Chile's president touches down in Vietnam amid series of high-ranking APEC visits

By Vu Hoang   November 7, 2017 | 10:46 pm PT
Chile's president touches down in Vietnam amid series of high-ranking APEC visits
Chile's President Michelle Bachelet (C) and her delegation arrive at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh
Michelle Bachelet will meet with leaders in Hanoi and leave for the regional summit in Da Nang on Thursday night.

Hanoi welcomed Chilean President Michelle Bachelet for an official state visit on Wednesday at the invitation of Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang before she joins other world leaders at a key economic summit in Da Nang on the central coast later this week.

The president and her delegation arrived at Noi Bai Airport at around 11:35 a.m. 

She is scheduled to meet with Vietnamese leaders on Thursday before leaving for Da Nang the same night.

Bachelet, 66, was the first woman to be appointed president of Chile in 2006. After losing her reelection bid in 2010, she regained the position in 2014.

Vietnam and Chile signed a free trade agreement at the beginning of 2014.

Bilateral trade reached $1.03 billion last year, with Vietnam holding a $740.4 million trade surplus, according to official figures.

The Chilean leader arrived in Hanoi less than hour after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Both of them will join other leaders of the 21 Asia-Pacific economies at the APEC CEO Summit in Da Nang this Friday and the Leaders’ Meeting on Saturday.

Speeches are expected from U.S. President Donald Trump, Japan’s Shinzo Abe and China’s Xi Jinping.

The final fate of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, with the remaining 11 members after the U.S. withdrawal, is also likely to be announced at the event.

 
 
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