Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh has written an article highlighting outstanding achievements in Vietnam – Australia ties over the past five decades on the threshold of the official Australia visit by Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son. Son will visit Australia from September 10-13 to co-chair the fourth Vietnam-Australia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

In his article, Thanh wrote that the two countries have shared common interests, and offered mutual support and trust on core issues within both bilateral and multilateral frameworks.

He pointed out that economic and sci-tech cooperation is a bright spot in bilateral ties with two-way trade surpassing 10 billion USD for the first time in 2021. The figure soared by 40% annually to 9.6 billion USD in seven months of this year. According to the latest statistics, Vietnam has become the 10th biggest trade partner of Australia while Australia is the seventh largest trade partner of the Southeast Asian nation.

National defence-security cooperation has also been expanded on the basis of mutual trust while education ties and people-to-people exchange have become ever stronger.

On the significance of FM Son's visit, Thanh said it is the first ministerial visit to Australia since the two countries reopened their door following the pandemic. It is also the first Australia visit by Foreign Minister Son to realize the annual foreign ministers’ meeting mechanism. Notably, it will take place ahead of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties next year, starting a series of high-level visits between both sides in the future.

Via the visit, Vietnam wants to reaffirm its wish to consolidate and develop a strategic partnership with Australia, Thanh said, adding that it will afford both sides a chance to review their ties and outline measures to further deepen mutually beneficial collaboration as well as step up several important contents about multilateral cooperation after ASEAN established a comprehensive strategic partnership with Australia in October 2021.

About the prospects of Vietnam – Australia ties, the ambassador said the economy, national defense-security, and innovation will be three key pillars. Both sides will continue enhancing links across the priority fields of education-training, natural resources-energy, agro-forestry-fisheries, manufacturing, tourism, sci-tech, digital economy, and services.

He suggested establishing a bilateral partnership in energy so that Australia could offer financial and technological support to Vietnam to switch to a low-emission economy.

Toward the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year, he said they will further deepen ties via Party’s external relations and State diplomacy channels, as well as in promising fields such as digital economy, sustainable supply chain, locality-to-locality cooperation, corporate support, and cultural exchange.

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