Defence Minister pays official visits to Australia, New Zealand

General Ngo Xuan Lich, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission and Minister of National Defence

The visits are made at the invitation of defence ministers Christopher Pyne of Australia and Ron Mark of New Zealand.

They aim to actively realise the Party and State’s foreign policy while enhancing cooperation, friendship and trust between the Vietnamese defence ministry and the Australian Department of Defence and the New Zealand Ministry of Defence.

The visits are also meant to help promote defence cooperation between Viet Nam and the two countries, which is in accordance with the memoranda of understanding on this issue signed with the two Oceanian nations, on par with the Viet Nam-Australia strategic partnership and towards a similar partnership between Viet Nam and New Zealand.

Viet Nam and New Zealand set up diplomatic relations in 1975. Viet Nam is New Zealand’s 16th largest trade partner with the two-way trade hitting about US$1.2 billion in 2017. The two nations aim to raise bilateral trade to $1.7 billion by 2020, making economic co-operation a pillar of their relationship. 

Meanwhile, Viet Nam and Australia celebrated the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic ties early this year. 

The two nations are enjoying sound bilateral trade with average annual growth standing at 12.5% and trade value hitting over $9 billion last year. Australia has landed 378 projects valued at $1.7 billion in Viet Nam, focusing on industry and construction, services, education, processing industry and agro-forestry-fisheries sectors.

                                                                                                                        By Vien Nhu