Vietnam and the U.S. sign multiple agreements

By VnExpress   May 22, 2016 | 08:33 pm PT
After a one hour talk, Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang and U.S. President Barack Obama have witnessed signing ceremonies of bilateral agreements at the Presidential Palace.

Following the meeting, both presidents witnessed signing ceremonies for various agreements. One is the purchase of 100 Boeing 737 Max by VietJet Air worth $11.3 billion. 

Ministry of Industry and Trade has also signed a memorandum of understanding with General Electric on renewable energy development in Vietnam. Both parties aim to produce at least 1,000 MW of electricity from wind power projects by 2025. 

Vietjet CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao (L) shakes hands with U.S. President Barack Obama (2nd L) while Ray Conner, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (R) shakes hands with Vietnam's Presiden Tran Dai Quang (2nd R) during a signing cermony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam May 23, 2016. Photo by Reuters/Kham

Vietjet CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao (L) shakes hands with U.S. President Barack Obama (2nd L) while Ray Conner, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (R) shakes hands with Vietnam's Presiden Tran Dai Quang (2nd R) during a signing cermony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam May 23, 2016. Photo by Reuters/Kham

In remarks to Quang, who until recently was head of the country's internal security agency, Obama congratulated him on the "extraordinary progress" Vietnam had made.

"Whether we are talking about commercial and economic ties or military-to-military consultations or humanitarian work or our legacy of war issues ... Across the board what we've seen is increased cooperation for the benefit of both our peoples," he said.

Vietnam has long been calling for the arms embargo to be lifted, arguing that buying weapons for self-defence from established trade partners is normal.

In a series of bilateral meetings with Vietnam's heads of state, Obama will discuss a range of issues, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP); the countries' commercial ties; regional security issues like maritime security, disaster response, and mutual commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes in the region; and emerging and growing people-to-people ties and cooperation in areas like education and entrepreneurship.The U.S. President is expected to meet with the newly-elected chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan at the Stilt House where former President Ho Chi Minh used to live. He will then be received at a state luncheon, followed by a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Obama's final meeting of the day will be with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

On May 24, the president will meet give a speech to the Vietnamese people.

In Ho Chi Minh City, he will visit the Jade Pagoda followed by a meeting with young Vietnamese entrepreneurs where he will discuss the benefits of the TPP. On May 25, the president will host a town hall meeting with members of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative.

After completing his Vietnam trip, Obama will head to Japan for the G7 Summit.

 
 
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