Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) and Prof. Klaus Schwab, founder and Executive Chairman of the WEF, Davos, Switzerland, on January 16, 2024

Specifically, Prime Minister had separate meetings with Professor Klaus Schwab, WEF Founder and Executive Chairman, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky, and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

During his meeting with Schwab, Prime Minister Pham spoke highly of the theme of WEF-54 “Rebuilding Trust”, saying it delivers a significant meaning in the current context, serving to consolidating trust and international solidarity while inspiring countries worldwide to join hands in the development of humankind.

He took the occasion to thank Schwab for his close and effective cooperation with Viet Nam over the past years, especially amidst global economic headwinds, and appreciated the WEF’s support for Viet Nam in formulating policies and luring high-quality investment.

In reply, Schwab said that thanks to a multitude of startups and radical reforms in the hi-tech and manufacturing sectors and green development, Viet Nam will soon become one of the 20 largest economies in the world.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister and the WEF Executive Chairman witnessed the signing of several cooperation deals, including an agreement on the establishment of the center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution between Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai and WEF Managing Director Jeremy Jurgens, and a Letter of Intention on the participation in closing the skills gap accelerators between Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Van Thanh and WEF Managing Director Saadia Zahidi.

The above documents are expected to deepen the Viet Nam – WEF cooperation, help Viet Nam access to resources for digital transformation and high-quality human resources development to promote new growth engines, lure more investment and better the national competitive capacity.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) and South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Davos, Switzerland, on January 16, 2024

At the meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the two sides highly valued their governments’ close cooperation in effectively implementing the Viet Nam - South Korea comprehensive strategic partnership and the agreements reached between senior leaders of the two countries.

The pair agreed to continue promoting the bilateral relations in a practical, effective, and comprehensive fashion on the basis of the political trust between Vietnamese and Korean leaders as well as the close ties between businesses, localities, and people of the two countries.

Prime Minister Pham took the occasion to suggest South Korea create more optimum conditions for Viet Nam's advantageous products to enter its market, encourage Korean firms to expand investment in the Southeast Asian nation, actively build research and development (R&D) centers, and help Viet Nam develop entertainment, cultural, and fashion industries.

Both leaders pledged their countries’ continuation of close coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums.

During his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky, Prime Minister Pham reaffirmed Viet Nam’s consistent viewpoint that all disputes must be resolved by peaceful means in line with the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter, including the respect for independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of countries.

The two leaders agreed that to maintain the momentum for the bilateral ties in the current context, both sides need to tackle obstacles and seek measures for restoring trade in goods of their strength.

Viet Nam supports the international community’s efforts to create conditions for the parties concerned to hold negotiations and promote humanitarian assistance and relief aid delivery for people, Pham stated.

President Zelensky thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for providing humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Meanwhile, Pham thanked Ukraine for ensuring safety for and evacuate Vietnamese citizens from the country, expressing his hope that the local administration will continue helping guarantee life and property safety for the Vietnamese people who are still living and working in Ukraine.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) and his Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo, Davos, Switzerland, on January 16, 2024

* During a reception for his Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister Pham said that Viet Nam always considers Belgium an important partner in the European Union (EU), expecting to cement and deepen the relationship between the two countries.

The two leaders agreed to continue increasing high-level delegation exchanges, strengthening locality-to-locality cooperation, and effectively implementing existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

They agreed to closely coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums and international organizations, contributing to ensuring peace, security, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

He suggested Belgium soon finalize its ratification of the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), expand cooperation with Viet Nam in digital transformation, renewable energy, green transition and circular economy, and foster cultural exchange and tourism.

Regarding the strategic partnership in agriculture, he proposed Belgium support Viet Nam in developing circular economy models in agriculture and smart agriculture.