Hanoi (VNA) – President of Chile MichelleBachelet will pay a State visit to Vietnam from November 8 to 9 at theinvitation of her Vietnamese counterpart Tran Dai Quang, a trip expected tointensify the two countries’ partnership.

Since diplomatic ties were set up on March 25,1971, bilateral relations have developed in all aspects.

Visits at all levels have been held regularly,including the trips to Chile by then Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in October2002 and then President Tran Duc Luong in November 2004, and an official tripto Vietnam by then Chilean President Ricardo Lagos in October 2003.Presidents Tran Dai Quang and Michelle Bachelet also had a bilateral meeting onthe sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, in May 2017.

Bilateral cooperation mechanisms have beenmaintained and proved effective such as meetings of the bilateral Free TradeCouncil and political consultations at the deputy foreign ministerial level.

In November 2011, Vietnam and Chile signed afree trade agreement (FTA) on the fringe of the Asia-Pacific EconomicCooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Hawaii, the US. This trade pacttook effect on January 1, 2014.

The two countries held the first meeting oftheir Free Trade Council in Santiago de Chile in November 2014 and the secondmeeting in Hanoi in July 2016.

Trade between the two APEC economies has beengrowing strongly, from 170 million USD in 2005 to more than 1 billion USD in2016. It reached 955 million USD in the first nine months of 2017. Vietnam hasexported about 740 million USD worth of goods to Chile, mainly footwear,garments, wood furniture, cement, coffee and rice, while importing 206 millionUSD worth of Chilean commodities, including aquatic products, vegetables,animal fat and vegetable oil, wood and wood products, steel, animal foodmaterial and wine.

🌞[President of Chile to pay State visit to Vietnam]

Over the years, they have inked several cooperationdocuments such as an agreement on economic and trade cooperation, an agreementon investment promotion and protection, an agreement on science-technologycooperation, a visa exemption agreement, and the bilateral FTA. They alsosigned other cooperation deals on agriculture, mining, fisheries and tourism.

Vietnam and Chile have coordinated well atinternational organisations and multilateral forums. The South American nationsupported Vietnam’s candidacy for non-permanent membership of the UnitedNations Security Council for 2008-2009 and for a seat in the UN Economic andSocial Council in October 1997. It recognised the Southeast Asian country’smarket economy in 2007. Meanwhile, Vietnam supported Chile’s candidacy formembership in the UN Human Rights Council for 2008-2010.

The upcoming State visit to Vietnam by PresidentBachelet aims to strengthen the two countries’ friendship and all-roundcooperation. During this trip, the two sides are set to work out measures toenhance their comprehensive partnership, particularly in economy, trade,investment, culture, science, technology and tourism, as well as in the fieldsof shared concern.-VNA