Vietnam seeks further cooperation with New Zealand

Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue (R) meets with New Zealand's Speaker of the House of Representatives David Carter - Credit: VGP

During their talks and meetings, the two sides expressed their satisfaction on the strong development of the Vietnam-New Zealand comprehensive partnership towards a strategic partnership, with cooperation in key areas recording high efficiency and continuous improvement. The two shared similar opinions on strategic interests in regional and international issues, agreeing to continue further promoting bilateral relations in the coming time by enhancing high-level visits and promoting people's exchanges.

During a meeting with the Vietnamese Deputy PM, New Zealand's Speaker of the House of Representatives, David Carter cordially reiterated his invitation to Vietnamese National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan to visit New Zealand in late 2017. Both sides agreed to soon hold a signing for the Vietnam-New Zealand Agenda for Action during 2017-2020 later this year to boost cooperation in priority areas, such as politics, economy, commerce, agriculture, development assistance, education-training, science-research-innovation, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Deputy PM Hue and his host counterpart Paula Bennett, along with other New Zealand leaders, affirmed their determination to further boost two-way trade growth, aiming at US$1.7 billion by 2020, while increasing investment in the fields Vietnam requires and in fields of New Zealand’s advantages, such as agriculture, renewable energy and infrastructure.

Deputy PM Paula Bennett and Trade Minister Todd McClay affirmed that New Zealand would create favourable conditions for Vietnamese agricultural products exported to the country. In the immediate future, rambutan fruit will have completed risk control procedures and start to be imported to New Zealand in the remaining months of this year, while other fruits will be added later on.

Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue and the Vietnamese delegation during talks with New Zealand's Trade Minister Todd McClay on July 27 - Credit: VGP

In addition, New Zealand will continue to support Vietnam in enhancing capacity and technologies used in agricultural production, processing and preservation to meet high standards of the global market. The two sides also agreed to accelerate the organisation of the sixth session of the Vietnam-New Zealand Joint Committee on Economic and Trade Cooperation.

New Zealand leaders confirmed the country’s continuous ODA support to Vietnam, focusing on social security, agriculture and rural development, human resources development, and managing and responding to natural disasters and climate change.

Deputy PM Hue praised New Zealand as one of Vietnam’s significant development partners and expressed his sincere thanks to the nation for its support to Vietnam in projects on dam safety, dyke development, dragon fruit seeding, safe vegetables and hi-tech agriculture. He suggested the two sides build a regular bilateral dialogue mechanism on development cooperation aimed at evaluating cooperation results between the two countries, and then set orientations and measures for the effective use of New Zealand development assistance in accordance with Vietnam’s development needs.

The Vietnamese official and the leaders of New Zealand also reaffirmed support for the intensification of economic cooperation and trade liberalisation in the region, and agreed to tighten cooperation to seek an appropriate path for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The hosts spoke highly of Vietnam’s successful organisation of meetings within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Year 2017, hoping that the two countries will share experience when New Zealand is the host of the APEC Year 2021.