Forty-five years of progress

by New Worker

Pham Binh Minh welcomes the guests

 correspondent

NCP leader Andy Brooks joined diplomats, businessmen and solidarity workers at a celebration to mark the 45^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Britain and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The lobby in the upper hall of the Central Hall, Westminster was packed on Tuesday for a welcoming reception for Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Bình Minh on the first day of an official visit to Britain. This was followed by a performance by artistes from the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet of songs and dances that reflected the diverse ethnic backgrounds of the Vietnamese people.

British–Vietnamese friendship has been reflected, over the years, through the regular exchange of high-ranking delegations, sound bilateral trade and robust cooperation between enterprises from both sides.

Earlier in the day the Vietnamese minister had a meeting with Liam Fox, the Secretary of State for International Trade, during which the two sides acknowledged the good growth of trade-investment ties between the two countries in recent years.

Deputy Premier Minh said he believed Brexit would not create negative impacts on the trade-investment ties between Vietnam and the UK. He asked the UK to continue backing Vietnam in enhancing ties with the European Union (EU) and advocating the early signing of the EU–Vietnam free trade agreement.

The Vietnamese minister thanked the British government for providing development aid for Vietnam for more than 20 years, assisting with Vietnam’s socio-economic development and international integration. He asked the British government to continue helping Vietnam access capital from its Prosperity Fund to improve the business environment and cope with climate change.

Liam Fox appreciated Vietnam’s role in the Asia-Pacific, and expressed the wish to maintain and expand economic-trade relations with Vietnam. He affirmed that in its Global Britain strategy announced in 2017, the British government gives priority to enhancing economic cooperation with important partners, including Vietnam.

More than 10,000 Vietnamese students are currently studying in Britain. Two-way trade reached US$6 billion in 2017, up 11 per cent from 2016, whilst total British investment in Vietnam climbed to $3.71 billion, putting the UK in 15th position amongst the 129 countries and territories investing in the country. In the first 4 months of this year, two-way trade hit more than $2 billion.