Viet Nam, Canada have potential to forge cooperation in various fields: Former Ambassador

The former Canadian Ambassador has held many positions in his diplomatic career and is an expert on international trade issues.

He noted changes in political relations over the past five decades, with the exchange of high-level visits and progress in economic and trade cooperation, notably the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), to which both are signatories.

Since 1990, Canada has provided nearly US$2 billion for Viet Nam in various forms. Besides, the two sides have also maintained cooperation in the military and education. In 2017, they agreed to establish a comprehensive partnership.

Devine commended Viet Nam's poverty reduction performance and its essential role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) thanks to its political stability.

The Vietnamese Government has an excellent direction for its economic policy and ensures that the economy is growing well and problems can be prevented.

According to former Ambassador Devine, the two countries can cooperate in several areas, such as climate change. Canada and Viet Nam can work together to convince other countries, multilateral forums, and international organizations that climate change is a severe problem.

Canada can provide green technology and many other strengths to Viet Nam, helping Viet Nam improve its technological capabilities, especially in green technology.

Additionally, some other areas are also critical such as development assistance. The two sides have coordinated in the field of gender equality, and Viet Nam has a fair and equal society.

The former Ambassador shared that he has seen a sharp increase in Vietnamese students coming to Canada during his time as Ambassador. Therefore, he believed this was an aspect of potential cooperation in the future.

Regarding the focus of cooperation between the two countries in the coming time, the Canadian Government has announced the Indo-Pacific strategy.

This is an essential set of documents in which Canada looks at its relationship with Asia in general and agrees that there is much that both sides need to do to improve their trade relationship and mutual interests.

The strategy also provides grants to facilitate exchanges and cooperation in various fields./.