Viet Nam, South Africa target to elevate bilateral relations to strategic partnership in 2025

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with visiting South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa on October 23 in Ha Noi, during which the two leaders agreed to accelerate negotiations and soon sign key cooperation documents to strengthen trade, investment, and overall economic ties between the two countries.

Prime Minister Pham congratulated South Africa on its significant achievements in national development and praised the country’s active contributions to regional and global affairs. He highlighted the positive momentum in Viet Nam–South Africa relations, noting that South Africa remains Viet Nam’s largest trading partner in Africa.

The Prime Minister emphasized the complementary strengths of the two economies and their vast potential for collaboration in new and emerging fields such as green transition, digital transformation, renewable energy, the creative economy, media, and climate action. He proposed that South Africa support to boost negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), which would open new opportunities for bilateral trade and investment.

The host leader also expressed appreciation to President Ramaphosa for inviting Viet Nam to participate in the G20 Summit slated for next month. He affirmed that Viet Nam stands ready to actively contribute to the event, particularly in shared priority areas including poverty and inequality reduction, food security, sustainable development, and global governance reform.

In reply, President Ramaphosa, who is on a two-day state visit to Viet Nam, commended Viet Nam’s impressive achievements over nearly four decades of Doi moi (renewal), saying that the country’s development model and open foreign policy serve as an inspiration for South Africa and other developing nations.

He described Viet Nam as a close friend and trusted partner of South Africa in Asia, adding that the two nations share complementary advantages that can help advance mutual development and enhance their standing in the international arena.

The South African President expressed his wish to expand cooperation in sectors such as mining, manufacturing, agriculture, electric vehicles, high-quality workforce training, and the maritime industry.

He also thanked Prime Minister Pham for accepting the invitation to attend the upcoming G20 Summit, saying that Viet Nam’s participation demonstrates its responsible contribution to promoting sustainable development and reforming global governance mechanisms.

President Ramaphosa showed his confidence that Viet Nam will successfully host the upcoming signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, expressing his support for the country’s leadership role in digital transformation and global technology governance.

On multilateral cooperation, the two sides agreed to enhance coordination and support each other’s positions on regional and international issues at global forums and organizations. They reaffirmed their commitment to promoting multilateralism and South–South cooperation to contribute to global peace, stability, and sustainable development./.