Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh warmly welcomed Mr. Anthony Albanese on his first official visit to Vietnam as Prime Minister; he assessed the visit as having great significance, taking place precisely as the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the 5th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership, creating new impetus for bilateral relations...
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presided over the welcoming ceremony for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
At the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid an official visit to Vietnam from June 3-4, 2023. On the morning of June 4, 2023, immediately after the official welcoming ceremony, the Prime Ministers of the two countries held a private meeting and talks at the Government Office headquarters.
During the talks, held in an open, sincere, trusting, and mutually understanding atmosphere, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh warmly welcomed Mr. Anthony Albanese on his first official visit to Vietnam as Prime Minister. He assessed the visit as significant, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 5th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries, creating new momentum for bilateral relations. The Prime Minister also congratulated Australia on its socio-economic development achievements; thanked Australia for its continued support of Vietnam in national construction and development; and emphasized that Vietnam highly values and wishes to strengthen its friendship and cooperation with Australia.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reviews the Honor Guard of the Vietnam People's Army.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked the delegation for the warm and thoughtful reception; congratulated Vietnam on its significant achievements in socio-economic recovery and development, becoming one of the 40 largest economies in the world and having an increasingly prominent role and position on the international stage. Prime Minister Anthony emphasized that Australia values its strategic partnership with Vietnam and considers Vietnam central to Australia's strategic relationship with Southeast Asia.
The two Prime Ministers were pleased to note that bilateral relations are developing well and effectively in all fields, looking towards the future. Exchanges of delegations and high-level contacts have been vibrant. The Action Program for implementing the Strategic Partnership for the period 2020-2023 has achieved many concrete results. Trade cooperation is a highlight, with bilateral trade reaching nearly US$16 billion in 2022, a 30% increase compared to 2021, and the two countries have become among each other's top 10 trading partners. Cooperation in security and defense is increasingly effective and substantive, especially in training and supporting UN peacekeeping operations, combating transnational crime, and cybercrime. Cooperation in agriculture, education and training, labor, and people-to-people exchanges is developing strongly.
The Prime Ministers of the two countries held a private meeting and talks at the Government Office headquarters.
Both sides agreed to strengthen exchanges of delegations and high-level contacts through Party, Parliament, and Government channels, enhance people-to-people exchanges; implement the development of a new Action Program; continue to promote economic, trade, and investment cooperation, thereby effectively implementing the Plan for the Enhanced Economic Cooperation Strategy (EEES) between the two countries for the period 2021-2025; strengthen connectivity between the two economies; and promote cooperation in defense, security, justice, and other important areas such as ODA, education and training, science and technology, labor, transportation, tourism, climate change response, and digital transformation. In this spirit, both sides agreed to promote the upgrading of relations to a new level in the future.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam will create favorable conditions for Australian businesses to invest in Vietnam in the fields of infrastructure development, telecommunications, finance and banking, education, high-tech agriculture, green transformation, digital transformation, and population data development. He also requested Australia to facilitate Vietnamese businesses investing in Australia in the fields of mining, agriculture, e-commerce, aviation, and tourism; requested Australia to facilitate market expansion for Vietnamese export goods; highly appreciated Australia's 2.5% increase in ODA to Vietnam in the 2023-2024 fiscal year; and suggested that ODA cooperation be considered an important component of the future partnership.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam and Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese affirmed Australia's desire to continue expanding security and defense cooperation with Vietnam; affirmed the continued maintenance of ODA cooperation; agreed to promote bilateral investment cooperation; continued to increase scholarships for Vietnamese students; agreed to review the 1995 Aviation Agreement to adjust and increase the number of flights between the two countries; and agreed to actively implement cooperation in new areas such as the digital economy and digital transformation. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a A$105 million grant to Vietnam for cooperation in infrastructure, climate change response, and energy transition.
Both sides agreed to continue strengthening cooperation and close coordination in multilateral forums, especially the United Nations, ASEAN, and APEC. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese affirmed that Australia values the Australia-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and always supports ASEAN's central role; that it will place Vietnam at the center of the Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040, which Australia is currently developing; and that it will continue to promote cooperation in the Mekong sub-region. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized his support for Australia to host the ASEAN-Australia Partnership 50th Anniversary Summit in Australia with effective and practical content. The Australian Prime Minister supported Vietnam's bid to host APEC 2027.
Regarding the situation in the South China Sea, the two leaders emphasized the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea; promoting dialogue, enhancing trust, and resolving disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The talks took place in a cordial and mutually understanding atmosphere. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese cordially invited Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to pay an official visit to Australia at a suitable time in 2023. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh happily accepted the invitation.
The two Prime Ministers witnessed the exchange of four cooperation documents between the two countries.
Following the talks, the two Prime Ministers witnessed the exchange of four cooperation documents between the two countries, including: a Memorandum of Understanding on establishing a ministerial-level dialogue mechanism on trade; a Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation of phase 2 of the Vietnam-Australia Innovation Program; and a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in exchanging financial intelligence information related to money laundering and terrorist financing; a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City and the University of Western Sydney on scholarships for Vietnamese and regional students; and also witnessed the awarding of certificates for the opening of additional direct flights by Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet.
Manh Hung/Online newspaper www.dangcongsan.vn
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