Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh starts official visit to New Zealand

Pham and his entourage were welcomed at the Auckland Airport by New Zealander Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee, accreditted Ambassador of New Zealand to Viet Nam Caroline Beresford, Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Nguyen Van Trung.

During his two-day visit, Pham is expected to meet with top leaders and business representatives, visit several science and technology and education facilities, and meet Vietnamese community in New Zealand.

Both sides will discuss measures to further promote bilateral cooperation in various areas like trade, investment, labor, education and training and agriculture.

Viet Nam and New Zealand established diplomatic relations on June 19, 1975 and both countries elevated their ties to comprehensive partnership in 2009 and to strategic partnership in July 2020.

Viet Nam is New Zealand's 14th biggest trade partner with the two-way trade reaching US$1.3 billion in 2023.

As of November last year, New Zealand had 52 investment projects capitalized at over US$208 million, ranking 39th out of 143 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation.

There are about 11,000 Vietnamese people in New Zealand, mainly in Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington./.