Singapore (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam and Singaporean Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) Lawrence Wong officially announced the upgrade of the Vietnam-Singapore relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership at a press briefing in Singapore on March 12 following their talks the same day.

Expressing his delight at the elevation, Wong highlighted that, on this occasion, the two countries signed multiple agreements to strengthen cooperation in various areas, including transnational crime prevention, digital transformation, digital economy, financial technology, green economy, and renewable energy.

The two sides also agreed to expand collaboration in Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP), which will generate more jobs and foster the development of smarter, more modern VSIPs in the future. These steps are a reflection of the importance of the new comprehensive strategic partnership and will further boost bilateral cooperation, the Singaporean leader said.

Meanwhile, Lam told the press briefing that his talks with the host was a success, conducted in an open, frank, sincere, and mutually respectful manner. He expressed his pleasure to see that, after more than 50 years of diplomatic relations, including over a decade of strategic partnership, cooperation between the two countries has deepened across all fields, with growing political trust.

The Vietnamese Party chief emphasised that with the strong achievements already made, based on mutual understanding and trust, shared strategic priorities, and a common vision for security, prosperity, and sustainable development in the region, both sides declared the elevation of Vietnam-Singapore relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

This new framework will further enhance political trust and open up vast opportunities for deeper and broader cooperation, making Vietnam-Singapore ties a model for international relations in the new era. The partnership is founded on the basis of respect for the independence, sovereignty, and political systems of each country, as well as international law, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both nations and contributing to peace, stability, and development in the region and beyond, said Lam, adding that both sides has reached strong consensus on the direction for implementing the new comprehensive strategic partnership in the future.

He underlined that since Vietnam's accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Singapore has been always a key economic partner, supporting Vietnam throughout its reform, door-opening, and development process. Vietnam is proud of having Singapore as a friend and a comprehensive strategic partner.

༒ Earlier, Lam and Wong witnessed the exchange of several cooperation agreements, including a transnational crime prevention cooperation agreement between Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security and Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs; a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on digital transformation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security and Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information; a joint report on offshore wind energy trade cooperation between Vietnam and Singapore; a MoU to enhance cooperation in financial innovation between the State Bank of Vietnam and the Monetary Authority of Singapore; a letter of intent on cooperation between the State Securities Commission of Vietnam and the Monetary Authority of Singapore; a decision to launch a VSIP infrastructure development and business project in the Vietnamese provinces of Nam Dinh and Nghe An; an MoU on research cooperation and investment project proposals in Ly Nhan district of Ha Nam province (Vietnam); and a tripartite MoU among A*Star, Sembcorp, and Becamex./.