During the working trip and official visit to Australia of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, from March 4-8, 2024, international press agencies showed special interest, continuously reporting and publishing many articles related to the activities of the Prime Minister and the delegation in Australia.
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| Reuters news agency published an article with the title "Australia and Vietnam upgrade relations, start negotiations on important minerals" |
Accordingly, on March 7, 2024, Reuters News Agency published an article with the title "Australia and Vietnam upgrade relations, begin negotiations on important minerals" . The article stated that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia had upgraded its relationship with Vietnam to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The two sides also held an annual dialogue on minerals in the context of promoting supply chain diversification.
The upgraded relationship marks the latest success for Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy ” approach. In 2023, Vietnam also upgraded and strengthened its cooperative relations with the world’s leading powers amid rising global tensions.
On the same day, the Australian and Vietnamese Prime Ministers also witnessed the exchange of 12 cooperation documents in the fields of Energy, Minerals, Agriculture, Banking, Finance, etc. Australia is a major producer of important minerals used in many products, from smartphones to cars, while Vietnam has some of the largest untapped reserves in the world.
The article also said that Australia is a major supplier of coal to Vietnam, a country that relies heavily on fossil fuels for electricity generation. Australian coal exports to Vietnam increased by 17% in 2023 to 20 million tons, accounting for 39% of Vietnam's total coal imports.
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| International press agencies have shown special interest, continuously reporting and publishing many articles related to the activities of the Prime Minister and the Delegation in Australia. |
Asianews.network page article titled “Vietnam – Australia elevates Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”. The Australian Prime Minister said that upgrading the Vietnam-Australia relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership aims to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in areas such as climate change adaptation, energy transition, digital transformation, innovation, trade and investment, agriculture, defense, and education and training.
The Australian Prime Minister expressed his delight that the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has added pillars of cooperation in climate change response, environmental and energy cooperation as both countries have committed to reducing emissions to zero by 2050. The Australian Prime Minister said that the two sides are looking to enhance trade and investment cooperation to promote economic prosperity between the two countries, adding that Australia is currently implementing the Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040, including areas such as strengthening business links and promoting investment with Vietnam.
At the same time, the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in education, training and labor, and discussed the importance of strengthening cooperation to protect and promote security and stability in the region, including agreeing on a peacekeeping partnership and upgrading the current Deputy Ministerial Security Dialogue to the Ministerial level, the Australian Prime Minister said.
The Australian Prime Minister emphasized that all initiatives and cooperation programs must be maintained and further enhanced on the basis of connecting and exchanging people between the two countries.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his belief that after the upgrade, the bilateral relationship will enter a new chapter with more substantive, effective and sustainable cooperation in many fields, for the benefit of the people of the two countries, making an important contribution to peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development in the region and the world.
According to Mining Weekly, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said he believes that Vietnam and Australia have “entered a new chapter in the history of bilateral relations.”
The broader relationship includes cooperation on defense, maritime security, cyber security, critical technology, trade and investment, and tourism, according to a joint statement issued after the meeting.
The two leaders acknowledged the need to build resilient supply chains and committed to exploring opportunities to enhance cooperation in commodities and energy. About 44% of Vietnam's coal imports come from Australia.
The announcement of the enhanced relationship between Australia and Vietnam follows a special three-day summit to mark 50 years of relations between Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Australia has been working to strengthen its ties with Southeast Asia in recent years as part of a broader foreign policy realignment. Along with the United States and now Australia, China, Russia, India and South Korea all have comprehensive strategic partnerships with Vietnam.
Commenting on Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit, ABC News said that Vietnam is the "second most attractive" market in the world. Accordingly, weak global demand has slowed Vietnam's economic growth in 2023, but the country is still one of the most vibrant countries in the region with positive growth momentum, a population of nearly 100 million people.
Vietnam’s economy grew by more than 5% last year, missing the government’s official target of 6.5%. Vietnam’s main exports include broadcasting equipment, mobile phones, office machine parts and footwear, with the US, China and South Korea being its biggest markets.
Retail sales in Vietnam are expected to grow by 9.6% in 2023, reflecting the growth of the middle class with increasing disposable income.
Tourism, a major part of Vietnam's economy, has also recovered from the pandemic.
International tourist arrivals are expected to rise to 12.6 million in 2023 from 3.6 million last year, but still below the pre-pandemic figure of 18 million in 2019.
