The Vietnamese Prime Minister welcomed the visit of the US President. He thanked Mr. Biden for his high regard for Vietnam in his various positions, especially his key role, together with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, in elevating bilateral relations to the level of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The graph shows Vietnam-US trade values by the year 1995-2022. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Mr. Chinh expressed his sympathy to the US President for the grief and losses suffered by the American people as a result of the September 11 attack. He reiterated Vietnam's position against terrorism in any form. International counter-terrorism cooperation is very important, especially cooperation with the US, the Prime Minister said.

For his part, US President Joe Biden highly appreciated the warm and sincere welcome extended to him and his delegation by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong, and the Vietnamese Government. He reiterated that the United States highly values its relations with Vietnam and supports a strong, independent, self-reliant, prosperous Vietnam.

At the meeting with US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Chinh urged both countries to prioritize intensifying exchanges, strengthening trade and investment cooperation, promoting cooperation in science and technology, innovation, education and training, and advancing climate change response and green and renewable energy development.

Defense and security and mutual support in multilateral forums, the Greater Mekong Subregion, and ASEAN's stance, principles, and central role in East Sea issues (known as the South China Sea) are other priorities that the Vietnamese Prime Minister touched upon.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Chinh expected the US government to continue to take care of the overseas Vietnamese in the United States and provide favorable conditions for them.

US President Joe Biden arrived in Vietnam on the afternoon of September 10 for a two-day state visit to mark the 10th anniversary of the bilateral Comprehensive Partnership.

After a reception hosted by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the Presidential Palace, the two leaders ratified the elevation of bilateral relations to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

General Secretary Trong and the US President agreed that the two nations should respect each other's sovereignty, political system and independence. The General Secretary stressed that non-interference in each other's affairs is the basic principle for the development of Vietnam-US relations.

Vietnam and the US normalized diplomatic relations in 1995. In July 2013, the two countries upgraded Vietnam-US relations to a comprehensive partnership.

Economic relations remain the foundation for better Vietnam-US relations. Since 1995, bilateral trade between Vietnam and the US has gained substantively by 309 times to US$139 billion in 2022.