Category: Politics

Melbourne: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancee chaired an official welcome ceremony in Melbourne on March 5 afternoon (local time) for heads of delegations to the ASEAN – Australia Special Summit that marks the 50th anniversary of the ASEAN – Australia dialogue relations.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse Le Thi Bich Tran joined the Sultan of Brunei, the Presidents of the Philippines and Indonesia and their spouses, the Prime Ministers of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Timor Leste and their spouses, and the Secretary-General of ASEAN at the ceremony.

Welcoming the heads of delegations to the summit with traditional rites and cultural and artistic performances of Australia, PM Albanese highly appreciated Australia’s relations with ASEAN countries and hoped that after the summit, the Australia – ASEAN relations will be promoted and strengthened with new momentum and content.

For the last 50 years, ASEAN – Australia relations have developed very well with inc
reased political trust and effective cooperation in all fields including trade, economics, culture, and society, he said, noting that Australia is one of the Comprehensive Strategic Partners with practical and effective cooperation with members of ASEAN.

The ASEAN – Australia Special Summit commemorating 50 years of ASEAN-Australia relations is held from March 5-6 in Melbourne, Australia with the theme ‘A Partnership for the Future’.

Within the framework of the summit, PM Chinh will attend main sessions and engage in several important activities. Chinh and leaders of ASEAN countries and Australia will discuss and propose visions, directions, and specific measures to expand their cooperation in the coming time.

Later the same day, Chinh and his spouse attended a banquet hosted by the Australian PM and his fiancee to welcome the heads of delegations and their spouses to the summit./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Melbourne: Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son had a meeting with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong on March 5 within the framework of the ASEAN – Australia Special Summit commemorating the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations in Melbourne.

FM Son thanked the Australian official for collaboration in preparing for Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Australia, expressing his belief that the summit will be a great success.

He expressed his satisfaction with the recent progress in bilateral relations as well as in cooperation between the two foreign ministries.

He suggested the two sides closely coordinate in implementing support packages worth nearly 200 million AUD (130 million USD) for clean energy development and climate change adaptation in the Mekong Delta region, which Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and FM Wong had announced during their recent visits to Vietnam.

For her part, minister Wong thanked the Vietnamese Government as well as FM Son for their support and participa
tion in the Summit, while highly valuing substantive activities that the two countries held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations last year.

She took the occasion to invite Son to visit Australia again and co-chair the 6th Vietnam-Australia foreign ministerial meeting.

The same day, FM Son met with Simon Birmingham, in charge of foreign affairs of the Opposition in the Senate of Australia, during which he spoke highly of Australia’s efforts in maintaining economic and social stability and measures to address global economic uncertainties.

Son also commended Birmingham’s efforts in promoting Vietnam-Australia cooperation in his capacity overseeing foreign affairs of the opposition party, as well as his previous roles as Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Finance, and Minister for Trade and Investment during the period of the Coalition Government.

Birmingham affirmed that Australia attaches importance to its relations with Vietnam, considering Vietnam one of the key
partners in Asia-Pacific. He stated that Australia highly values recent achievements in bilateral relations, especially in political, economic-trade-investment, defence-security cooperation, as well as in other potential areas.

He reiterated his support for the Vietnam-Australia relationship, regardless of his position, and expressed his desire to visit Vietnam again soon.

In a meeting with FM Son on the occasion, Nicholas Moore, Australia’s Special Envoy for Southeast Asia, affirmed that Australia highly values the potential for cooperation with Vietnam, especially in terms of economics, trade, and investment, noting that Vietnam holds a significant position in the implementation of Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang paid a working visit to Iran from March 3-4, during which she co-chaired the eighth political consultation with her Iranian counterpart Ali Bagheri Kani.

At the political consultation, discussions centred on specific measures to boost bilateral ties across politics, diplomacy, economy, trade, culture, education, tourism, people-to-people exchange, including the exchange of all-level delegations, facilitating visa issuance for firms to increase connectivity, share information and expand business opportunities. They agreed to soon hold the 10th meeting of the Vietnam-Iran Joint Committee and effectively carry out the signed cooperation agreements. The two sides also shared views on global and regional issues of shared concern.

As part of her visit, Hang met with Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mehdi Safari, and Deputy Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade Mehdi Zeyghami, and
held working sessions with Vice President of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Ghadir Ghiyafeh and Chairman of the Iran-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group Jalil Rahimi Juhan Abadi.

During meetings, both sides affirmed their commitment to realising the results and agreements reached during previous high-level visits and meetings, highlighting the significance of Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s working visit last September.

The Iranian Foreign Minister commended Vietnam’s regional standing and developmental achievements, and affirmed Iran’s willingness to bolster friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Deputy FM Safari shared Iran’s strengths in the fields of construction and infrastructure, technology, healthcare, services, energy and hoped that the two sides will consider expanding cooperation into areas where they hold strengths and potential.

