Full text of the Joint Statement on the establishment of the Vietnam-South Africa Strategic Partnership

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa have adopted a Joint Statement upgrading Vietnam-South Africa relations to a Strategic Partnership, opening a period of extensive, comprehensive and sustainable cooperation in all fields.

According to a special correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency, within the framework of a working trip to attend the G20 Summit and bilateral activities in South Africa, on the morning of November 21 (local time), in Johannesburg city, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The two sides officially announced the upgrading of Vietnam-South Africa relations to a Strategic Partnership, a historic milestone bringing bilateral relations into depth, substance, and effectiveness, on the basis of trust.

Vietnam News Agency respectfully introduces the content of the Joint Statement:

1. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1993, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of South Africa have fostered a traditional friendship and cooperation in many fields, based on trust, equality, mutual respect and common interests.

2. In the context of profound changes in the global and regional context, the increasing interdependence of the world 's economies and based on the common aspirations of the people of the two countries, on the basis of the results of the State visit of the President of South Africa to Vietnam from October 23-24, 2025, within the framework of the working trip to attend the G20 Summit and bilateral activities in South Africa by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh from November 21-23, 2025, Vietnam and South Africa decided to upgrade their relationship to a Strategic Partnership.

3. The establishment of the Vietnam-South Africa Strategic Partnership framework aims to bring the relationship between the two countries to a new height on both bilateral and multilateral levels. The Strategic Partnership between the two countries also contributes to promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world, on the basis of compliance with the United Nations Charter, international law and the principles of respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

4. Within the framework of the Strategic Partnership, Vietnam and South Africa will continue to deepen bilateral cooperation, focusing on the following areas:

Political-diplomatic cooperation

5. The two sides agreed to further strengthen delegation exchanges and contacts at all levels, especially high-level and ministerial delegations, regularly through all channels of the Party, State, and local authorities of Vietnam and South Africa, to consolidate political cooperation and enhance mutual understanding.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with President of the Republic of South Africa, G20 Chair 2025, Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

6. The two sides stressed the importance of maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the two regions of Asia, Africa and globally, on the basis of full respect for the United Nations Charter and compliance with international law.

The two sides affirmed their support for multilateralism and will continue to cooperate closely in international and regional organizations, promote the reform process of the global governance system towards fairness and efficiency, promote the realization of aspirations and strengthen the role of developing countries, and support countries of the Southern Hemisphere to have a greater voice and role in international relations.

7. The two sides supported the central role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the African Union (AU) and agreed to seek ways to enhance cooperation between countries in Asia and Africa and South-South cooperation.

Vietnam affirmed its support for South Africa in strengthening cooperation with ASEAN and its member states, especially in areas of mutual interest, in line with the potential and strengths of each country. South Africa supports Vietnam in strengthening cooperation and making practical contributions to the implementation of the AU Agenda 2063.

Defense and security cooperation

8. The two sides agreed to promote defense and security cooperation in line with the strategic level of bilateral relations through increasing delegation exchanges, enhancing cooperation in training, defense industry, United Nations peacekeeping, and responding to non-traditional security challenges.

9. The two sides pledged to regularly maintain the Deputy Ministerial-level Defense Policy Dialogue mechanism; enhance academic exchanges between defense-security academies and research institutions, accelerate negotiations and signing of new agreements and arrangements between relevant authorities; enhance information exchange in the security and police fields and promote cooperation in the fields of cyber security, prevention of high-tech crimes, drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.

Economic-trade-investment-tourism cooperation

10. The two sides pledged to strengthen economic cooperation as an important pillar in the Strategic Partnership. The two countries will promote breakthroughs in the growth of bilateral trade turnover and two-way investment, open markets for each other's goods, and encourage businesses of the two countries to increase investment in each other's markets.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with President of the Republic of South Africa, G20 Chair 2025, Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

The two countries agreed to jointly promote their gateway roles in each region through the network of free trade agreements of ASEAN, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and other regional free trade agreements.

11. The two sides pledged to promote a favorable, transparent, fair and non-discriminatory trade, investment and tourism environment; increase business meetings and exchanges; and promote the opening of direct flights to cities of the two countries.

12. The two sides expressed their willingness to effectively implement existing bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms and agreements, and to explore the establishment of new cooperation frameworks in specific areas of trade, investment and tourism. The two sides affirmed their commitment to holding meetings of the Joint Trade Committee as a mechanism to promote and monitor bilateral economic cooperation.

The two sides also pledged to cooperate closely on economic issues of common interest in international organizations of which both countries are members.

13. The two sides agreed to review and negotiate new cooperation agreements and perfect the legal foundation to facilitate bilateral cooperation in all fields.

Cooperation in industry, energy, minerals, agriculture-environment, infrastructure, transport.

14. The two sides pledged to promote cooperation in the fields of minerals, mining, manufacturing industry, supporting industry, and oil and gas services as a new driving force for bilateral relations; strengthen energy cooperation to promote the transition to renewable energy in each country, focusing on energy efficiency, emission reduction, and cooperation in the production of electric vehicles to practically serve the development of each country.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President of the Republic of South Africa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the South African Ministry of Agriculture. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

15. The two sides agreed to promote South-South cooperation, strengthen cooperation in the fields of agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, fisheries, agricultural processing and circular economy, resource management, environment and climate change response, biodiversity conservation, and wildlife protection.

16. The two sides agreed to promote cooperation in the fields of infrastructure construction, maritime and aviation.

Cooperation in science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, education and training

17. The two sides will promote cooperation programs in the fields of digital transformation, circular economy, artificial intelligence (AI) and green technologies.

18. The two sides expressed their desire to promote exchange programs, academic exchanges, scholarships and implement joint programs and projects in the fields of: fostering management and leadership capacity, educational technology, vocational training and improving capacity and skills.

People-to-people exchange and local cooperation

19. The two sides agreed to promote partnership and cooperation between enterprises, promote people-to-people cooperation and exchange, and cooperation and exchange between localities in the fields of economics, science-technology, culture, education, and sports, thereby strengthening friendship and enhancing mutual understanding.

The two sides also pledged to promote the signing and implementation of cooperation agreements between localities of the two countries and agreements to facilitate travel of people of the two countries, and cooperation agreements between localities of the two countries to bring about effective socio-economic development.

This Joint Declaration is made in Johannesburg, on 21 November 2025, in 02 (two) originals in the Vietnamese and English languages, each being equally authentic. In case of any divergence in interpretation, the English version shall prevail./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/toan-van-tuyen-bo-chung-ve-thiet-lap-quan-he-doi-tac-chien-luoc-viet-nam-nam-phi-post1078523.vnp