On the afternoon of October 29 (local time), UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted an official welcoming ceremony for General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation.

Following the ceremony, General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister Keir Starmer led senior delegations from both countries in high-level talks.

During the discussions, Prime Minister Starmer emphasized that the General Secretary's visit marked an important milestone in strengthening the traditional friendship between the two countries.

The UK Prime Minister highlighted Vietnam as a dynamic, open economy that is playing an increasingly important role and is one of the UK’s leading partners in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

General Secretary To Lam expressed his appreciation for the UK’s remarkable achievements in socio-economic development, which have elevated the country to the world’s sixth-largest economy and a global financial hub.

He affirmed that these achievements have helped the UK maintain its position as one of the world’s most advanced and developed nations.

In their discussion on bilateral cooperation, General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister Starmer praised the positive development of relations between the two countries, especially their joint efforts to resolve obstacles and seek solutions based on mutual benefit and cooperation.

Both leaders noted the significant alignment between Vietnam and the UK on regional and international issues. They also acknowledged ongoing and close coordination in multilateral and regional forums.

General Secretary To Lam reiterated that Vietnam highly values its traditional friendship and strategic partnership with the UK, which is based on mutual respect and benefit, with a future-oriented vision. Vietnam is ready to work closely with the UK to enhance ties across key pillars such as politics-diplomacy, defense-security, science-technology and digital transformation, finance-banking, education-training, environment and climate change response, culture, and people-to-people exchange.

As a member of ASEAN, Vietnam is also prepared to serve as a bridge to foster cooperation between the UK and ASEAN, helping the UK access the Southeast Asian market.

During the talks, both leaders affirmed the great potential for further cooperation in the new period, especially in the areas of green and sustainable economic-energy transition, digital industry development, and high-quality human resource training.

Prime Minister Starmer expressed a desire to expand comprehensive bilateral relations, especially within the frameworks of the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The UK government affirmed its willingness to support Vietnam’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. It also encouraged UK businesses to enhance investment and cooperation in Vietnam, committing to support Vietnam in implementing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

Both leaders agreed to aim for doubling bilateral trade in the near future. Prime Minister Starmer also called for Vietnam's support in areas such as e-commerce and financial services under the CPTPP framework.

In terms of defense and security cooperation, the two sides agreed on the need to diversify collaboration, jointly address illegal immigration, and strengthen defense cooperation.

They also exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern. Both sides stressed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, ensuring maritime and aviation security, freedom of navigation, and the peaceful resolution of disputes in the Asia-Pacific, including the East Sea, in line with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

At the conclusion of their talks, General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a joint statement on upgrading Vietnam-UK relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The statement praised the significant achievements in bilateral ties, reaffirmed shared principles, and outlined major directions to deepen cooperation and develop the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.

On this occasion, Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security and the UK's Home Office signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in combating international fraud and a plan to strengthen cooperation on migration issues.

The two countries also signed a series of agreements covering economic collaboration, green finance, education and training, healthcare, clean and renewable energy, and local partnerships. Both leaders agreed to closely coordinate in implementing the newly elevated framework.

General Secretary To Lam extended an invitation to Prime Minister Keir Starmer to visit Vietnam soon. The UK Prime Minister graciously accepted the invitation.

Vietnam now maintains comprehensive strategic partnerships with 14 countries: China (May 2008), Russia (July 2012), India (September 2016), South Korea (December 2022), the United States (September 2023), Japan (November 2023), Australia (March 2024), France (October 2024), Malaysia (November 2024), New Zealand (February 2025), Indonesia and Singapore (March 2025), Thailand (May 2025), and the United Kingdom (October 2025).

Tran Thuong