Top leader’s visits create new momentum to Viet Nam’s relations with Australia and New Zealand

The top Vietnamese leader has concluded his visits to Australia and New Zealand from August 9-14.

The visits were a great success, said the Foreign MInister, adding that this was To's first visit to the two countries in his new capacity, taking place at an important time as Viet Nam-Australia and Viet Nam-New Zealand relations have both been elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships and are developing very strongly.

The visits reaffirmed the Party and State's strong emphasis on these two important partners, while also providing fresh momentum to deepen the new frameworks for bilateral relations in a substantive and effective manner.

The visits also carried historic significance, underscoring the importance of relations between Viet Nam and its partners amid profound changes in the global and regional landscape, in the interests of the peoples of each country and for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

During the visits, To held high-level meetings and exchanges with the Governors-General, Prime Ministers, parliamentary leaders, as well as scholars, scientists, researchers, business leaders, and Vietnamese communities in the two countries.

A key highlight was that the visits strongly consolidated political trust and created new momentum to elevate relations with both Australia and New Zealand. In addition to political and diplomatic ties and economic, trade, and investment cooperation, the leaders of Viet Nam and the two countries committed to continuing to strengthen security and defense cooperation.

With Australia, the two sides advanced cooperation in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, digital transformation, critical minerals, energy transition, and the development of high-quality human resources.

With New Zealand, both sides agreed to make further utilize the complementarities between the two countries and their foundational strengths, particularly in education and training, human-resource development, high-tech agriculture, and sustainable development.

Remarkably, Viet Nam and Australia signed three important joint statements on deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, enhancing economic resilience and adaptability, and strengthening connectivity in science and technology and innovation, which provide additional strategic orientations and practical frameworks for cooperation in the new phase.

This was also the first time Viet Nam and a partner country had issued a joint statement on strengthening connectivity in science and technology and innovation, opening up a new model for cooperation frameworks.

It also marks a shift from technology transfer toward joint research, co-development, and value creation in science and technology, innovation, rare-mineral exploitation, renewable energy, high-tech agriculture, and the development of high-quality human resources to meet each country's development needs.

With strong political determination and close coordination among authorities at all levels from the two countries, the Vietnamese Foreign Minister expressed his confidence that the outcomes of the visits will quickly be translated into concrete programs, projects, and achievements, providing fresh momentum for Viet Nam-Australia and Viet Nam-New Zealand relations to develop more deeply, substantively, and effectively, while making a practical contribution to the country's development in the new phase./.