Vietnam, France agree to strengthen ties
Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam met French President Emmanuel Macron in Hanoi on Monday. They agreed to deepen ties in areas such as security, economic cooperation, and energy including nuclear power.
Lam said in the meeting that, "It will surely create new trends and opportunities for cooperation for the comprehensive strategic partnership relations between us."
Macron also reaffirmed France's strong desire to strengthen collaboration with Vietnam in all areas.
Macron told reporters that they signed deals worth about 9 billion euros in areas such as defense, aviation, energy, and railways.
This is Macron's first trip to Vietnam since taking office in 2017. Last year, Lam visited France. Hanoi aims to strengthen ties with the former colonial power as a third partner in addition to the US and China.
Vietnam faces challenges in relations with the US and China. The Trump administration has threatened to impose 46 percent tariffs on Vietnam. Beijing is strengthening its presence in the South China Sea, where it has territorial disputes with Hanoi.
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