President Halimah Yacob on Friday held separate meetings in London with President Vo Van Thuong of Vietnam and Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, with all three heads of state gathered in the British capital for the coronation of King Charles III.

Madam Halimah said in a Facebook post that 2023 marks the golden jubilee – 50 years – since diplomatic ties were established between Singapore and Vietnam.

“During our meeting, President Thuong and I welcomed this milestone in our bilateral relations, which continue to grow and deepen with cooperation in new and emerging areas such as the digital and green economy,” she said.

Madam Halimah added that “good progress” has been made on the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks, of which 12 have already been developed, while an additional five are in the pipeline.

First set up in 1996, the industrial parks are a key part of Singapore’s economic link with Vietnam, with the 12 located in the northern, central and southern parts of the country. They have attracted about US$17 billion ($22.6 billion) in investments and created 300,000 jobs as at February.

Reaffirming both countries’ commitment to the principles of international law, Madam Halimah also discussed developments in the region with her Vietnamese counterpart, and extended an invitation for him to visit the Republic in the near future.

Meanwhile, in her meeting with Mr Katonivere, Madam Halimah congratulated Fiji for its success chairing the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), as well as discussed bilateral cooperation in areas such as digitalisation and climate change.

She said: “As small island states, Singapore and Fiji share many common interests and work well together at international fora.

“Singapore looks forward to being an active and constructive dialogue partner of the PIF.”