General Secretary Tô Lâm completed his state visit to Indonesia, official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat, and official visit to Singapore from March 9th to 13th, 2025. This historic visit garnered significant attention from the public and media in both countries.
Introduction
General Secretary Tô Lâm’s visit marks a significant turning point in Vietnam’s relationship with Indonesia, Singapore, and ASEAN. This is the first visit by a Vietnamese General Secretary to Indonesia in nearly 8 years and to Singapore in nearly 13 years. Importantly, it’s also the first time a General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam has officially visited the ASEAN Secretariat, emphasizing ASEAN’s strategic importance to Vietnam.
Key Outcomes of the Visit
The visit achieved all its stated objectives. Both sides extended warm receptions to General Secretary Tô Lâm and his delegation. Effective meetings and dialogues with partners yielded positive results, opening new opportunities for cooperation across various sectors.
- Upgrading Partnership to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: Vietnam and Indonesia, as well as Singapore, agreed to elevate their relationship to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, marking a new chapter for bilateral cooperation. This is a noteworthy accomplishment, reflecting growing trust and cooperation between nations.
- Strengthening Economic and Trade Cooperation: Both sides agreed to deepen economic and trade cooperation, aiming to reach US$18 billion in trade volume soon, and enhance cooperation in new areas such as green economy, digital economy, energy transition, science and technology.
- ASEAN Cooperation: The visit affirmed Vietnam’s commitment to ASEAN, contributing positively to the ASEAN Community-building process, especially as ASEAN prepares to enter a new phase of development.
Historic Significance of the Visit
This visit holds significant historical importance, opening doors for trilateral and ASEAN-wide cooperation. Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore are working together to build a sustainable development future.
- Strengthening ASEAN’s Unity and Central Role: The visit contributed to strengthening ASEAN’s unity and central role in the region, particularly in light of external challenges.
- Sharing Development Experiences: Indonesia, with its strategy focused on the domestic market, and Singapore, with its open, technology-driven economy, can support Vietnam in its new development era.
- Opportunities for Vietnam: The visit provides opportunities for Vietnam to exchange and share development experiences from these two countries, especially in economic, technological, and innovation areas.
Implementing the Achieved Outcomes
Concrete implementation of the visit’s outcomes is needed to realize expectations from the upgrade to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Implementation measures include:
- Developing Specific Action Plans: Urgent development of comprehensive action plans to implement the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with both countries.
- Building Specific Cooperation Programs: Relevant ministries and agencies need to develop concrete cooperation programs and implement them immediately with partners.
- Monitoring and Implementing Progress: Regular review, monitoring, and inspection of the implementation of plans and programs are essential to ensure agreements translate into tangible results.
Conclusion
General Secretary Tô Lâm’s visit yielded positive and historically significant outcomes for Vietnam’s relationship with Indonesia, Singapore, and ASEAN. Implementing these results will be crucial to boosting cooperation among regional nations and contributing to building a unified, self-reliant, and developed ASEAN.
(Reference: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/y-nghia-lich-su-chuyen-cong-du-cua-tong-bi-thu-to-lam-20250313183225390.htm)
