Hanoi (VNA) - General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) To Lam held a phone talks with Secretary-General of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and Prime Minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong on December 20 afternoon, during which the Vietnamese Party chief suggested the two countries further strengthen political trust through meetings and exchanges of all-level delegations.

Lam congratulated Wong on his election as PAP Secretary-General, expressing his belief that under the leadership of the government led by Wong, Singapore will achieve even greater accomplishments, further fostering its economy and strengthening its international position.

Lam highly appreciated support and cooperation provided by the Singaporean government to Vietnam since the early days of its "Doi moi" (renewal) and international integration.He affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to and wants to boost and deepen the Strategic Partnership with Singapore in a more robust, substantive, and effective manner.

He suggested strengthening cooperation between the CPV and the PAP, saying that relevant agencies of the two nations need closely coordinate to build strategies and plans for cooperation in areas such as digital transformation and renewable energy, aiming to create significant breakthroughs to meet the demands and development goals of the new era.

He also proposed boosting financial and tourism cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges; as well as expanding defence and security cooperation, including the establishment of a national population data centre and the integration of digital platforms such as SingPass and VNeID, which are actively being studied by both sides to facilitate entry and exit for citizens of the two countries.

For his part, Wong concurred with Lam's proposals regarding orientaions for stepping up bilateral cooperation in the coming time, saying that Singaporean businesses are eager to expand their investment and business activities in Vietnam, especially in new sectors such as renewable energy development, carbon credit trading, and developing new-generation Vietnam–Singapore industrial parks (VSIPs) with a focus on hi-tech industries, clean energy, semiconductor production, and artificial intelligence (AI) - aligning with the developmental trends and priorities of both nations and supporting the common goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

The two leaders expressed their satisfaction with the strong and comprehensive development of bilateral cooperation over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties and more than 10 years of the Strategic Partnership. They affirmed that the network of 18 VSIPs in Vietnam stands as a symbol of successful cooperation between the two nations.

Vietnam and Singapore have been actively advancing the Digital Economy - Green Economy Partnership - an important cooperation area that facilitates the transformation of both economies toward new potential fields such as digital economy, green economy and circular economy, innovation, clean energy, and responding to climate change.

They agreed on the importance of enhancing coordination between the two countries within ASEAN and other regional and international forums to contribute positively to the group's resilience, prosperity and sustainable development, and promoting the central role of the bloc in the region.

The two sides also agreed to to assign relevant agencies from both nations to promptly finalise the contents, towards elevating the bilateral relations to a new height.

♒ On this occasion, Wong invited the Vietnamese Party chief and his spouse to pay an official visit to Singapore at a convenient time in 2025. The latter accepted the invitation with pleasure and, in return, invited the Singaporean leader and his spouse to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time./.