Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception for U.S. Vice State President Kamala Harris on the sidelines of the ongoing 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday.
The two leaders expressed pleasure to witness the robust developments in the Vietnam-U.S. Comprehensive Partnership.
President Phuc said that Vietnam always regards the U.S. as one of its most important partners and expects to promote the bilateral ties in a practical manner.
The Vietnamese leader asked the U.S Vice President to convey his invitation to visit Vietnam to U.S. President Joe Biden.
He welcomed Biden’s previous request for a phone call with Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and suggested that the two sides make thorough preparations for the phone conversation.
The president also took the occasion to express his gratitude to the U.S. for donating a large amount of COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam, helping the Southeast Asian country control the pandemic.
He congratulated the U.S. on assuming the role of hosting APEC 2023 and affirmed Vietnam would actively coordinate with the U.S. to ensure the success of the APEC year.
In reply, Kamala Harris affirmed that the U.S. wishes to further promote relations with Vietnam to bring benefits to the two countries and actively contribute to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and in the wider world.
The meeting took place within the framework of President Phuc’s working program at the two-day APEC 2022 Summit in Thailand that concludes on Saturday.
On Friday morning, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha welcomed President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and heads of delegations of APEC economies.