 Tan Chuan-Jin, Speaker of the Singaporean Parliament (photo: adwiretimes.com) |
Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin’s visit to Vietnam takes place amid the strong development of the Vietnam-Singapore traditional friendship and Strategic Partnership in all sectors, including legislative cooperation.
Promoting legislatures’ role in bilateral relations
The Singaporean Speaker’s Vietnam visit is of great importance to bilateral cooperation between the two countries’ parliaments.
Bilateral legislative cooperation has recorded a number of practical results, including online talks between National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and Singaporean Parliament Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin in July, 2021.
Vietnam’s 15th National Assembly established a Vietnam-ASEAN Parliamentary Friendship Group to enhance exchanges between Vietnamese National Assembly deputies and parliamentarians of ASEAN countries including Singapore.
Parliamentary cooperation has contributed to boosting bilateral relations. The two legislatures have enhanced the sharing of experience in building institutions, perfecting the legal system, contributing to economic connectivity, and developing the digital economy and digital society.
Both legislative agencies have shared law-making practices to help the governments improve the business environment for post-pandemic recovery and effectively implement cooperative agreements to obtain the best results.
In the international arena, the two legislative agencies have exchanged delegations and met at global forums such as ASEAN’s Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), and the International Parliamentary Union (IPU). They have consulted with each other and shared views supporting ASEAN’s stance on peace, stability, security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, and resolving disputes by peaceful means based on international law, including the 1982 United Nations’ Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Growing together
The Singapore-Vietnam relation has strongly developed since they established diplomatic ties in 1973. Singapore is one of Vietnam’s most important partners in national development. In 9 years of Strategic Partnership, bilateral relations have prospered in all sectors. Singapore is Vietnam’s second biggest investor with total registered capital of more than 67.5 billion USD. Over the last 2 decades, Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks have operated effectively, contributing significantly to the two countries’ Strategic Partnership.
Vietnam and Singapore are determined to maintain the partnership, expand cooperation in the digital economy, cyber security, smart cities, and digital payment. Singapore looks forward to cooperating with Vietnam in sustainable development as Vietnam increases investment in sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy, with the goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien talked about investment trends among Singaporean businesses: “Some Singaporean investors are interested in generating hydrogen from clean energy, which is part of Vietnam’s development orientation. Vietnam wants to exploit its potentials and advantages in wind and solar energy and hydrogen generation.”
Singapore’s leaders say that they respect and want to develop the Strategic Partnership with Vietnam within bilateral and multilateral frameworks, hailing their high level of political trust, their longstanding win-win partnership, and their close people-to-people ties.
Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin’s visit to Vietnam will generate new momentum for the bilateral cooperation in the near future.