Vietnam and Singapore agreed to elevate their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership as Vietnamese leader To Lam visited the rich city-state last week.

Lam — general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party and the most powerful politician in Vietnam — held talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and other high-ranking officials about boosting economic and security cooperation between the two sides.

During the visit, both sides signed several agreements and discussed cooperation in undersea cable development, digital connectivity, and cross-border data flows.

Lam and Wong also discussed green development, industrial parks expansion, and peace and stability in the region, according to a joint statement.

Both countries, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc, share close commercial relations. Bilateral trade amounted to $23.5 billion (€21.7 billion) last year, marking a 9.5% increase over the previous year.

Singapore also ranks........

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