When both actions and goals are realistic.

The second State visit of Indonesian President Joko Widodo to Vietnam (January 11-13) was an opportunity for both sides to review the past cooperation and prepare for new milestones in bilateral relations.

President Joko Widodo's visit to Vietnam comes at a significant time, as the two countries celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Strategic Partnership in 2023 and are looking forward to major events commemorating the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025.

In 2023, when Indonesia held the ASEAN chairmanship, Vietnamese leaders held discussions with President Joko Widodo on bilateral relations during their participation in the ASEAN Summits. These discussions clearly demonstrated a strong determination to implement the signed agreements, creating further momentum to elevate the strategic partnership to a new level. Therefore, solutions to concretize cooperation were a central focus of President Widodo's visit to his ASEAN "friend."

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong received Indonesian President Joko Widodo during his first state visit to Vietnam in 2018. (Source: VNA)

Trust is constantly being strengthened.

It can be affirmed that trust is the solid foundation upon which the two countries confidently set higher goals, deepening and enhancing the effectiveness of their relationship across all areas of cooperation. This trust has been nurtured over nearly seven decades, marked by many valuable "firsts" and "unique" achievements.

First of all, Indonesia was the first country in Southeast Asia to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam on December 30, 1955. The traditional friendship, forged by President Ho Chi Minh and President Sukarno, has been continuously nurtured by generations of leaders and people of both countries.

Furthermore, Vietnam is currently Indonesia's only strategic partner in Southeast Asia. With a solid foundation, especially after the establishment of the strategic partnership, the two countries are gradually opening up a more comprehensive and deeper space for cooperation.

The strong development of Vietnam-Indonesia relations in recent times is clear evidence of this, demonstrated by high-level visits and contacts such as the telephone conversation between General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Joko Widodo (August 2022), President Nguyen Xuan Phuc's state visit to Indonesia (December 2022), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's three participations in ASEAN Summits in Indonesia (April 2021, May 2023 and September 2023), and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue's official visit to Indonesia and participation in AIPA-44 (August 2023)...

Both sides are striving to effectively implement the Action Program for the Strategic Partnership between the two countries for the period 2019-2023, thereby further deepening cooperation in many areas. Defense and security cooperation between the two countries has been strengthened. Cooperation in other important areas such as agriculture, transportation, local connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges is being actively promoted.

The $15 billion target - Realistic outlook

Unlocking potential, leveraging strengths, and building an effective and long-term cooperation framework are the overarching directions driving the relationship between the two countries forward.

Specifically, in each recent high-level exchange, certain points have been repeatedly emphasized and have become familiar, such as: maintaining trade growth in a more balanced direction; striving to achieve a bilateral trade turnover of US$15 billion by 2028; promoting increased two-way investment by businesses, especially in new areas such as the digital economy, green economy, energy transition, and the development of the electric vehicle ecosystem; Indonesia facilitating access to the market for Vietnamese agricultural products and Halal products; and cooperating in the development of new strategic supply chains…

Mentioning it repeatedly, and therefore making it hard to "forget," many areas of cooperation are flourishing, creating a bright picture amidst the volatile global economic landscape. The Nikkei newspaper (Japan), reporting on the visit, stated that President Joko Widodo had previously acknowledged Vietnam as one of Indonesia's strategic trading partners, but he "wanted to discuss achievable goals for even better trade."

In fact, Indonesia became Vietnam's third largest export market and second largest import market in ASEAN in 2023. Bilateral trade turnover last year was estimated at over US$12 billion. As of the end of November 2023, total Indonesian investment in Vietnam reached US$651.21 million, with 120 active projects, ranking 29th out of 143 territories with investment in Vietnam. Conversely, several large Vietnamese businesses and corporations have established a presence in Indonesia, such as FPT and Dien May Xanh. Most notably, Vinfast Global's project, with a total expected investment of US$1.2 billion, will build an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Indonesia with a capacity of 50,000 vehicles per year, expected to break ground in Q1 2024 and be completed in 2026.

Regarding rice, Vietnam consistently ranks among the top three rice suppliers to the Indonesian market. As of November 2023, Vietnam had exported over 1.1 million tons of rice to Indonesia, valued at over US$600 million. In terms of seafood and fisheries, both sides continue to promote recent exchanges on product groups such as lobster, tuna, and seaweed.

In light of these optimistic figures, in an interview with the press, the Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia, Ta Van Thong, affirmed that achieving the target of 15 billion USD is a very realistic prospect in the next few years. Recognizing the enormous potential of the Halal market, Ambassador Ta Van Thong stated that the two countries are working to further facilitate Vietnamese businesses in obtaining Halal certifications and penetrating the Indonesian market more effectively.

Clearly, despite the unpredictable and challenging global economic outlook for 2023 and beyond, both countries remain committed to taking action to implement and concretize the goals of Vietnam-Indonesia cooperation, making economic cooperation a highlight and promoting the development of a comprehensive, effective, and long-lasting bilateral relationship.

Both countries aim to become developed nations by 2045, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of their respective foundings. Therefore, Vietnam and Indonesia have many opportunities and potentials to strengthen cooperation to achieve their respective development goals, while also making positive contributions to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Denny Abdi

For the common prosperity of the region

Vietnam and Indonesia are active members of ASEAN, with roles and positions in the region and on the international stage. Over the past period, Indonesia has always highly appreciated Vietnam's support for its role as ASEAN Chair and AIPA Chair in 2023.

Therefore, it can be affirmed that the close and profound bilateral cooperation not only serves the practical interests of the people of both countries but also contributes to the prosperity of the ASEAN community and, more broadly, to peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and the world.

Regarding the South China Sea issue, both countries have consistently affirmed their support for maintaining ASEAN's unity and agreed-upon principles on the South China Sea issue, especially the early conclusion of an effective and legally binding Code of Conduct (COC) between ASEAN and China, in accordance with international law and UNCLOS 1982.

Conversely, being members of the ASEAN "family" provides both countries with special "privileges," facilitating bilateral cooperation. The combined population of the two countries accounts for 60% of ASEAN's total population, nearly 400 million. Both are members of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), thus offering significant advantages for increasing bilateral trade.

Along with the Philippines and Brunei, Vietnam is one of the three destinations – like three ASEAN "brothers" – on President Joko Widodo's current visit. This further demonstrates that the Vietnam-Indonesia relationship is intertwined with ASEAN, and within ASEAN there is a strong, enduring, and cooperative Vietnam-Indonesia relationship for the benefit not only of both sides but also of the entire "ASEAN ship" venturing out into the open sea, for a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tong-thong-indonesia-tham-viet-nam-khi-hanh-dong-va-muc-tieu-deu-thuc-te-256963.html