On March 11th, in the capital of Wellington, New Zealand, after their talks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand met with the press to announce the positive outcome of their meeting.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand met with the press to announce the positive outcome of their meeting – Photo: VGP/Nhật Bắc
|
On behalf of the high-level Vietnamese delegation, Prime Minister Chinh expressed sincere thanks for the warm and thoughtful reception given by the New Zealand government and people during his first visit to the peaceful, civilized, beautiful, hospitable, green, clean, and safe country of New Zealand.
The Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to and desires to strongly promote the Strategic Partnership with New Zealand; he trusts that with many positive results, this visit will contribute to the further development of the bilateral relationship, aiming towards the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025, for the benefit of the people of the two countries, for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
According to the Prime Minister, Vietnam always appreciates the precious sentiments and support of New Zealand over the past nearly 50 years: New Zealand has maintained stable ODA for Vietnam; hundreds of Vietnamese officials have been trained in New Zealand; New Zealand experts and scientists have supported Vietnam in producing high-value agricultural products such as dragon fruit, avocados, passion fruits…especially, recently, the enthusiastic support and affection that the New Zealand people have shown to the Vietnamese women’s national football team participating in the FIFA World Cup 2023 held in New Zealand.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the Government and people of New Zealand for creating favorable conditions for nearly 15,000 people, including 6,000 students and workers who are living, working, studying, and developing in beautiful New Zealand,” the Prime Minister said.
A Very Special Talk
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that he and his New Zealand counterpart had a very special and successful talk. Both sides were pleased to see that the Vietnam-New Zealand Strategic Partnership is developing well and effectively.
 The Prime Minister emphasized that Vietnam always attaches importance to and desires to strongly promote the Strategic Partnership with New Zealand – Photo: VGP/Nhật Bắc
|
In a spirit of construction and cooperation, the two sides comprehensively discussed cooperation in various fields and set directions to further develop the Vietnam-New Zealand Strategic Partnership in a more powerful and profound manner in the coming time. The Prime Minister summarized it with three keyword pairs: “stability and consolidation,” “enhancement and expansion,” “acceleration and breakthroughs” as follows:
Firstly, ensuring political trust, strategic trust, political cooperation, diplomacy, and building a stronger foundation for the bilateral relationship. Both sides will strengthen high-level exchanges and contacts and effectively implement cooperation mechanisms, including regular exchanges between the two Prime Ministers and Ministers. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh invited and hoped to welcome Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his wife to visit Vietnam officially soon.
Secondly, enhancing and expanding cooperation in all pillars of the Vietnam-New Zealand Strategic Partnership, including economic-trade-investment, national security-defense, agriculture, culture and people-to-people exchanges, and local connectivity. Accordingly:
– Strengthening economic-trade-investment cooperation and striving to achieve a bilateral trade turnover of 2 billion USD by 2024 and doubling bilateral investment through appropriate measures, including opening markets and reducing trade barriers. Vietnam welcomes investment from New Zealand in various fields, especially education and training, renewable energy, expanding markets for each other’s goods, especially agricultural products such as longan, avocados, bananas, cut flowers, high-tech agriculture, high-quality and high-yield plant breeding, and food safety management.
– Strengthening defense and security cooperation, effectively responding to traditional and non-traditional security challenges that are increasingly increasing in the region, including transnational crime, terrorism, natural disasters, and epidemics; enhancing cooperation in the maintenance of peace, maritime security, intelligence exchange, for peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
– Expanding cultural and educational cooperation, promoting people-to-people exchanges in appropriate forms. Vietnam hopes that New Zealand will increase scholarships for Vietnamese students, and New Zealand universities will enhance links with Vietnamese universities while facilitating New Zealand people and businesses to work, study, and do business in Vietnam. The early resumption of direct flights will be an important impetus to expand cooperation in these areas.
