Saying hello to Vietnam from Washington,
the newly-appointed US Ambassador, David Shear confirms that the two
countries have great potentials of cooperation.
In a short video clip sent from Washington,
Shear spoke in Vietnamese: “Xin chao cac ban. Toi la David Shear” (Hello,
I’m David Shear).
He said that part of his job is strengthening
cooperation between the two governments but the more important part is
strengthening the close ties between the two nations.
In this clip, Ambassador Shear stressed the
“great potential” of the bilateral relations, which are shown through economic
and trade ties, education exchange and in other fields.
He said that educational cooperation will
offer chances for students of the two countries to learn from each others.
Around 13,000 Vietnamese students are studying in the US, including many
outstanding students and scholars who are trained through programs of the US
Department of State. The two countries also have educational exchange programs
for general students.
Culture, art and sports are also the new Ambassador’s
interests. He said he wants to learn everything about Vietnam’s culture and
history. “I want to travel throughout Vietnam to see people of all social
classes,” he said.
He also said that he like gastronomy so he
would surely survey Vietnamese cuisines. Shear also showed a picture of him and
his wife, Barbara, at a Vietnamese restaurant in Washington DC.
Shear was nominated by President Barack Obama
as US Ambassador to Vietnam on December 13, 2010. The US Senate has approved the
recommendation and Shear has become the fifth US Ambassador to Vietnam since
the two countries normalized their relations in 1995.
Earlier, Shear was the Deputy Assistant
Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
David B. Shear joined the Foreign Service in 1982.
He has served in Sapporo, Beijing, Tokyo, and Kuala Lumpur. In Washington, he
has served in the Offices of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean Affairs and as the
Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs. He was Director
of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs in 2008-2009, and was appointed
Deputy Assistant Secretary in September of 2009.
Shear was a Rusk Fellow at Georgetown
University’s institute for the Study of Diplomacy 1998-99. He is the recipient
of the State Department’s Superior Honor Award and the Defense Department’s
Civilian Meritorious Service Award for his work in U.S. Japan defense
relations.
He graduated from Earlham College and has a
Master’s degree in International Affairs from the John’s Hopkins School of
Advanced International Studies. He has attended Waseda University, Taiwan
National University, and Nanjing University.
Mr. Shear has a first degree rank in the
practice of Kendo, or Japanese fencing.
He speaks Chinese and Japanese.
He speaks Chinese and Japanese.
The fourth Ambassador, Michael Michalak,
finished his 3.5-year term in Vietnam and returned to the US on February 14.
The Vice Ambassador, Mrs. Virginia Palmer temporarily headed the US diplomatic
mission in Vietnam while the new ambassador awaited approval.
According to the US Department of State, Shear’s
priority in Vietnam will be education. The former US Ambassador Michael Michalak
also said that the new Ambassador would pursue his achievements in promoting
US-Vietnam education cooperation over the past 3.5 years.
“The new Ambassador is a good man. He worked
with me in Japan. We consider each other as brothers. He sees me as his elder
brother and for me, he is my younger brother. I’ve talked with him and I know
that education is his priority,”
Michalak said in his last press conference in
Hanoi in February. The bilateral relations between Vietnam and the US have made
great progress in the past 16 years. The two countries are looking for building
a strategic partnership. New Vietnamese Ambassador to the US, Nguyen Quoc
Cuong, assumed office in July 2011.
LookAtVietnam
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment