Vietnam has vowed to support President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s priority on food security, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.
The commitment was made during the two-day official visit of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo to Hanoi from Aug. 1 to 2.
Manalo also assured Laos of the Philippines’ support in its efforts to establish institutions that will address various challenges it is facing as a nation.
Manalo said the Philippine government will back Laos’ intent to build resilience among its people by forming institutions and seeking various forms of cooperation, such as health, education, and climate.
Citing the changing landscape of global security and challenges, the agency said Manalo’s visit to both countries paved the way for the two states to explore new areas of cooperation such as digital economy, renewables, and food security.
“Vietnam reiterated its existing support to the Philippines and pledged to continue working with the Philippines to enhance trade and investments between the two countries, and will continue to support President Marcos’ priority on food security,” the DFA said.
In 2022, the Philippines imported 3.218 million metric tons of rice from the Southeast Asian state.
Vietnam’s expression of support came amid reports that Hanoi is planning to cut its rice exports to 4 million tons a year by 2030.
In the same visit, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized Hanoi’s commitment to reaching the target of $10 billion in trade between the two countries.
Trade between the Philippines and Vietnam last year reached $7.8 billion.
In the 10th Philippines-Vietnam Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation, Manalo and his counterpart, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son also reaffirmed its commitment to bolster the two countries’ seven-year-old strategic partnership.
The DFA said the visit underscored the robust relations that the Philippines enjoys with Vietnam, particularly in areas such as political, defense and security, economic, maritime cooperation, and socio-cultural cooperation.
“The visit of the Secretary highlighted the positive thrust towards a more robust and more comprehensive relationship between the Philippines and Vietnam, the sole Strategic Partner of the Philippines in the ASEAN region,” it said.
The country’s top diplomat reiterated that the “driving force” of its ties with Vientiane has always been the welfare of their people.
“Health cooperation retains its special place in our ties… The lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic have shown pathways for the Philippines and Laos for joint efforts in enhancing healthcare delivery, preparedness, and response to future health crises,” Manalo said, in an event organized by the Institute of Foreign Affairs and the Foreign Service Institute in Vientiane.
“Education is also prominent in our relationship… Both the Philippines and Laos recognize that investing in education is investing in the future,” he added.
According to Manalo, current climate challenges, such as typhoons, floods, landslides, and climate change, also call for collective
action.
“We have initiated talks on platforms to strengthen practical cooperation between the Philippines and Lao PDR (People’s Democratic
Republic) in disaster risk resilience and humanitarian assistance in disaster relief,” he said.
“We are ready to share the strengths of the Philippine disaster risk resilience strategy, that is the whole-of-nation and community-based
approaches that uplift the role of communities as actors on the ground,” he added.
“Laos can always count on the Philippines as a steadfast friend and partner,” Manalo said.
Laos can also count on Manila as “a staunch supporter of ASEAN and ASEAN centrality, and a champion of equity, justice, and development,”
he added.