The 'role model' relationship

Just over three months after their meeting within the framework of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM-56) in Indonesia, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son will meet again with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar in Hanoi today, October 15th.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son met with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar during the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM-56) in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 12. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

At their meeting on July 12th, the two Foreign Ministers highly appreciated the strong developments in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, especially in the economic and trade sectors. Both sides agreed to carefully organize high-level delegation exchanges and to effectively implement existing cooperation mechanisms, including the Vietnam-India Joint Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological Cooperation.

Since its establishment in 1982, the Joint Committee mechanism has been regularly maintained by both countries. The most recent meeting – the 17th meeting of the Joint Committee – took place on August 25, 2020, in an online format. Both sides reviewed the implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership over the past two years (since the 16th meeting held in August 2018 in Hanoi ) and proposed new measures and directions for cooperation, leading up to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (January 7, 1972-2022).

Thus, after more than three years, the heads of the Vietnamese and Indian Ministries of Foreign Affairs are preparing to meet at the next session of the Joint Committee. It is worth remembering that during the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Special Meeting in New Delhi in June 2022, Minister Bui Thanh Son invited his Indian counterpart to visit Vietnam and co-chair the 18th session of the Vietnam-India Joint Committee on economic, trade, scientific and technological cooperation.

Minister S. Jaishankar's presence in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from October 15-17 is part of a series of exchanges, high-level contacts, and strengthening political trust between the two countries. In less than four months, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have met twice (at the G7 Expanded Summit in Hiroshima, Japan on May 20 and at the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia on September 7). Defense and security cooperation has become a crucial pillar with strategic cooperation activities in depth. In the first half of this year, both the Vietnamese Minister of Defense and the Minister of Public Security paid official visits to India.

Bilateral trade reached a record high of over US$15 billion in 2022, exceeding the target set by the high-level leaders of both countries. Just four years after the first direct flight (2019), there are now more than 50 direct flights per week connecting major cities in both countries. These "telling" figures demonstrate the immense potential for cooperation between India and its "close and trusted partner," as Minister S. Jaishankar described it at the 50th anniversary celebration of diplomatic relations between the two countries at the Vietnamese Embassy in New Delhi on June 17, 2022.

Former Prime Minister Pham Van Dong (1906-2000) once affirmed that the relationship between Vietnam and India was "as clear as a cloudless sky." That observation remains just as meaningful in the context of today's global and regional situation, where great power competition continues to evolve in a complex manner, leading to political friction, conflicts, and numerous hotspots. As Minister Bui Thanh Son stated at the 77th anniversary celebration of India's Independence Day on August 16th in Hanoi, the close friendship between the two nations has been proven over time and has become a model for relations between countries around the world.

To further promote the ever-developing "model" relationship, the head of Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have much to discuss as he co-chairs the Vietnam-India Joint Committee meeting for the first time with a distinguished guest from the largest country in the South Asian subcontinent over the next two busy days.

According to a press release dated October 14th from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, India and Vietnam share a strong comprehensive strategic partnership. Vietnam is a key partner in India's Act East policy, and Minister S. Jaishankar's visit will provide an opportunity to assess progress in several areas and discuss ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation.

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