SANTIAGO  — Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ has said Việt Nam and Chile’s legislative bodies should enhance exchanges and experience sharing in law-building.

Deputy PM Huệ expressed the wish while meeting with President of the Senate Carlos Montes Cisternas and president of the Chile-Việt Nam friendship parliamentary group at Chile’s lower house Karol Cariola on July 5 as part of his visit to Chile.

He informed the hosts of the political, social and economic situation in Việt Nam, and thanked Chile for supporting the Southeast Asian country over the years.

He expressed his hope that the National Congress of Chile will soon ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), to which both Việt Nam and Chile are members of. Both Cisternas and Cariola voiced their desire to enhance the friendship between Việt Nam and Chile, and affirmed that the National Congress of Chile is keen to develop cooperation with the National Assembly of Việt Nam. Senate President Cisternas agreed to boost bilateral coordination and mutual assistance at international and multilateral parliamentary forums that the two countries’ parliaments have joined.

Meanwhile, Cariola suggested the two countries strengthen people-to-people exchanges and increase mutual understanding among younger generations.

Leader of the Communist Party of Chile Guillermo Teilliev, a member of the parliamentary group, said he wants to know more about Việt Nam and backs the country’s stance of peacefully addressing disputes in the East Sea in line with international law.

While attending the trade and investment forum between Viet Nam and Chile earlier the same day, Deputy PM Huệ said the two countries share the foundations of a traditional friendship, political trust, a favourable legal framework and supplementary economies.

Việt Nam will create optimal conditions for the two sides’ business communities to explore cooperation opportunities, especially via the CPTPP, which is being considered by their parliaments for ratification, as well as make inroads into the respective markets and connect the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the rest of Latin America.

Chilean enterprises emphasised the role of Việt Nam in connecting them with the Asia-Pacific market and welcomed the two countries’ Governments to promote free trade and implement support policies for businesses.

They highlighted opportunities for production connectivity in Việt Nam and investment in Chile in the fields of infrastructure, energy, farm produce and telecommunications. On the sidelines of the forum, Deputy PM Huệ met with representatives of businesses that are interested in the Vietnamese market.

He also witnessed the signing of the minutes of the third meeting of the Việt Nam-Chile free trade council before wrapping up his official visit to Chile the same day. —VNS