Vietnam
Vietnam, US discuss settlement of disputes in East Sea
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh met with US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York on September 22 on the occasion of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly.
Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) and US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken
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During the meeting, they agreed on the need for Vietnam and the US to increase delegation exchanges and dialogues to strengthen the bilateral relationship.
The two officials agreed to work together to manage differences between the two countries, for the sake of their people, and for peace and development.
Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested Vietnam and the US utilise the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, to which they are both signatories, to enhance their collaboration in trade-investment, science-technology, climate change response, and national security and defence.
The two officials mentioned regional politics and security, including traditional and non-traditional security challenges.
They discussed the settlement of disputes in the East Sea by peaceful measures and on the basis of respecting international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, in order to maintain peace, stability, security, and maritime and aviation freedom in the area.
The same day, Deputy PM Minh held a roundtable talk with more than 25 large US businesses, including big investors in Vietnam like Intel, Metlife, Cargill and Coca Cola.
The Deputy PM attributed the thriving relationship between Vietnam and the US to contributions from the firms.
Vietnam has signed free trade agreements, including the TPP, he said, calling on US businesses to maximise opportunities afforded by the pacts to speed up their investments in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese Government will continue to improve the local investment climate to help foreign firms operate in the country, he vowed.
The US businesses said they are interested in manufacturing, services and finance-banking in Vietnam.
