Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong said that the State visit to the Philippines by General Secretary and President To Lam this time is of very special significance.
This is the first visit of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to the Philippines, taking place in the context that the two countries are aiming to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and at the same time the Philippines is taking on the role of ASEAN Chair in 2026. The visit shows Vietnam's high appreciation for the friendly and cooperative relations with the Philippines as well as with ASEAN and Southeast Asia.
This is also an opportunity for senior leaders of the two countries to exchange in-depth views on major orientations to bring the Vietnam - Philippines Strategic Partnership to develop stronger, more substantively and effectively in the new period.
The visit is expected to create new momentum to make economic cooperation a more important pillar in bilateral relations. Economic cooperation between the two countries still has much room for development, especially in areas such as: Trade, investment, logistics, high-tech agriculture, renewable energy, digital transformation and marine economy.
According to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the field of agriculture and food security, Vietnam wishes to continue to be a reliable partner of the Philippines, and at the same time expand cooperation to the fields of agricultural and aquatic product processing, application of high technology and adaptation to climate change. Sea and ocean cooperation continues to be a very important content.
The two sides also expect to expand defense and security cooperation, especially in preventing and combating transnational crime, maritime security, search and rescue, disaster response and non-traditional security challenges.
With a good foundation of friendship, increasingly high political trust and broad cooperation potential, this visit will create new momentum, bring Vietnam - Philippines relations to develop more strongly, and make positive contributions to peace, stability and development in the region.
Sharing with VNA, Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro expressed her hope that the historic visit of General Secretary and President To Lam will create greater momentum for close cooperation in 3 key strategic areas.
First, in trade and investment, both countries are striving to expand and balance two-way trade, exceeding the initial target of 10 billion USD.
Second, as coastal countries in the region, the Philippines and Vietnam are entities that firmly support international law, especially UNCLOS. The visit will reaffirm our common commitment to promoting peace, security, stability and freedom of navigation.
Finally, people-to-people exchanges are still the foundation for strengthening the friendly and sustainable solidarity between the people of the Philippines and Vietnam," said the Philippine Foreign Minister.
