Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong
(VOVworld) – Major newspapers in Vietnam are running news stories and articles highlighting Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to the US. The People’s Daily ran an editorial entitled “Lifting Vietnam-US friendly cooperation to a new stage of development” which stressed the importance of Party leader Trong’s first visit to the US.
A People’s Army newspaper editorial entitled “The historic visit” emphasized the visit’s significance, saying it lays a foundation for stronger ties in the future.
US media has also given wide coverage to the visit. The AP news agency said economic cooperation has been a pillar of Vietnam-US relations since the countries normalized ties 20 years ago, and is a priority for future cooperation. In its article, AP said US officials want to elevate Vietnam-US ties to a new height. Vietnam is a major part of the US’s Asia policy and plays a key role in President Barack Obama’s political and economic policies.
In its article, France’s AFP news agency said Vietnam-US trade increased from 451 million USD in 1995 to 35 billion USD in 2014. Vietnam has surpassed Malaysia and Thailand to become the leading Southeast Asian exporter to the US. The article quoted Professor Walter Lohman, Director of the Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center, as saying that although differences remain, Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to the US is evidence that bilateral ties are advancing.
UK news agency Reuters ran an article entitled “Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong makes a turning-point visit to the US”. It said a series of recent visits by US officials to Vietnam including that of top US General Martin Dempsey, US Secretary of State John Kerry, and US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, have bolstered trust between the two countries.
In its article on the topic Japan’s newspaper Asahi said both countries are seeking measures to enhance their cooperative ties.
News agencies of China, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, and Cambodia also ran articles about the visit.