During a historic state visit to Vietnam, US President Joe Biden and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong elevated bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
In a press release on Sunday, the White House said that the “unprecedented and momentous elevation of ties,” from a Comprehensive Partnership established in 2013 to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, aims to help both partners achieve their “shared goals of peace, prosperity, and sustainable development.”
Indo-Pacific Cooperation
The White House added that the new initiative aims to support Washington and Hanoi’s “shared vision for broader bilateral cooperation, deeper institutional ties, and more extensive and innovative economic engagement, including in support of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF).”
Semiconductor Supply Chains
The countries further announced investment in the innovation economy and cooperation in science and technology. This includes a new semiconductor partnership that will help support resilient semiconductor supply chains for US Industry.
When US President @JoeBiden in Vietnam. pic.twitter.com/8Gf4dcghzT
— Zhang Heqing (@zhang_heqing) September 11, 2023
As part of the efforts to expand their trade and economic cooperation, both sides agreed to expand agricultural trade and increase the access to capital for the “underserved borrower.”
Human Rights
Underscoring the universality of human rights, both leaders agreed to advance human rights and fundamental freedoms, “including freedoms of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and religion or belief, at home and abroad.”
Climate
Noting that “climate, energy, environment, and health are all essential elements of a dynamic thriving technology-focused innovation-based society and economy,” both sides agreed to launch a new working group to coordinate bilateral climate-related projects.
In addition, Washington will make an initial investment of $11.41 million over two years, to help support rice farming across Vietnam’s Mekong Delta — a region that produces roughly half of Vietnam’s total rice harvest and nearly three-quarters of its fruit, aquaculture, and fisheries products.
Addressing War Legacies
Notably, both countries acknowledged that they have “overcome a difficult past to become trusted partners.” To this end, Biden reaffirmed his government’s “unwavering cooperation in [their] collective pursuit to continue addressing war legacy issues.”
As part of this, the US will support Vietnam “in developing a technology-led system for identification of remains from the war.” The interagency effort will extend to archival research that will “help identify locations of Vietnamese missing or fallen individuals, as well as cutting-edge DNA technology, including the transfer of expertise and equipment to Vietnamese laboratories.”