National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue holds talks with Speaker of the House of Representatives of India Om Birla, December 16, 2021. (Photo: VOV)

Chairman Hue welcomed Indian enterprises to invest in Vietnam, particularly in manufacturing, processing, the automobile support industry, ITC, and energy. Speaker Birla said that Vietnam has an important role in India’s Act East Policy, and is a key partner in India’s Indo-Pacific vision. The leaders hailed the rapid growth of bilateral trade – nearly 20% a year, topping 12 billion USD this year, and approaching their goal of 15 billion USD. They agreed to expand cooperation in energy, technology, the green economy, and climate change response. They agreed that defense-security cooperation continues to be a pillar of their comprehensive strategic partnership, which reflects the high level of trust between them. They agreed that direct air service between them should resume and they should recognize each other’s vaccine passports in order to boosttravel. They affirmed the importance of peace, stability, security, and maritime and aviation safety and freedom in the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea), and reiterated their support for dialogue, trust building, self-restraint, and settlement of disputes through peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.