Vietnam and the US agreed on the importance of maintaining peace, security, and freedom of navigation on the East Sea, for which any disputes should be settled via peaceful measures under international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Source: VNA

The view was shared during a meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on May 13 in Washington.

At the meeting, Chinh thanked the US Government for offering Vietnam’s high-ranking delegation a warm welcome, especially the US National Security Council for its role in cooperating with the ASEAN in hosting the ASEAN-US special summit.

“This shows the strong commitment of the Biden administration to ASEAN and the region,” Chinh said.

According to the prime minister, since the normalization in 1995, Vietnam and the US have formed a strong partnership based on sincerity, trust, and responsibility.

“Bilateral relations have overcome difficulties and witnessed strong progress under the vision agreed by country leaders during the visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to the US in 2015,” Chinh said.

Chinh noted Vietnam considers the US a key partner and seeks to further deepen the comprehensive partnership for mutual benefits and contribute to peace, stability, cooperation, and prosperity in the region and of the world.

He called for the US to further support Vietnam in addressing its war legacy and building an independent, self-reliant economy with a focus on digitalization and global integration.

For his part, Sullivan shared Chinh’s view that trust, sincerity, and responsibility are factors to drive the bilateral relations forward.

Sullivan said the US respects independence, territorial sovereignty, and the political regime of its partners, stressing the country’s priority in boosting relations with Vietnam.

He noted the US is committed to allocating resources to support  Vietnam in countering challenges such as the pandemic, climate change, and disruption to global supply chains.

On regional and international issues of mutual interests, both sides agreed on the central role of ASEAN in dealing with regional issues, as well as the US’s efforts to bolster cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.