Prime Ministers Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam and Paetongtarn Shinawatra of Thailand on October 9 met on the sidelines of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits, and related summits to discuss bilateral relations.

The two PMs agreed to increase bilateral trade to $25 billion through reduced trade barriers, improved market access, and strengthened trade and investment ties.

Both leaders emphasized the importance of implementing the "Three Connections" Strategy, linking supply chains and strategic areas like transport, digital economy, green economy, and energy transition.

They agreed to establish a joint working group to develop a specific plan for implementing this strategy.

The two leaders also discussed expanding cooperation in areas such as economy, tourism, transport, multimodal connectivity, and locality-to-locality cooperation. They agreed to coordinate with other countries to pilot the "Six Countries, One Destination" tourism cooperation initiative.

PM Chinh stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation and information exchange in combating terrorism and ensuring regional security.

The Thai Prime Minister affirmed Vietnam's status as a key partner and expressed her desire to elevate the bilateral relationship.

Both leaders agreed on the need to strengthen ASEAN unity and promote its centrality in international and regional issues, including the sustainable management of the Mekong River's water resources.

They also emphasized the importance of ensuring peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea based on international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.