Known as the "land of the green dragon," Vietnam is poised to thrive in the second half of this decade.
The major US news agency AP also published an article with the title: "Australian and Vietnamese Prime Ministers enhance the two countries' developing economic relationship."
The article stressed that the Australian and Vietnamese Prime Ministers discussed ways to improve the growing economic relationship, in order to implement Australia's strategy to diversify trade.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit comes after he attended a summit of Southeast Asian leaders this week, co-chaired by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Lao Prime Minister Sonesay Siphandone.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said trade between Australia and Vietnam had increased by 75 per cent in two years to reach A$25.7 billion ($16.9 billion) by 2022. Vietnam had become Australia's 12th largest trading partner.
" Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and I discussed our determination to develop trade and investment links to support the economic prosperity of both countries," Albanese told reporters.
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| On the morning of March 7, in Canberra, Australia, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese exchanged statements on upgrading the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and witnessed the exchange of other important cooperation documents in various fields between the two countries. |
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends and speaks at the Vietnam - Australia Business Forum |
Notably, the website of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese posted an article titled “ A new era in Vietnam-Australia relations”. According to the article, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh announced the upgrading of the Australia-Vietnam relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The relationship between the two countries is built on strategic trust, mutual respect and shared aspirations. Last year, Australia and Vietnam celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations.
The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will support the expansion of cooperation on climate change, environment and energy, as well as digital transformation and innovation, building on established cooperation in defense and security, economic cooperation and education.
The article also stated that the leaders also agreed to upgrade the Australia-Vietnam Security Dialogue to the ministerial level to promote cooperation on law enforcement issues.
To develop trade and investment cooperation between Australia and Vietnam in the coming time, the Prime Ministers of the two countries welcomed the agreements, allowing 1,000 Vietnamese workers to work in Australia's rural agriculture sector, as well as a new agreement between agencies responsible for trade and investment recommendations.
Education is a pillar of the Australia-Vietnam relationship and a source of connection between our two peoples. A new framework for cooperation between Australian and Vietnamese education institutions will enhance their ability to work together in early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary education.
Also in this article, the author stated: The leaders also welcomed new agreements between the two countries' maritime and scientific agencies to support the management of Vietnam's marine resources, including adaptation to climate change.
The leaders also agreed to hold new ministerial dialogues on priority areas. The annual energy and mineral resources ministerial dialogue will promote cooperation in the energy and resources sector, including the mineral supply chain.
The first annual Trade Ministers’ Dialogue held on March 5 between Minister Don Farrell and Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien established a foundation for building strong, sustainable and integrated trade and investment between the two countries.
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| Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and leaders of ministries and branches accompanied Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to attend the Vietnam - Australia Business Forum 2024 |
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| Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission. |
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| Minister Nguyen Hong Dien and Mr. Tim Ayres, Australian Minister for Trade and Manufacturing signed an Agreement to establish a ministerial dialogue mechanism on energy and minerals. |
Accompanying the Prime Minister on his working trip to Australia, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien - Head of the Vietnamese delegation had many meetings, contacts and bilateral work with the country's partner ministries such as: Participating in the technical meeting to prepare for the first session of the Ministerial Dialogue on Trade; co-chairing the first session of the Ministerial Dialogue on Trade; meeting and working with a number of large enterprises and investors in Australia; working bilaterally with Australian Minister in charge of Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen; witnessing the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency and the Australian Trade and Investment Agency; signing the Agreement on establishing a ministerial dialogue mechanism on energy and minerals...
After 5 days of working and officially visiting Australia, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his wife and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation left Australia for an official visit to New Zealand at the invitation of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, are attending the Special Summit to celebrate 50 years of ASEAN-Australia relations and paying an official visit to Australia and New Zealand. The Ministry of Industry and Trade delegation led by Minister Nguyen Hong Dien joined the high-level delegation attending the Special Summit to celebrate 50 years of ASEAN - Australia relations, paying an official visit to Australia and New Zealand and organizing sideline activities. The working delegation of the Ministry of Industry and Trade includes representatives of Departments, Divisions and units: Department of Asia - Africa Market, Department of Multilateral Trade Policy, Department of Trade Promotion, Department of Trade Defense, Office of the Inter-sectoral Steering Committee for International Economic Integration, National Competition Commission, Industry and Trade Newspaper... |
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