This occasion will also constitute an important platform for both countries to reaffirm their excellent relations, increasingly strengthened since the establishment of diplomatic ties 50 years ago, Balakrishnan said.

In an interview with the Vietnamese news agency, regarding Minh Chinh’s trip to take place between next March 8th and 10th, Balakrishnan emphasized that “we are long-time friends and close partners, and we cooperate extensively in various fields, both in the bilateral framework as well as in multilateral forums.”

According to the Singaporean Foreign Minister, there are various opportunities to work together in new growth areas, such as the digital economy, renewable energy, carbon credits, green finance, cybersecurity and sustainable infrastructure.

However, as she noted, the biggest opportunities for closer cooperation are in the digital economy, a priority for both Singapore and Vietnam, and sustainable development, an area in which her country hopes to collaborate with Vietnam with the goal of achieving zero net carbon emissions by 2050.

“Vietnam has a lot of wind and sunlight that can be used to generate renewable energy,” both for domestic consumption and for export to other countries, Balakrishnan said, reminding the existence of the Laos-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore energy integration project in the region.

“There are many junctures for the countries in the region to work together towards having an electricity grid of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),” she considered.

jrr/llp/lam/mpm