General Secretary, President To Lam receives USTDA Acting Director Thomas R. Hardy, calls for USTDA support for strategic projects
WVR/VNA - General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam met with Thomas R. Hardy, Acting Director of the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), in New York on September 21 (local time).
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| General Secretary, President To Lam (right) and Thomas R. Hardy, Acting Director of the US Trade and Development Agency, at their meeting in New York on September 21 (Photo: VNA) |
The Vietnamese leader spoke highly of USTDA’s role in promoting economic, trade and investment ties between Vietnam and the US, particularly through project preparation, feasibility studies, technical assistance and connections between US businesses and infrastructure projects in Vietnam.
He affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the US, expressing his hope that economic, trade, investment and science-technology cooperation will continue to serve as an important driver of substantive, effective and sustainable development of bilateral ties.
Highly valuing USTDA’s long-term cooperation with Vietnam in energy, power grids, aviation, smart cities and digital infrastructure, General Secretary and President Lam said these programmes have helped Vietnam access US technologies, management expertise and advanced solutions.
He said that Vietnam is entering a new phase of development, with major demand for strategic infrastructure, energy, transport, logistics, digital transformation and high technology, he noted, adding that these are areas in which the US has considerable strengths and USTDA has relevant experience and support tools.
Hardy hailed Vietnam’s socio-economic development achievements and bilateral relations. He affirmed that USTDA regards Vietnam as an important partner in the Indo-Pacific and values its cooperation with Vietnamese agencies and businesses over the years.
USTDA wishes to continue working with Vietnam to prepare and develop high-quality projects that meet the country’s development priorities while creating greater opportunities for US technologies, equipment, services and businesses to further participate in the Vietnamese market, Hardy said.
The agency stands ready to deploy such tools as feasibility studies, technical assistance, pilot projects and trade missions, supporting projects from the preparation stage through to their readiness to attract financing and move into implementation, he added.
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| Overview of the meeting. (Photo: VNA) |
Regarding future cooperation, General Secretary and President Lam called on USTDA to strengthen coordination with Vietnamese ministries, sectors and businesses to identify a number of strategic, high-impact projects for targeted support, particularly in energy and power grids, digital infrastructure and data centres, aviation, seaports, logistics and modern transport.
He urged the agency to further play its “pathfinder” role from the project preparation stage, helping Vietnam gain early access to US standards, technologies, management expertise and resources.
The top Vietnamese leader also called on USTDA to pay greater attention to emerging, technology-intensive and high-value-added areas such as artificial intelligence, secure digital infrastructure, smart grids, energy security and solutions supporting the green transition, while strengthening links between leading US technology, finance and infrastructure companies and Vietnamese partners.
Hardy agreed with the orientations outlined by General Secretary and President Lam, affirming that USTDA stands ready to work closely with Vietnamese agencies to identify suitable projects and mobilise its project-preparation support tools.
He said Vietnam’s substantial infrastructure development needs, combined with US strengths in technology, governance and high-quality solutions, offer significant opportunities for new cooperation.
USTDA will strengthen coordination with Vietnamese agencies and businesses, focusing on concrete, feasible projects with strong spillover effects, while connecting Vietnam’s development needs with US technologies, resources and businesses, Hardy affirmed.
Such efforts will contribute to deepening economic, trade and investment cooperation and adding further substantive content to the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, he added.
