Responding to a question on how the two countries could make their upgraded partnership more substantive and results-oriented, the ambassador said the two sides share similar thinking on what the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership should mean in practice, including the specific activities and projects needed to give substance to the relationship.
As an example, she pointed to the recent successful visit by the USS George Washington aircraft carrier to Vietnam’s central coastal city of Da Nang. The bilateral partnership, she said, has a forward-looking agenda spanning politics, security, law enforcement, the economy, health, education and people-to-people ties, with the broader goal of advancing prosperity and security for both peoples.
She noted that the approaching third anniversary of the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership provides a timely opportunity to advance the bilateral relationship further.
U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Jennifer Wicks at a press roundtable in Hanoi, Aug. 28. Photo by Giang Huy
Economic and commercial cooperation is among the ambassador’s major priorities during her tenure. Wicks said she will advocate for U.S. companies and the private sector while working to ensure that Vietnamese authorities and consumers are aware of the high-quality products and services that U.S. businesses can offer. Since arriving in Vietnam, she said she has already engaged on opportunities in sectors including aviation, energy, technology and defense.
