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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during an official visit to Vietnam, February 2025. (Source: VGP) |
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-New Zealand diplomatic relations (June 19, 1975 - June 19, 2025), Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Phan Minh Giang shared withThe Gioi va Viet Nam Newspaper about the outstanding achievements in the half-century journey of companionship between the two countries as well as the priorities during his term here.
In February 2025, Vietnam and New Zealand agreed to upgrade their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, marking a new milestone in the history of bilateral relations. Could you highlight some of the outstanding achievements in the half-century journey of companionship between the two Pacific nations?
The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, a meaningful time not only for Vietnam and New Zealand to look back on the past half-century of cooperation, but also to jointly set out a vision and direction for the development of relations in the next 50 years and beyond.
The 2025 anniversary is even more meaningful as Vietnam and New Zealand have just agreed to upgrade their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This is a historic event, demonstrating the firm belief of both Vietnam and New Zealand in the future of bilateral relations, as well as the determination and desire to accompany each other to develop the relationship more strongly, comprehensively and deeply in the new era of cooperation, meeting the aspirations of the people of both countries and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in each country, in the region and in the world.
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| Ambassador Phan Minh Giang. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand) |
Fifty years ago, New Zealand was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam after our country was completely unified.
Over the past half century, the Vietnam-New Zealand relationship has been continuously nurtured, consolidated and increasingly developed, with great strides and many important achievements.
The bilateral relationship has been continuously consolidated and enhanced with the establishment of a Comprehensive Partnership in 2009, a Strategic Partnership in 2020, and officially becoming a Comprehensive Strategic Partner in February 2025. Exchanges of delegations and contacts at high and all levels have been maintained and promoted, and bilateral cooperation mechanisms have been effectively implemented.
Vietnam and New Zealand coordinate closely at international and regional forums of which both countries are members, contributing to harmoniously handling common challenges in the region and the world.
Economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries has been expanding, with two-way trade turnover increasing steadily over the years, from 300 million USD in 2009 to now, it has increased more than 4 times and currently reaches more than 1.3 billion USD.
Education and training are a highlight in cooperation between the two countries, with more than 600 Vietnamese officials receiving English and professional training in New Zealand. Since 1992, more than 600 New Zealand Government scholarships have been awarded to Vietnamese students.
In addition, New Zealand maintains stable ODA for Vietnam and has been implementing many meaningful development aid projects. These include a project to support Vietnam in improving the quality of some fruits such as avocado, dragon fruit and passion fruit, and a dam and dyke safety project in Central Vietnam. New Zealand has also promoted cooperation with Vietnam in many areas of mutual interest such as agriculture, national defense and security, transportation, climate change response, etc.
It can be said that the relationship between the two countries is entering its strongest period of development ever. Vietnam and New Zealand are currently each other's leading important partners in the region.
These good achievements stem from the high level of political trust and increasingly consolidated strategic trust between Vietnam and New Zealand, including political determination, sincere and warm attachment of the two countries' senior leaders, as well as friendship and increasingly deep understanding between the two peoples.
However, there is still much room to expand cooperation between the two countries, in which many advantages and potentials have not been fully exploited and effectively utilized, requiring greater efforts and stronger actions from both countries to bring the Vietnam-New Zealand relationship to new steps forward in the coming time.
| "Fifty years ago, New Zealand was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam after our country was completely unified. Over the past half century, the Vietnam-New Zealand relationship has been continuously nurtured, consolidated and increasingly developed, with great strides and many important achievements." (Ambassador Phan Minh Giang) |
In the Joint Statement on upgrading the Vietnam-New Zealand relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the two countries agreed to strive to achieve a trade turnover target of US$3 billion by 2026, while making science-technology cooperation and climate change response a new pillar of the bilateral relationship. Could you please tell us about the cooperation focuses that Vietnam and New Zealand will promote to continue to develop the bilateral relationship strongly in the coming years, including striving to achieve the above goals?
To implement the Joint Statement, Vietnam and New Zealand have agreed and are urgently coordinating to develop an action program to concretize the contents of the Vietnam-New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework with practical cooperation measures and projects, contributing to exploiting and promoting the potential and strengths of both sides.
Sharing a common vision and strategic interests for peace, cooperation and development, Vietnam and New Zealand need to continue to deepen political relations, promote more substantive defense and security cooperation, increase delegation exchanges and contacts at high and all levels through channels, and maintain and improve the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation mechanisms.
In the context of profound changes in the international and regional situation, Vietnam and New Zealand need to strengthen coordination and support each other more strongly in multilateral forums such as relevant mechanisms chaired by ASEAN, the United Nations and other forums.
