Vietnam is ready to deepen the comprehensive partnership with the U.S. on the basis of mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political regimes, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son told his American counterpart Antony Blinken on Thursday.

Minister Son made this statement during a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State on the sidelines of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and relevant meetings in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The two top diplomats expressed their contentment toward the increasingly positive outcomes of the Vietnam-U.S. cooperation relationship and underlined the importance attached by the leadership of the two countries to their comprehensive partnership.

Vietnam is willing to work with the U.S. to upgrade their bilateral ties at a proper time, Minister Son remarked.

The top U.S. diplomat spoke highly of the outcomes of the phone talks between Vietnam’s Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong and U.S. President Joe Biden in late March this year.

He agreed to join hands with Vietnam to implement the outcomes of the phone talks in an effective manner, facilitate more high-level visits and meetings between both nations’ top officials, as well as execute cooperation deals clinched by both sides.

Blinken also thanked the Vietnamese government, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for hosting a reception for him during his April visit to this Southeast Asian nation.

The two top diplomats also discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern and agreed to beef up cooperation at regional and international forums in the upcoming period.

Vietnam and the U.S. established their diplomatic ties in 1995 and lifted their bilateral ties to a comprehensive partnership in 2013.

The U.S. remains one of the biggest buyers of Vietnamese products, with turnover surpassing US$109 billion last year.

Investors from the U.S. have implemented more than 1,200 FDI projects in Vietnam, with the total pledged capital of over $11 billion, making the U.S. ranking 11th among 140 countries and territories pouring investment into Vietnam.

Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (R) shakes hands with High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joseph Borell (L) in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 13, 2023. Photo: Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

In related news, Minister Son met with High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joseph Borell on Thursday evening.

The top Vietnamese diplomat proposed that EU member nations soon complete the ratification of the Vietnam - EU Investment Protection Agreement.

He expressed his hope that the EU would consider lifting the ‘yellow card’ warning against Vietnamese seafood exports.

The ‘yellow card’ is a kind of warning issued by the European Commission (EC) to countries involved in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The EC imposed the ‘yellow card’ punishment on Vietnam’s seafood in 2017. It means that all of Vietnam’s seafood batches shipped to the EU are subject to scrutiny, or local exporters have to pay higher costs.

Borell asserted that the EU is willing to support Vietnam in energy transition and implementation of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), working toward Vietnam's target of net zero emissions by 2050.

The Vietnam JETP is a financing mechanism announced in December last year. This partnership is aimed at supporting Vietnam’s low-emission and climate resilient development, helping the country accelerate the just transition and decarbonization of the power system, and developing new economic opportunities to support Vietnam's transition towards a net zero future, according to the EC.​

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