Thirdly, the Prime Minister particularly emphasized three areas that need to accelerate and make breakthroughs, including:
– Accelerating breakthroughs in scientific and technological cooperation, innovation, startups, the development of green economy, digital economy, circular economy, sharing economy, knowledge economy, environmentally friendly technology transfer, emission reduction, high-tech agriculture, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor chips…
– Accelerating breakthroughs in maritime economic cooperation, marine environmental protection, especially in sharing experiences, policy development, and technology transfer.
– Accelerating breakthroughs in labor cooperation, vocational training, creating conditions for Vietnamese workers to work in New Zealand; building a legal framework and appropriate mechanisms and policies to promote and effectively manage this sector.
“We emphasize the need to establish a joint working mechanism to promote cooperation in the above-mentioned important areas with the spirit of doing what we say, and doing what we commit to accomplish, and what we do, and what we accomplish must have results, products, and bring benefits to the two peoples, the two countries,” the head of the Vietnamese government emphasized.
The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest; agreed to closely coordinate and support each other, especially at the United Nations and multilateral international forums led by ASEAN, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM); strengthen dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation, together cope effectively with common challenges in the region; coordinate to promote cooperation in the Mekong Subregion; and, especially, jointly work with other countries to solve global issues, which are for the whole world, such as war, epidemics, and response to climate change, with an international unity spirit, promoting multilateralism, taking people as the center, making them the subjects, and not leaving anyone behind.
With regard to the East Sea issue, both sides reaffirmed the importance of ensuring peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea; not using force or threatening to use force; resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of respecting international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982; high consensus in exchanging, sharing information, and enhancing maritime cooperation, striving to make the East Sea a region of peace, stability, unification, cooperation, and sustainable development.
Both sides hope that the conflicts will be resolved peacefully, increase humanitarian aid, not use force or threaten to use force, abide by international law and the United Nations Charter.
“Vietnam has become a dragon with remarkable development”
About himself, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that the New Zealand Government and people are honored to welcome Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the high-level Vietnamese delegation; delighted together with Vietnam to make political and trade commitments, contribute to building peace, stability in the region, and bilateral agreements that benefit the people of both countries.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon evaluated Vietnam as an important partner, one of the countries that have made very strong development momentum – Photo: VGP/Nhật Bắc
|
According to the head of the New Zealand Government, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s summary of the talks was clear and specific. The New Zealand Prime Minister emphasized the importance of cooperation in various areas to ensure safety, security, and promote trade in the region.
He evaluated Vietnam as an important partner, one of the countries that have made very strong development momentum. “Congratulations to the Government and people of Vietnam for achieving great success in economic activities. Vietnam has become a dragon with remarkable and high growth each year,” he said.
In the past 5 years, bilateral trade turnover has increased significantly by 60%, and the people and businesses of New Zealand have enjoyed many benefits through cooperation with their Vietnamese partners. The two sides set a target that by the end of 2024, bilateral trade turnover will reach 2 billion USD along with cooperation on non-tariff issues, agricultural cooperation, education, and especially tourism.
Affirming that there are still many potential areas for large-scale cooperation between the two countries, the two sides committed to building a cooperation plan to achieve the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. New Zealand will further invest in Vietnam in fields such as agriculture, environmental protection, and has taken specific steps to implement the commitments of the two Governments.
The New Zealand Prime Minister expressed his appreciation and hopes to visit Vietnam soon at the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
According to the New Zealand Prime Minister, 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the New Zealand Government is committed to implementing plans to strengthen the friendship, enhance cooperation, and bring the Strategic Partnership between the two countries to a new level.
On this occasion, the functional agencies of the two countries signed 3 important cooperation documents on education-training, trade, and finance. The two Prime Ministers agreed to assign the agencies to actively and promptly implement the above-mentioned agreements.
The two sides are confident that, promoting the achievements already gained, with the determination of the leaders and people of the two countries, the Vietnam-New Zealand relationship will continue to develop strongly, becoming deeper, substantial, and more effective, bringing tangible benefits to the people of the two countries as well as contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.
