Party and State leaders: Cherish and strengthen friendship and cooperation with Singapore
VNGOVNet – Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh talked in the January 17 afternoon at the head office of the Party Central Committee with the visiting Singaporean Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew. Previously on the same day, at the Presidential Palace, State President Nguyễn Minh Triết had also talked with Mr. Lee Kwan Yew.
General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh receives Singaporean Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew - Photo: VNGOVNet
General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh highly appreciated Mr. Lee Kwan Yew’s experience and contributions to the strengthened friendly and cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Singapore over the past years and considered the guest’s visit to Vietnam a vivid demonstration of the good and traditional relationship between the two countries' leaders and the two nations. The General Secretary showed his satisfaction to the developed friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries under the bilateral and multilateral frameworks. The General Secretary reiterated Vietnam’s consistent policy of pushing for the solidification and expansion of its friendly and cooperative relations with the neighboring and regional countries, including Singapore, for the sake of the two peoples’ interests, peace, stability and development within the region and in the world.
State President Nguyễn Minh Triết receives Singaporean Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew - Photo: VNGOVNet
Previously, in the reception to Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew, State President Nguyễn Minh Triết informed the guest of the outcomes of his meeting with Singaporean Lee Hsien Loong during the 14th APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Hanoi. The President said that the meeting was expected to help strengthen the two countries’ traditional cooperation, especially in socio-economic affairs. So many lessons from Singapore's social management, urban planning and management, training and grooming human resources are very useful for Vietnam’s renovation and socio-economic development.
Talking with Vietnamese leaders, Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew hailed Vietnam’s renovation achievements and congratulated the country on its becoming the 150th WTO member and successfully organizing the 14th APEC Leaders’ Meeting. Mr. Lee Kwan Yew attributed these successes to the Vietnamese State, Government and people’s strategic vision and determination to make their vision come true. He confirmed Singapore's willingness to further its cooperation and share its experience with Vietnam, especially in investment, trade, economic reform, education and training, administrative reform, and training human resources. The Minister stressed that Vietnam should pay more attention to human development, especially training foreign languages, including English, to catch up and integrate with the development tendencies within the region and in the world. Administrative reforms should be boosted to attract more investment. Besides, Vietnam can study Singapore’s experience in raising its State budget revenue by reducing corporate and income taxes, increasing the value added tax on goods and services to attract investors and improve enterprise competitiveness.
By Xuân Hồng
