Former Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong praises top Vietnamese leader's Shangri-La speech

On Saturday evening, as part of his state visit to Singapore, To Lam met with Lee, who currently serves as senior minister and senior advisor to Singapore’s People’s Action Party.

The meeting was also attended by Teo Chee Hean, chairman of Temasek Holdings, senior advisor at the Singapore Prime Minister’s Office, and former deputy prime minister of Singapore.

According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lee expressed his pleasure at meeting the Vietnamese Party chief again and highly valued the content of the Vietnamese leader’s keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue.

He said the speech demonstrated vision and a strong sense of responsibility toward regional issues, contributing to new approaches to crisis governance.

Party General Secretary and State President Lam congratulated Singapore on its remarkable development achievements and its ability to maintain its position as a leading financial, technology, and innovation hub in the region and the world while adapting flexibly to changes in the international environment.

He also expressed appreciation for the significant contributions made by Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to building, developing, and deepening the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Singapore over the past decades.

Their efforts, he said, have helped make bilateral relations one of the most dynamic and effective models of cooperation in ASEAN.

Expressing satisfaction with the positive, substantive, and effective development of bilateral cooperation across all areas since Vietnam and Singapore established their comprehensive strategic partnership one year ago, both sides discussed directions for further deepening ties in the next stage of development.

The Vietnamese leader proposed that Singapore continue supporting Vietnam in areas including the training of officials, sharing experience in administrative reform, improving the capacity and effectiveness of state institutions, and refining policies and mechanisms in new areas.

Lee welcomed the establishment of a strategic dialogue mechanism between Singapore’s People’s Action Party and the Communist Party of Vietnam.

In his capacity as senior adviser to the People’s Action Party, he affirmed that he would continue supporting stronger cooperation between the two parties and the implementation of key bilateral cooperation programs.

The two sides agreed that amid increasingly complex global developments, Vietnam and Singapore should further strengthen coordination for the development of each country and for peace, stability, and cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Party General Secretary and State President Lam, his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, and a high-level Vietnamese delegation arrived in Singapore early on Friday, marking the start of a state visit to the city-state through Sunday.