Launch of the ASLN was witnessed by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Singaporean counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong, via videoconference, according to a release published by the ASEAN Viet Nam 2020 official website on Monday.
Addressing the launch, Prime Minister Phuc said at the 37th ASEAN Summit, the two prime ministers and other regional leaders echoed a common view on the necessity to concurrently control the COVID-19 pandemic, safeguard public health, recover production, and regain growth momentum, including boosting the sustainability of supply chains and guaranteeing the flow of goods and services.
Phuc welcomed the launch of ASLN, considering the SuperPort project is a contributor to the ASEAN cooperation and Vietnam-Singapore friendship.
For his part, PM Lee affirmed that both nations boast of strong business links, noting that Singapore was the largest ASEAN investor of Vietnam in 2019, and bilateral trade had recorded a growth of 10 percent last year.
Vietnam-Singapore industrial parks have attracted US$14 billion of investment to the former country. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, their enterprises have managed to have a common voice to implement projects, according to PM Lee.
Lee noted that the SuperPort project was the largest logistics development by a Singaporean firm in Vietnam, and it will offer infrastructure assistance for Vietnam and the local export industry.
The project will be among those taking the lead in the ASLN that will help promote logistics chains in the region and assist ASEAN’s economic integration efforts and initiatives being conducted, including the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, the ASEAN Smart Cities Network, and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration.
Lee expressed belief that despite the COVID-19 still ongoing, the bloc will once again thrive more strongly and enjoy a bright future ahead while voicing optimism for continued development of Vietnam-Singapore cooperation.
The T&T Group of Vietnam and two Singaporean partners -- YCH Group Pte Ltd and YCH Holdings -- will invest US$166.68 million for the SuperPort, located in the northern province of Vinh Phuc.
The centre will serve as a transit point for domestic goods, exports, imports, and others transported on the Hanoi-Lao Cai economic corridor and from China via the Lao Cai border gate.
It will also function as an inland container depot and offer customs clearance services for exports and imports.
The ASLN launch was held within the framework of the 37th ASEAN Summit and related events.
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Reporter: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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