Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on July 26 hosted a reception for Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof, who is in Vietnam to pay last respects to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong.

PM Chinh thanked the Malaysian Deputy PM for coming here to pay tribute and share the sadness with the family of the Vietnamese Party chief, describing the gesture as a vivid demonstration for the strategic partnership and close friendship between the leaders and people of both nations.

He also took the occasion to express gratitude to other Malaysian leaders for sending messages of condolences, and affirmed Vietnam has respected the sentiments that the Malaysian Government and people have given to the late Party leader, who wholeheartedly devoted to the nation’s construction and development, as well as the promotion of the relations with Malaysia in particular and ASEAN as a whole.

Conveying the deepest condolences of the Malaysian leaders and people to their Vietnamese counterparts and the family of the bereaved, Fadillah Yusof expressed his admiration for the tireless devotion as well as great and important contributions of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to the country’s construction and development over decades.

He affirmed that the Vietnamese Party chief is a friend of Malaysia and other countries in the ASEAN bloc.

On the occasion, the two sides discussed and reached consensus on several orientations to bolster the bilateral relations across areas.

PM Chinh suggested the two nations continue realising the outcomes of the discussions between General Secretary Trong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the latter’s official visit to Vietnam in July 2023, including enhancing the exchange of high-level visits and contacts, sharing experience, supporting each other and striving to sign a cooperation agreement in the Halal industry soon, continuing effective coordination and humanitarian treatment for detained Vietnamese fishermen in line with international law and the sound relations between the two countries.

He laid stress on support for Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025.

Agreeing with PM Chinh’s opinions, Fadillah Yusof affirmed that Malaysia stands ready to assist Vietnam in the development of the Halal sector, and concurred to strengthen cooperation in the domains of green energy, clean energy, renewable energy, digital transformation, semiconductor production and AI, striving for two-way trade of 18 billion USD a year in the coming time.

𒆙 They also agreed to continue close coordination to build an ASEAN community with sustainable development that plays a central role in handling strategic issues in the region and the world, including the East Sea one./.