HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a Joint Statement officially upgrading bilateral relations between Việt Nam and the United Kingdom to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, marking a historic milestone in the development of the two countries’ long-standing friendship.
As part of his official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on the afternoon of 29 October (local time), at the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted the official welcome ceremony for Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and the high-level Vietnamese delegation.
Following the ceremony, the two leaders held official talks to discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Starmer congratulated Việt Nam on its remarkable achievements under the leadership of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and General Secretary Tô Lâm, and affirmed that Việt Nam is a dynamic, highly open economy playing an increasingly important role in the Asia–Pacific region, and one of the UK’s leading partners in Southeast Asia and the wider region.
General Secretary Tô Lâm, for his part, commended the UK’s impressive achievements in socio-economic development, which have helped it become the world’s sixth-largest economy and a global financial hub, maintaining its position among the most developed nations. He expressed confidence that under Prime Minister Starmer’s leadership, the UK will continue to grow strongly and make active contributions to global peace, cooperation, and sustainable development.
Both leaders highly valued the positive development of bilateral relations, particularly their joint efforts to overcome obstacles and seek solutions in the spirit of cooperation for the mutual benefit of both peoples. They expressed satisfaction that Việt Nam and the UK share common views on many regional and international issues and continue to coordinate and support each other closely in multilateral fora.
General Secretary Tô Lâm affirmed that Việt Nam attaches great importance to its traditional friendship and Strategic Partnership with the UK, based on mutual respect, shared benefits, and a forward-looking vision.
He stated that Việt Nam is ready to work closely with the UK to elevate cooperation in key pillars such as politics–diplomacy, defence–security, science–technology and digital transformation, finance–banking, education–training, environment and climate response, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
He emphasised that, as an ASEAN member, Việt Nam stands ready to act as a bridge to promote UK–ASEAN cooperation and serve as a gateway for the UK to access Southeast Asian markets.
Both leaders agreed that the two countries have great potential for cooperation in the new period, particularly in green and sustainable economic and energy transformation, digital industry development, and high-quality human resource training.
Prime Minister Starmer expressed his desire to strengthen comprehensive bilateral cooperation, especially within the frameworks of the UK–Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
He affirmed that the UK Government is ready to assist Việt Nam in achieving its net-zero emissions target by 2050, encourage British enterprises to invest and expand cooperation in Việt Nam, and support the implementation of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). The two leaders set a goal to double bilateral trade turnover in the near future.
Regarding security and defence cooperation, both sides agreed to diversify cooperation, combat illegal migration, and enhance collaboration on peacekeeping operations and training.
The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and international issues of shared concern. They emphasised the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, ensuring maritime and aviation security and freedom, and resolving disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).
Elevating ties
At the end of the talks, the two leaders issued the Joint Statement officially upgrading bilateral relations between Việt Nam and the United Kingdom to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The statement highlights major achievements in bilateral relations, reaffirms core principles, and sets out broad directions to strengthen cooperation for the long-term benefit of both peoples and for peace, stability, and sustainable development in their respective regions and globally.
On this occasion, the Ministry of Public Security of Việt Nam and the UK Home Office signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Preventing and Combating International Fraud and a Plan to Enhance Cooperation on Migration Issues.
Both sides underlined that the issuance of the Joint Statement and the signing of cooperation agreements in areas such as economy, green finance, education–training, healthcare, clean and renewable energy, and local cooperation during General Secretary Tô Lâm’s visit are of great significance, laying a foundation for deepening bilateral relations. The two leaders agreed to work closely together to implement the new partnership framework effectively.
On behalf of Việt Nam’s Party and State leaders, General Secretary Tô Lâm conveyed warm greetings to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other senior UK leaders, and invited the Prime Minister to visit Việt Nam soon. Prime Minister Starmer gratefully accepted the invitation. VNS
