Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (right) and  French Secretary of State, and the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne (Photo: VGP/Hai Minh)

At a Wednesday reception in Hanoi for Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, French Secretary of State, and the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Minh said the Vietnamese Government promises favorable conditions for French firms to invest and do business in fields France is strong in – infrastructure, energy, health care, pharmaceuticals, food, and agriculture. Minh called on France to support the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement.

Lemoyne said the French government prioritizes its strategic partnership with Vietnam. He affirmed France’s interest in exercising the principle of freedom, safety and security of navigation in the East Sea. Both sides called on all parties to fulfill international obligations and avoid escalating tensions, and insisted all disputes be resolved by peaceful means in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.