Vietnam and the Philippines aim to enhance strategic partnership

(VOVWORLD) – Vietnam wants to deepen its strategic partnership with the Philippines, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo on Wednesday.

The Filipino official was in Hanoi to co-host the 10^e meeting of the Vietnam-Philippines Joint Committee for Cooperation (JCBC-10), held on 1^is and August 2.

The two governments will have to increase exchanges and coordinate the implementation of the agreements reached during this meeting, said Pham Minh Chinh. He stressed the need to boost trade and create a favorable business climate for companies from both countries. It will be essential to strengthen security and defensive ties, especially with regard to maritime security, he added.

For his part, Enrique Manalo invited Vietnam to support the Philippines in multilateral forums, including ASEAN, and to get involved in the peaceful resolution of disputes in the East Sea. Both men called on coastal states to scrupulously observe the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and to come to a legally binding Code of Conduct as soon as possible.