Please let the Deputy Minister know the significant highlights of Vietnam’s participation in the upcoming Special High-Level ASEAN-Australia Commemorative Summit?
It must be said that the working visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to attend the ASEAN-Australia Special High-Level Summit and his official visits to Australia and New Zealand this time have special significance.
The first special point is the timing. This year marks the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia relations, as well as the end of Vietnam’s 50th anniversary of relations with Australia and the preparation for the milestone of 50th anniversary of relations with New Zealand.
Moreover, it is the first time that a Vietnamese Prime Minister has visited Australia and New Zealand in the past 7 years, and it is also the first visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the two countries in his capacity as the Head of Government.
The second special point to mention is the excellent ASEAN-Australia relations over the past 50 years. The political trust between the two sides has been increasing. Cooperation in all fields, including trade, economy, culture and society, as well as new areas, are being effectively implemented. ASEAN countries consider Australia as one of their Comprehensive Strategic Partners, with substantial and effective cooperation with member countries.
“In 2023, Vietnam and Australia celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations. In the past 50 years, it can be said that the relations between the two countries have made remarkable progress, overcoming past differences to establish diplomatic relations, and now a Strategic Partnership relationship with a high level of political trust, even considered the highest ever”.
Therefore, this Summit is expected to be a good opportunity for ASEAN and Australia’s high-level leaders to review and evaluate the overall relations between the two sides over the past 50 years, especially the implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between ASEAN and Australia established since 2021.
At the same time, this is an occasion for the leaders of both sides to exchange views, set directions, and specific measures to expand cooperation in the future. It is expected that both sides, especially Australia, will propose and exchange new initiatives for cooperation. Therefore, we expect breakthrough initiatives that contribute to providing more resources and foundations for the strong development of ASEAN-Australia relations in the future.
As shared by the Deputy Minister, this Summit is very important. In addition, in this working visit, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will also make an official visit to Australia. Could the Deputy Minister share the highlights of the official visit to Australia?
In 2023, Vietnam and Australia celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations. In the past 50 years, it can be said that the relations between the two countries have made remarkable progress, overcoming past differences to establish diplomatic relations, and now a Strategic Partnership relationship with a high level of political trust, even considered the highest ever.
Vietnam-Australia cooperation can be said to be very comprehensive. In addition to economic and investment cooperation, Australia has also supported Vietnam through official development assistance (ODA) funding, with symbols such as the bridge in My Thuan, and thousands of scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in Australia, language training programs for Vietnamese officials from the days when we were under embargo. These cooperation efforts have created a close bond between Australia and Vietnam.
In this context, this visit by the Prime Minister is of great significance. This is an opportunity for the two countries to evaluate the development of bilateral relations in recent times, especially in the implementation of the Strategic Partnership between the two sides, as well as high-level agreements reached during the visits of the Governor-General of Australia and the Prime Minister of Australia to Vietnam in 2023, and earlier, the visit of the Chairman of the National Assembly to Australia in 2022.
At the same time, on this occasion, both sides will chart the direction of future cooperation, emphasizing cooperation goals in trade and investment, and promoting investment from Australia to Vietnam and from Vietnam to Australia.
Importantly, the highlight of this visit will be the goal of expanding education and training cooperation, including vocational training; expanding scientific and technological cooperation, innovation, and harnessing new motivations, particularly in the digital economy, green economy, and the energy transition process, and the development of Vietnam’s renewable energy. Together, Vietnam and Australia will aim to bring bilateral relations to new heights.
After leaving Australia, the Prime Minister will make an official visit to New Zealand. In the Deputy Minister’s assessment, what are the areas that we expect the two countries to enhance cooperation during this visit?
Along with Australia, New Zealand is an important strategic partner of Vietnam in the South Pacific region. The Vietnam-New Zealand relationship is a bilateral relationship with a long history. Next year, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with New Zealand. During this time, New Zealand has been a development partner for Vietnam in many fields, from education and training to gender equality and development.
In particular, in the field of agriculture, Vietnam and New Zealand have had many effective collaborations. In addition, political trust between the two sides has been increasingly consolidated. We have welcomed many high-level delegations from New Zealand to Vietnam, and both sides have reached many cooperation agreements.
In this visit to New Zealand by the Prime Minister, the two countries will continue to exchange measures to further promote bilateral cooperation, including cooperation in traditional areas such as trade and investment. At the same time, the focus of cooperation between the two countries will also include areas of mutual interest, people-to-people exchanges, especially labor cooperation, education and training, agriculture, especially in new agricultural technologies and measures to expand the export and import market for high-quality agricultural products to meet the needs of both sides.