Towards the target of bilateral trade turnover of 3 billion USD by 2026, Vietnam and New Zealand need to make breakthrough efforts, strengthen economic ties, cooperate more effectively in trade and investment, enhance trade facilitation, promote each other's market access and cooperation between customs agencies and other relevant agencies of the two countries, effectively take advantage of the strengths that the two economies can complement each other as well as the advantages from important free trade agreements (FTAs) in the region that the two countries participate in.
Education, training and high-quality human resource development should continue to be an important pillar of cooperation in the Vietnam-New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, through many cooperation programs, training links, diverse academic exchanges and attractive scholarships.
In addition, opening direct flights connecting the two countries will contribute to facilitating and promoting economic, trade, investment, people-to-people, cultural, educational, and tourism cooperation, connecting Vietnam and New Zealand more closely and closely.
Along with efforts to strengthen traditional areas of cooperation, the two countries are expanding cooperation to new areas with great potential, including agreeing to make science and technology cooperation and climate change response a new pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
With a strong commitment to responding to climate change, New Zealand can strengthen cooperation and support Vietnam in promoting the application of science and technology, providing solutions in environmental protection, emission reduction, green transformation, high-tech agriculture, renewable energy development, and carbon markets, in accordance with the potential, strengths, and needs of each country.
For its part, the Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand will actively coordinate and contribute to the development and effective implementation of the action program to implement the Vietnam-New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in the coming time.
Specifically: supporting the promotion of delegation exchanges and contacts at high and all levels across channels, improving the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation mechanisms; connecting central agencies, ministries, branches, localities, and enterprises with New Zealand partners; contributing to deepening cooperation in existing fields, including actively coordinating the implementation of effective trade and investment promotion activities, and seeking opportunities, expanding cooperation to new fields, actively and effectively responding to the country's development requirements.
With a solid foundation built over the past half century and determination from both sides, the Vietnam-New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will continue to develop more comprehensively and extensively, bringing more practical benefits to the people of the two countries, and actively contributing to peace, security, stability and prosperous, sustainable development in the region.
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| Ambassador Phan Minh Giang presented the Letter of Credentials from President Luong Cuong to Governor-General of New Zealand Cindy Kiro on April 16 at the Governor-General's Palace in Wellington. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand) |
Upon taking up his assignment in New Zealand, could you share your first impressions of the country and its people, as well as your feelings on being appointed Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand as well as your priorities during this term?
My first impression of New Zealand is that it is a multicultural, peaceful country with beautiful natural landscapes, friendly and hospitable people, and a lifestyle close to nature and the environment. Although geographically far apart, Vietnam and New Zealand have many cultural similarities, both love peace, promote sustainable development values and harmony between people and nature, and have many strengths that can complement each other, as well as much potential and room for cooperation and development.
Being aware that the responsibility of the Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand is both an honor and a great responsibility, I always keep in mind that I must be dedicated and make every effort to be worthy of being the head of the representative agency of the heroic, innovative, integrated and developing Vietnam, ready to enter a new era, an era of national growth.
With the above-mentioned focuses and tasks, the highest priority is how to effectively implement the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework that the two countries have just agreed to establish, starting with the 50th anniversary of the relationship in 2025, thereby maximizing national interests and effectively promoting the role and position of Vietnam. This is an honor but also a heavy responsibility for me during this term.
With that in mind, I myself vow to do my best, together with the Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand, to successfully complete all tasks, contributing to the efforts to promote cooperation between the two countries more comprehensively, more deeply, and to bring the two countries closer and more closely together, commensurate with the level of the new framework of relations.
At the same time, I, along with the staff of the Embassy, will continue to make every effort to do our best for the Vietnamese people in New Zealand. Thereby, we will strengthen community cohesion, preserve national cultural identity, arouse national pride, look back to our roots, as well as foster friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding between the people of New Zealand and Vietnam, contributing to promoting the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries to develop more strongly in the coming time.
Thank you very much Ambassador!
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| Ambassador Phan Minh Giang and his wife with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Deputy Foreign Minister Grahame Morton at the 50th Anniversary of Vietnam-New Zealand Diplomatic Relations in Wellington, June 17. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in New Zealand) |
| "With the solid foundation built over the past half century and determination from both sides, the Vietnam-New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will continue to develop more comprehensively and extensively, bringing more practical benefits to the people of the two countries, and actively contributing to peace, security, stability and prosperous, sustainable development in the region." (Ambassador Phan Minh Giang) |
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dai-su-phan-minh-giang-viet-nam-va-new-zealand-dong-hanh-vung-buoc-tien-vao-ky-nguyen-hop-tac-moi-317947.html
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