President To Lam received Chief Executive of China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Lee Ka-chiu in Hanoi on August 1 (Photo: VNA)

President Lam affirmed that based on the consistent policy of viewing the development of cooperative and friendly relations with China as a strategic choice and top priority in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, and multilateralization, Vietnam always respects and supports the "one country, two systems" policy, the Basic Law and related regulations of Hong Kong, and supports Hong Kong's development towards prosperity, stability, and the well-being of its people.

Appreciating Hong Kong’s new policies to facilitate the entry of Vietnamese citizens into the Special Administrative Region, President Lam thanked the Hong Kong administration for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Hong Kong. He also suggested enhancing cooperation in multilateral mechanisms and forums where both sides are members.

Lee stressed that this is the first official visit to Vietnam by the head of Hong Kong (China), demonstrating that Hong Kong attaches special importance to its relationship with Vietnam.

Agreeing with the Vietnamese leader’s cooperation proposals, Lee affirmed that Hong Kong values the development of win-win cooperative relations with Vietnam, especially in the areas of economics, trade, investment, culture, education, and tourism.

Noting the high complementarity and great potential for cooperation between the two sides, Lee hoped that the two sides will enhance delegation exchanges, and encourage their businesses and associations to connect and further strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, finance, tourism, aviation, and emerging fields such as science and technology, digital economy, digital transformation, and clean energy, thus bringing practical benefits to the people and businesses of both sides.