Hanoi (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam hosted a reception in Hanoi on February 25 evening for Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is in Vietnam to attend the 2nd ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2025.

General Secretary Lam expressed his joy to meet PM Anwar again in Vietnam and recalled the warm and sincere sentiments that the PM, senior leaders and the Malaysian people had reserved for him and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam during the recent official visit to Malaysia (November 2024). The visit was a great success with a historic milestone by upgrading the Vietnam-Malaysia relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and exchanging specific measures for the bilateral relations to develop worthy of its new stature.

The Vietnamese leader congratulated Malaysia on its important achievements in socio-economic development. He believed that with an economic growth rate of 5.1% in 2024 (up 1.5% compared to 2023), Malaysia will become one of the leading economies with the fastest growth rates in Asia and soon join the group of 30 largest economies in the world in the next decade.

PM Anwar said he was happy to visit Vietnam again and expressed his admiration for President Ho Chi Minh, as well as Vietnam's past struggle for national independence and liberation, while promoting the stature and historical significance of the Dien Bien Phu Victory. At the same time, he highly evaluated Vietnamese leaders and people’s achievements in the process of national construction and development over the past time.

He emphasised that the General Secretary's recent visit created a very important driving force, achieving high unity in the Malaysian Government and said that the Malaysian side is determined to implement and promote the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam.

PM Anwar requested committees and coordination mechanisms between the two countries to concretise the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership into specific plans and actions for immediate implementation and early results.

Discussing major cooperation orientations, both sides agreed to enhance exchanges and contacts at all levels, especially high level; and effectively implement existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms and move toward establishing new ones that meet the needs of both countries.

Additionally, they will maximise the potential for collaboration in other key areas, particularly defence and security, trade and investment, labour, education, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. Praising the robust bilateral trade, which is nearing the target of 18 billion USD as set by the two countries’ leaders, the two sides acknowledged that there are many areas with untapped potential for development, such as energy, oil and gas, and fisheries, as well as emerging

PM Anwar agreed to closely coordinate efforts to foster new progress in economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two countries. He also supported Vietnam's proposals to strengthen cooperation in other key areas such as culture, education, and tourism by leveraging emerging trends.

Discussing regional and global issues of common concern, the two sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation and support each other in regional and international organisations, particularly within ASEAN and the United Nations.

The Party chief affirmed Vietnam's active support for Malaysia in successfully assuming its role as ASEAN Chair in 2025, adding that together with other ASEAN member countries, Vietnam will work to advance Malaysia’s key priorities, focusal areas, and initiatives for its Chairmanship Year, through the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

ꦑ Regarding the East Sea issue, the two sides agreed to continue supporting ASEAN’s common stance on the East Sea, ensuring the full and serious implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and expediting negotiations to conclude an effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), towards building the East Sea into a sea of peace and cooperation./.