VN, New Zealand relations witness outstanding developments, heading to Strategic Partnership

Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Ta Van Thong made that statement in an interview on the occasion of the 45^th founding anniversary of Viet Nam-New Zealand diplomatic ties (June 19, 1975).

Thong referred to crucial turning points in the two nations’ relationship, including the latest official visit of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to New Zealand in March 2018, during which the two sides issued a joint statement on advancing the Comprehensive Partnership toward Strategic Partnership.

New Zealand has been one of Viet Nam’s important trade partners, especially after establishing the Comprehensive Partnership in 2009 and signing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) in 2010.

According to the statistics of New Zealand, the bilateral trade value (commodities and services) in 2019 hit NZD 2.04 billion, up 13% against in 2018, making Viet Nam among top 16 largest trade partners of New Zealand.

Viet Nam’s key export items to New Zealand include machines, equipments, footwear, garments and furniture. Meanwhile, New Zealand exports buttermilk, fruits, wood and wooden products to Viet Nam.

Regarding e-Government development, New Zealand is supporting ASEAN nations, including Viet Nam through the export certificates Animal Products (AP) E-cert to minimize fraud activities and shorten customs clearance time.

New Zealand has assisted Viet Nam in other sectors such as education and natural calamity prevention.

As the members of the AANZFTA, the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership and the future Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the two nations should uphold their advantages to boost economic development and connect supply chains in FTAs to enhance exports to other markets.

The seventh meeting of the Viet Nam-New Zealand Joint Committee on Economic and Trade is scheduled to take place this year, said Thong, adding that the mechanism aims to seek for measures to accelerate economic and trade ties in potential areas such as trade, aviation, service, education and training.

People-to-people exchanges, particularly education, tourism and cultural exchanges are priorities in the two countries’ relations. Currently, more than 3,000 Vietnamese students are studying in New Zealand, he added.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is to pay an official visit to Viet Nam and attend the ASEAN-New Zealand Commemorative Summit in central Da Nang City this year.

Based on the bilateral friendship and mutual trust, the two countries have been closely coordinating at multilateral forums such as the UN, the APEC Forum, and the WTO, as well as in the CPTPP and the RCEP, he noted.

As New Zealand will be the APEC Chair in 2021, Viet Nam is committed to strengthening coordination with the country to ensure success, the diplomat affirmed.

By Thuy Dung