The leaders of Iranian ministries and agencies described Vietnam as
an important trade partner. They suggested increasing the exchange of trade promotion delegations, joining exhibitions and fairs held in each country, and wished that the two sides would propel cooperation in tourism, cultural and people-to-people exchange.

Hang, for her part, vowed to work closely with relevant Vietnamese agencies to implement commitments and agreements reached by the two countries’ leaders and study Iran’s proposals during her trip.

She believed that leveraging economic strengths and dynamism, Vietnam and Iran have substantial potential for further growth in the foreseeable future./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

– Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the Vietnam – Australia Business Forum in Melbourne on March 5 morning (local time) as part of his ongoing trip to Australia to attend the ASEAN – Australia Special Summit and pay an official visit to Australia.

Addressing the event, which drew the participation of leaders from nearly 200 enterprises of Vietnam and Australia, PM Chinh revealed that during his official visit to Australia, the two countries are scheduled to announce the upgrade of bilateral relations. Read full story

– The Vietnamese Government always creates all favourable conditions for airlines, both state-owned and private, to develop and compete healthily, and encourages Australian carriers to fly to Vietnam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated at a ceremony to mark 30 years of Vietnam – Australia direct air route in Melbourne city on March 5 morning.

The PM attended the event as part of activit
ies in his trip to attend the ASEAN – Australia Special Summit, and his official visit to the country. Read full story

– President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel has affirmed he always treasures and highly evaluates the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with Vietnam while receiving Vietnamese Ambassador Duong Hoai Nam who came to present President Vo Van Thuong’s credentials in Prague on March 4.

President Pavel asked Nam to convey his best wishes and regards to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Vo Van Thuong and other high-ranking leaders of Vietnam. Read full story

– Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong led a Vietnamese delegation to the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Retreat (ADMM-Retreat) held in the northern Lao city of Luang Prabang on March 5.

In his address, Cuong described 2024 as a pivotal year to develop a long-term strategy for ASEAN’s post-2025 vision, he
lp ASEAN uphold its past achievements; strengthen its solidarity, unity, central role and self-resilience with a common vision and strategic choice, which is cooperation and joint action for peace, stability and security in the region while improving the ability to adapt to new developments in the global and regional landscapes. Read full story

– President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Nguyen Dinh Khang shared VGCL’s outstanding activities at the second conference of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) Presidential Council held in Sao Paolo, Brazil from March 1-2 (local time).

Khang, who is also WFTU Vice President, said in his speech on March 1 that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the VGCL has reaped important achievements in its tasks of representing, caring for and protecting trade union members and workers. It also successfully held the 13th National Congress for the 2023-2028 tenure last year, which aligned with working orientations set at the 18t
h World Trade Union Congress. Read full story

– The export of products of the foreign direct investment (FDI) and traditional products of domestic enterprises are expected to rebound this year, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan has said in a recent interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

The official revealed that the number of export products logging over 1 billion USD in turnover each has increased over the years and accounts for a significant proportion of the country’s total export value. There were only 23 commodities with export earnings of over 1 billion USD in 2013, and the figure increased to 29 in 2018 and 35 in 2023. Read full story

– The foreign direct investment (FDI) sector maintained its role as an export pillar of Vietnam’s economy with revenue of 43.2 billion USD in the first two months of this year, up 14.7%, and accounting for 72.8% of the country’s total export value.

Exports of items as phones, computers, machinery, equipment and garments-textiles experi
enced strong growth, ranging from 4.1% to 33.9%, Dau tu (Investment) Newspaper reported./. Read full story

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Melbourne: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the Vietnam – Australia Business Forum in Melbourne on March 5 morning (local time) as part of his ongoing trip to Australia to attend the ASEAN – Australia Special Summit and pay an official visit to Australia.

Addressing the event, which drew the participation of leaders from nearly 200 enterprises of Vietnam and Australia, PM Chinh revealed that during his official visit to Australia, the two countries are scheduled to announce the upgrade of bilateral relations.

The Government leader expressed his expectations on five ‘better things’ after the upgrade of the relations – better political trust, better economic, trade and investment cooperation, better science-technology and innovation collaboration, better partnership in education, training, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and better cooperation in tourism and labour.

PM Chinh briefed participants on major policies and development achievements of Vietnam over the past years, and underlined that
economic, trade and investment collaboration has been an important pillar in the bilateral relationship.

Statistics showed that Vietnam is now home to 630 Australian-funded projects with combined registered capital of 2.03 billion USD, making Australia the 20th largest among 145 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Meanwhile, Vietnam has also invested in 90 projects worth over 550 million USD in Australia.

