Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Vietnam visit from August 27-29 offers an occasion for leaders of the two countries to set a future agenda for the bilateral relationship, as both look towards dealing with many common challenges, according to Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Jaya Ratnam.
The visit is taking place at a "very momentous time” as Singapore and Vietnam are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their bilateral diplomat ties and 10 years of their strategic partnership, he told the press ahead of the trip.
The upcoming trip and the official visit to Singapore by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in February this year form part of the activities marking the important occasion, the diplomat stressed.
The focus of the Singaporean PM’s visit will be the green and digital economic partnership launched by the two PMs in February, he said, noting that this is the way both countries would work together and support each other in dealing with common challenges.
The ambassador said the partnership covers innovation, which he called a key driver.
“Singapore and Vietnam are among the top three countries in having the startup scene in Southeast Asia. We are looking to see how both countries can collaborate much more closer in this area,” he further explained.
Ratnam cited the example of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the National Innovation Centre (NIC) under the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) last July.
Under the MoU, NUS and NIC will set up working groups to strengthen collaboration in innovation and connectivity of the startup ecosystems in the two countries in the next three years.
Other spheres include in the green and digital economic partnership and renewable energy as the two countries share the common goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
“This will take a lot of effort and massive transformation of our economies and the way we live our lives,” he noted.
The diplomat held that Singapore and Vietnam can work together not just to develop renewable energy in Vietnam but also to connect this to the larger ASEAN region through the ASEAN power grid.
Ratnam also spoke of sustainability as the third field in the partnership, also a key area the two countries need to work together, especially carbon credits.
In October 2022, Singapore and Vietnam signed an MoU to collaborate on carbon credits, aligned with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. This puts both Singapore and Vietnam in excellent positions to capture the opportunities generated by carbon markets.
The ambassador expressed his hope that there will be several announcements on the new areas in which Singapore and Vietnam can collaborate during the upcoming visit by his PM.
On the occasion of Vietnam's National Day (September 2), the ambassador extended his warmest wishes to Vietnamese leaders and people.
He described Vietnam as a country with "strong principles" and "a great deal of responsibility", which have helped it gain trust from other countries.
Lauding Vietnam's increasing role at regional and global forums, the diplomat expressed his belief that the country will take on more leadership positions in the region and the world in the coming years.
