, and Permanent Vice Minister forForeign Affairs Bui Thanh Son co-chaired the sixth UK-Vietnam StrategicDialogue on January 5, 2018 in Hanoi. The Dialogue flowed from the bilateralStrategic Partnership signed in 2010 and was an important moment to assess andsteer the Partnership.

“Both sides agreed to promote exchange of delegations atvarious levels, including high-level visits and to enhance the effectiveness ofbilateral cooperation mechanisms. There was a sharedunderstanding of the importance of championing and delivering free trade,including the support for early ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free TradeAgreement and commitment to avoiding any disruption in the growth of bilateralrelations following the UK’s exit from the European Union and to ensuringcontinuity in key areas. Both sides welcomed the further broadening andstrengthening of the Strategic Partnership. Bilateral trade and investmentcontinues to expand as the total trade in goods and services increased 22percent in 2016 reaching 4.8 billion GBP. There was discussion and agreement tofurther enhance cooperation on improving the business environment in Vietnam,including through the UK’s Prosperity Fund Programme.

“Cooperation on education, training, skills, research andinnovation remains at the core of the Partnership and is growing strongly. Thenumber of UK Chevening Scholarship places available for Vietnamese applicantshas increased significantly in recent years and both sides agreed to work moreclosely to promote the scheme to applicants from all areas including the publicsector.

“There was discussion about theimportance of cooperation on consular matters. The UK thanked the Vietnameseauthorities for their help and support when British citizens had needed duringthe past year. Both sides agreed to continue discussions aimed at strengtheningfurther cooperation in this area.

“Both sides welcomed new areas of collaboration since thefifth Strategic Dialogue in 2016. This included more and higher level defenceengagement in all areas of cooperation including delegation exchange, training,sharing of views and information on issues of mutual interest, defence industryand UN peacekeeping. To further enhance this cooperation, both sides agreed tocontinue effectively implementing all the signed documents and taking fulladvantage of the current working mechanisms. The cooperation totackle serious organised crime was commended and both sides agreed to focuseven more effort to tackle the risks of sexual exploitation and abuse ofchildren. The importance of joint work to combat modern slavery and humantrafficking was emphasised. To drive forward this cooperation, both sidesagreed to quickly complete a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on humantrafficking/modern slavery. The importance of human rights and the role theyplay in building stable, open and prosperous societies was also discussed.

“Vietnam-UK collaboration on combating illegal wildlife tradewas discussed, particularly the positive steps Vietnam has taken domesticallyand in hosting the Hanoi Conference in 2016. Both sides agreed to continuetheir collaboration, including in the preparation for the London IWT Conferencethat will take place in 2018.

“The Dialogue included detailed discussions of the manyregional and global challenges faced at present, including chemical and nuclearproliferation, international terrorism and climate change. Both sidesunderlined the need for multilateralism and cooperation at multilateral fora,respect for international law and a rules-based approach to finding enduringsolutions to the issues, and agreed to further work together at the UnitedNations and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). The UK took note of Vietnam’sintention to host, and undertook to consider support for the ASEM Conference onClimate Action to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals hosted by Vietnamin 2018. On the South China Sea, both sides reaffirmed the importance ofmaintaining regional peace, stability, safety and freedom of navigation andoverflight in this region. Both sides reaffirm that all disputes need to beresolved by peaceful means in accordance with universally recognised principlesof international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS), without resorting to the threat or use of force. Both sideshighlighted that all Parties concerned should implement their internationalobligations in good faith and refrain from actions that could furthercomplicate the situation and increase tensions in the region. The UK supportsASEAN and China’s early signing of COC.

“2018 will mark the dual anniversary of 45 years ofdiplomatic relations between the UK and Vietnam and 25 years of the BritishCouncil operating in Vietnam. To mark this, and the strength and warmth of theStrategic Partnership, both sides agreed to plan a year of events to celebratethe Vietnam in the UK and the UK in Vietnam.” - VNA