Full text of the Vietnam - United States Joint Statement

The leaders of Vietnam and the United States reaffirmed their commitment to deepening relations on the basis of previous Joint Statements between the two countries.

At the end of US President Donald Trump's State visit to Vietnam, the two sides issued a Joint Statement. The following is the full text of the Joint Statement between Vietnam and the United States.

At the invitation of President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Tran Dai Quang, President of the United States of America Donald Trump paid a State visit to Hanoi on November 11-12, 2017.

The two leaders discussed measures to strengthen and expand the Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries on the basis of mutual understanding, common interests and aspirations to promote peace, cooperation, prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening relations on the basis of previous Joint Statements between the two countries; respecting the United Nations Charter and international law; and respecting each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political regime.

President Tran Dai Quang hosted the official welcoming ceremony for US President Donald Trump on the morning of November 12 at the Presidential Palace. Photo: Vu Toan

President Donald Trump congratulated Vietnam on successfully hosting the APEC Summit in Da Nang. The two leaders reaffirmed their intention to maintain high-level contacts and delegation exchanges and strengthen existing dialogue mechanisms, including party-to-party dialogue. The two sides highlighted the increasingly enhanced and mutually beneficial economic relationship between the United States and Vietnam and emphasized their shared desire to create jobs and create favorable conditions for business and trade in both countries.

The two leaders committed to deepening and expanding bilateral trade and investment relations through formal mechanisms, including the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). They welcomed the reopening of the Vietnamese market to U.S. distillers grains and the U.S. market to Vietnam for star apples. The two leaders committed to seeking solutions to remaining agricultural trade issues, including those related to catfish, shrimp, and mangoes, and to promoting free and fair trade and investment in priority areas, including electronic payment services, automobiles, and intellectual property rights enforcement.

The two leaders welcomed the announcement of new trade agreements worth more than $12 billion during President Trump’s visit; and the growing bilateral relationship in the energy sector, including discussions between businesses of both sides on Vietnam’s import of liquefied natural gas from the United States, and Vietnam’s steps to enhance its solar energy production capacity with U.S. support.

The two leaders affirmed their shared commitment to further deepening defense cooperation and their shared resolve to address regional security challenges. President Tran Dai Quang thanked the United States Government for transferring a Hamilton-class Coast Guard cutter, which will enhance Vietnam’s maritime security and law enforcement capabilities. The two leaders welcomed plans for the first visit to a Vietnamese port by a U.S. aircraft carrier in 2018.

The two sides affirmed the Plan of Action on Vietnam-US Defense Cooperation for the period of 2018-2020 to implement the 2011 Memorandum of Understanding on Enhancing Bilateral Defense Cooperation and the 2015 Joint Vision Statement on Defense Relations; thereby strengthening bilateral defense relations in the fields of maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, peacekeeping operations, and overcoming the consequences of war. In that spirit, the two leaders welcomed the US Secretary of Defense to visit Vietnam soon.

The two leaders stressed that the two countries will deepen and gradually expand security and intelligence cooperation; increase information exchange and joint training on issues of mutual concern. The two sides expressed their intention to strengthen cooperation on cyber security through increased delegation exchanges and information sharing, in order to promote an open and secure cyberspace. President Tran Dai Quang expressed his interest in closer coordination with the United States in ensuring aviation safety and security and counter-terrorism.

The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of continued cooperation to address the legacy of war. In that spirit, President Tran Dai Quang expressed appreciation for the United States’ contribution to the successful remediation of dioxin at Da Nang Airport, and welcomed the United States’ commitment to continue contributing to the remediation of Bien Hoa Airport. The President welcomed the United States’ provision of additional assistance for persons with disabilities. President Donald Trump expressed appreciation for Vietnam’s continued full cooperation with the United States in accounting for U.S. service members missing in action, and pledged to cooperate with Vietnam in its efforts to locate Vietnamese soldiers missing in action.

The two leaders affirmed their support for strengthening people-to-people ties, thereby deepening mutual understanding, cooperation and friendship between the two nations, specifically through professional and academic exchanges, the establishment of Fulbright University Vietnam, grants totaling US$500,000 for VEF alumni, and the arrival of the first Peace Corps volunteers in Vietnam.

President Donald Trump and President Tran Dai Quang welcomed the exchange of minutes of discussions on the intention to lease the “D30” plot of land in Hanoi to the United States for the construction of a new U.S. Embassy, ​​in accordance with the laws of each country. President Donald Trump reaffirmed the United States’ support for Vietnam to have better diplomatic and consular facilities in the United States.

The leaders of the two countries recognized the importance of ensuring and promoting human rights.

The two leaders discussed and welcomed initiatives to maintain peace and stability and promote cooperation and development in the Indo-Pacific. They acknowledged the central role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the region, and pledged to respect and support ASEAN unity and centrality in the evolving regional architecture. The two leaders expressed their support for ASEAN to play a greater role in addressing traditional and non-traditional security issues in the region, including terrorism, natural and humanitarian crises, drug trafficking, and transnational criminal organizations.

The two sides committed to deepening the U.S.-ASEAN Strategic Partnership based on the principles outlined in the 2016 Sunnylands Declaration. The two leaders welcomed the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and the 40th anniversary of U.S.-ASEAN relations, and looked forward to upcoming commemorative activities, including the U.S.-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in Manila on November 13, 2017.

The two leaders expressed their serious concerns over the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and tests, which violate United Nations Security Council resolutions and threaten international peace and security. They urged all countries to fully and strictly implement all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, and agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation to ensure their effective implementation. The two leaders agreed on the importance of the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The two leaders stressed the strategic importance of free and open access to the South China Sea to the international community, the importance of maintaining unimpeded lawful commerce, and the need to respect freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea.

The two sides reaffirmed their positions on the East Sea as stated in the previous Vietnam-US and US-ASEAN Joint Statements, including calling on parties to refrain from actions that escalate tensions, militarize disputed features, and unlawfully restrict freedoms of the sea; and reaffirmed their shared commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes, including full respect for diplomatic and legal processes.

The two leaders called for the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and the early conclusion of an effective and legally binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). They also called on all claimants in the South China Sea to clarify and enforce their maritime claims in accordance with international law, as reflected in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to exercise their international legal responsibilities in good faith in managing and resolving disputes.

The two leaders noted that as a partner of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and a founding member of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI), the United States supports the efforts of the Lower Mekong countries to sustainably manage the region’s water and environmental resources for the benefit of all. President Tran Dai Quang acknowledged the United States’ leading role in reducing global carbon emissions and innovating clean energy technologies; and thanked the United States for its support for Vietnam in promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation./.

According to VOV