Prime Minister urges Viet Nam, Philippines to raise bilateral trade to US$10 bln

During his reception for Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique A. Manalo on Wednesday, Pham said the two countries should support each other in ensuring food security while beefing up cooperation in potential areas like digital economy, circular economy, green economy, renewable energy, climate hange.

Pham also underlined the importance of consolidating defense and security cooperation and voiced his support for early establishment of additional legal framework for bilateral security cooperation.

He reiterated Viet Nam's "four nos" of defense policy: no partaking in military alliances, no siding with one country to act against another, no foreign military bases in the Vietnamese territory or using Viet Nam as leverage to counteract other countries, and no using force or threatening to use force in international relations.

Minister Manalo reassured the host about his country's foreign policy of independence, emphasizing that both countries share similar approach toward socio-economic development and strategic issues in the region and the world.

He expressed wish that both countries should step up cooperation in culture, tourism, education while emphasizing the importance of agricultural cooperation and rice trading in ensuring food security.

Comparing notes on regional and international issues of shared concern, both sides agreed to support each other and maintain ASEAN solidarity and central role as well as peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea.

Disputes in the East Sea must be settled via peaceful measures in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Earlier the same day, Foreign Minister Enrique A. Manalo and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son co-chaired the 10^th meeting of the Viet Nam-Philippines Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation./.