HANOI, Oct 24 – Vietnam’s National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man held talks with visiting Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia Tan Sri Johari Abdul in Hanoi on Wednesday, following a welcome ceremony for the latter.
According to Vietnam News Agency (VNA), Man welcomed the Malaysian Speaker’s official visit from October 22-25, noting that it takes place at a time when the two countries are approaching the 10th anniversary of their Strategic Partnership in 2025.
He affirmed that the visit contributes to consolidating the friendly and cooperative relations between the two nations across various areas as well as enhancing the practical and effective cooperation between the Vietnamese and Malaysian legislatures.
Congratulating Malaysia on its remarkable economic achievements, which have helped the country to become one of the top 27 competitive economies in the world, Man expressed his confidence that the Malaysian House of Representatives will play a pivotal role in driving national economic development, improving living standards of local people and enhancing Malaysia’s global and regional positions.
Johari affirmed that Vietnam and Malaysia are important parts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the two nations are working together to drive economic growth and share sci-tech and energy achievements.
To further reinforce the bilateral Strategic Partnership, Man suggested Malaysia continue facilitating the exchange of all-level delegations, and effectively implement existing cooperation mechanisms and agreements, toward lifting two-way trade to USD18 billion in a balanced manner.
According to the NA Chairman, both sides should support training on the Halal production process and certification for Vietnamese localities and businesses, further facilitate the import of Halal products from Vietnam and strive to soon sign a cooperation agreement in the Halal sector.
Additionally, Vietnam and Malaysia should explore the possibility of launching more direct flights connecting famous destinations between the two countries to boost trade and tourism, step up collaboration on training workforce in areas where both sides have strengths and needs, such as sci-tech, information technology, economy and education management.
Speaking highly of Malaysia’s stance on addressing the East Sea issue, Man said both sides need to collaborate with other ASEAN countries to uphold ASEAN’s viewpoint on the East Sea matter, promote the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and negotiate an effective and practical Code of Conduct on the East Sea (COC) in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
