Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Philippine President support freedom of navigation in the East Sea

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently had a bilateral meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on the occasion of attending the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) in Bali, Indonesia.

President Duterte affirmed that the Philippines always considers Vietnam a close friend, wishes to further promote the strategic partnership and proposes to increase the exchange of high-level delegations. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his gratitude for the Philippine President's letter of condolence on the passing of President Tran Dai Quang.

The two leaders discussed important areas of cooperation such as defense, security, economy, trade, education, maritime cooperation, energy, etc. The two sides agreed to soon complete the Vietnam - Philippines Action Program for the period 2018 - 2023, affirming the importance of strengthening cooperation on maritime issues, creating conditions for fishermen of the two countries to fish legally, safely and sustainably.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and President Duterte agreed to strengthen cooperation within the ASEAN framework; affirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, and peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international law. The two sides reaffirmed their support for the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the early completion of an effective, substantive and legally binding Code of Conduct (COC).

Earlier, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation attended a meeting with ASEAN leaders. The meeting was also attended by the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), the Secretary-General of ASEAN, the Managing Director of the IMF and the President of the World Bank.

Speaking at the meeting, the Prime Minister emphasized that the annual conference is an opportunity for ASEAN leaders and international organizations to share views and discuss measures for regional and global coordination of actions and cooperation to promote development. The Prime Minister stated that the Vietnamese Government is implementing strong reforms, building a constructive, developing, honest, action-oriented Government that serves the people and businesses.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also appreciated the active support and cooperation of the IMF and the WB for ASEAN, and proposed that the IMF and the WB cooperate and advise ASEAN countries to build a regional macroeconomic risk warning mechanism.

Today (October 12), the Prime Minister will attend the opening ceremony of the IMF - WB Annual Meeting as a special guest of the host country and hold talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.