Looking back and looking forward

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of official diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Australia (February 26, 1973 - February 26, 2023), on October 24th in Hanoi, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, in collaboration with the Australian Embassy in Hanoi, organized an international conference entitled “50 Years of Vietnam-Australia Relations: Looking Back and Towards the Future”.

In his opening remarks at the workshop, Associate Professor Dr. Ta Minh Tuan, Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences , emphasized that more than 50 years ago, on February 26, 1973, diplomatic relations between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) and Australia were officially established.

Looking back at the history of this relationship, it can be seen that since Vietnam actively integrated into the region and the world by becoming a full member of ASEAN in 1995, the relationship between the two countries has continuously developed. In 2009, the two countries established a comprehensive partnership, and just nine years later, in 2018, that relationship was unanimously elevated to a strategic partnership.

Since then, Vietnam has increasingly held an important position and role in regional and global cooperation structures, and both Vietnam and Australia recognize the importance of each other in their foreign policy, security, and economic policies. Evidence of this is the proposal by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to upgrade Vietnam-Australia relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership during his meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in May 2021, which demonstrates this and shows a bright future for relations between the two countries.

In particular, in just over 20 years, from 1991 to 2022, bilateral trade between the two countries has grown significantly, from 60 million to over 15.7 billion USD. Currently, Vietnam is Australia's 10th largest trading partner, and Australia is Vietnam's 7th largest trading partner. Australia is also a leading provider of development aid, making a significant contribution to Vietnam's socio-economic development over the past decades.

The Vice President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences stated that, with the motto of "implementing an independent, self-reliant, multilateral, diversified, proactive, and effective foreign policy of comprehensive international integration," Vietnam always aspires to be a friend, a reliable and responsible partner in the international community in general, and a reliable and effective partner in cooperation with Australia in particular. For its part, Australia has always been a responsible country and partner in the regional and global community, actively participating in regional security cooperation mechanisms in the Indo-Pacific such as AUKUS and the Quad group…  

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Huy Hoang, Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, practical experience shows that Vietnam's foreign policy follows an independent, self-reliant, peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and developmental approach, diversifying and multilateralizing diplomatic relations. Above all, it prioritizes national interests based on the fundamental principles of international law, equality, cooperation, and mutual benefit. Combining national strength with the strength of the times, Vietnam proactively and comprehensively integrates into the international community; it is a friend, a reliable partner, and an active and responsible member of the international community...

The international conference “50 Years of Vietnam-Australia Relations: Looking Back and Towards the Future” was divided into three sessions. Session 1 was themed: Looking back at 50 years of Vietnam-Australia relations (1973-2023); Session 2 was themed: Vietnam and Australia in the context of changing Indo-Pacific geopolitics; Session 3 was themed: Prospects for Vietnam-Australia relations .

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