In 2023, two-way trade reached about 14 billion USD, turning Vietnam and Australia into each other’s top 10 largest trading partners.

However, PM Chinh held that the cooperation results remained modest compared to the potential and space for cooperation between the two countries.

Therefore, he called on businesses, associations and investors of the two countries to further promote their collaboration and pledged that the two governments will continue to create favourable conditions for their cooperation.

The Vietnamese Government will continue to promote three strategic breakthroughs in term
s of institutions, infrastructure and human resources, simplify administrative procedures and cut costs for investors, he said, proposing the Australian side to assist Vietnam in these fields.

PM Chinh suggested that the two sides optimise traditional growth motivations of investment, export and consumption, and promote new driving forces such as digital transformation, green transition, circular economy, knowledge-based economy and sharing economy on the foundation of innovation, science and technology. The two countries should also boost tourism and education cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges, he added.

The PM took this occasion to thank the Australian side for backing the Vietnamese community in settling down in the host country, and providing COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam during the hardest time of the pandemic.

At the forum, PM Chinh witnessed the announcement of the opening of an air route linking Melbourne and Hanoi by Vietjet Air. First flights on the route are scheduled to operate o
n June 3 with two return flights per week.

Vietjet is currently operating 58 flights per week between Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam and the five largest cities of Australia – Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Within the forum’s framework, agencies and businesses of the two nations also exchanged many memoranda of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in various fields, including aviation, education and training, offshore wind power development, and high-tech agriculture.

Earlier the same day, PM Chinh cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Australia – Vietnam Policy Institute at RMIT University, which aims to conduct researches on the strategic relations between Australia and Vietnam, contributing to effectively implementing Australia’a Southeast Asian Economic Strategy to 2040.

PM Chinh expressed his belief that the institute’s activities in providing policy consultancy to the two governments will help deepen the bilateral relationship, making it more practical and effective across all fields for the
growth of each country and people of both nations, and for peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

According to RMIT President Prof. Alec Cameron, through nearly 25 years of operations in Vietnam, the university has trained 20,000 Vietnamese students.

PM Chinh proposed that RMIT invest more in enhancing the quality of its infrastructure and making long-term investment in Vietnam, thus contributing to promoting education-training cooperation between the two countries./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Sydney: The Vietnamese Government always creates all favourable conditions for airlines, both state-owned and private, to develop and compete healthily, and encourages Australian carriers to fly to Vietnam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated at a ceremony to mark 30 years of Vietnam – Australia direct air route in Melbourne city on March 5 morning.

The PM attended the event as part of activities in his trip to attend the ASEAN – Australia Special Summit, and his official visit to the country.

The Vietnamese Government leader emphasised the important role of air transport in current economic development, stating that Vietnam has had policies to develop airlines.

He expressed his hope that Vietnam’s airlines will cooperate and compete fairly, especially in the current context – when the two countries will upgrade to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Currently, Vietnamese airlines do not use domestically trained pilots, engineers, and mechanics, so he hoped Australia to support the training of pilots
, mechanics, aviation managers.

He also urged Australian banks, investment funds, and investors to invest indirectly in Vietnamese airlines, saying that the Vietnamese ministries and sectors will strengthen their role in state management, remove difficulties, and proactively support airlines to overcome challenges and promote rapid and sustainable development.

The PM took the occasion to thank Australia, specifically Australian citizens who choose Vietnamese airlines such as Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet, to visit Vietnam, saying that this has contributed to boosting cultural connections and aviation economic development of the two countries.

He expressed his belief that Vietnam Airlines will reap more achievements in the next 30 years thanks to the foundations for development laid over the past time.

In the early 90s of the last century, Vietnam Airlines launched a direct air route to Australia with irregular flights each month between Ho Chi Minh City and Sydney and Melbourne.

In the following years, th
e national flag carrier opened more regular direct flights to the country and continuously increased flight frequency. So far, the firm operates 23 flights per week on five routes from Hanoi and HCM City to Melbourne; Hanoi and HCM City to Sydney, and HCM City to Perth. Over the last three decades, Vietnam Airlines operated more than 12,800 flights, transported 6 million passengers and nearly 170,000 tonnes of goods.

According to Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Airlines Dang Ngoc Hoa, since the early 90s, Vietnam Airlines has promoted opportunities for cooperation in the aviation field, acting as a bridge for two-way trade, investment, and tourism development between the two countries. The airline has continuously increased frequency and expanded flight network to new destinations to perfect the flight network between the two countries and maintain its position as a key airline connecting Vietnam and Australia.

Vietnam Airlines has been strengthening cooperation with partners in Australia to d
evelop products and diversify services, thereby continuously bringing benefits to passengers. It has paid attention to coordinating with agencies, travel companies and Australian partners to strengthen tourism promotion and promote destinations of both countries./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency