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At the talks (Photo:VNA)

Vietnam, Indonesia elevate ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

Party General Secretary To Lam held talks with President and Chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Prabowo Subianto following a grand welcome ceremony for the top Vietnamese Party leader at the Presidential Palace - Merdeka Palace on March 10, in Jakarta, Indonesia

President Prabowo Subianto warmly welcomed General Secretary To Lam, his wife, and the high-level Vietnamese delegation on their state visit to Indonesia, emphasizing the significance of this visit in the context of the two countries’ 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

He described it as a major driving force for the two nations to enter a new phase of deeper, stronger, and more substantial relations. The President shared fond memories of his visit to Vietnam in September 2024, while showing his admiration for President Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam’s history of independence. He also noted the shared values between the two countries, including independence, sovereignty, and the welfare of their people, with both nations aspiring to become high-income countries by 2045, marking the centenary of their independence.

General Secretary To Lam expressed his pleasure at visiting the beautiful and hospitable country of Indonesia, thanking the Indonesian government, people, and President Prabowo Subianto for their warm welcome. He stressed that Vietnam greatly values its relationship with Indonesia, a key player in the region. He praised Indonesia’s recent achievements, particularly in its efforts to strengthen national resilience and elevate its regional and global position. He expressed confidence that Indonesia will continue to succeed in achieving its development goals and maintain high growth rates leading up to the country’s centennial in 2045.

Both leaders were pleased to see that the Vietnam-Indonesia relationship, initiated by President Ho Chi Minh and President Sukarno, has grown steadily over the past 70 years, particularly since the establishment of the Strategic Partnership in 2013. Based on these solid achievements, they agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, making Vietnam Indonesia's first Comprehensive Strategic Partner in ASEAN. This marks a historic milestone, ushering in a new era of deep, comprehensive, and practical cooperation for the benefit of both peoples and the peace, prosperity, and stability of ASEAN and the world.

Host and guest consented to continue strengthening political trust through increased exchanges, particularly at the highest levels across all channels- government, party, and parliamentary, as well as fostering people-to-people and business connections. They will work to carry out cooperation mechanisms effectively and soon develop an action plan to enhance collaboration in all areas. They also concurred to deepen cooperation in defense, security, and the fight against transnational crime, including issues such as online fraud, human trafficking, forced labor, and terrorism.

Regarding economic cooperation, both sides are committed to promoting mutually beneficial and balanced trade, aiming for a bilateral trade turnover of US$18 billion. They will also focus on beefing up cooperation in agriculture, ensuring food security, and intensifying investments in areas like digital economy, green economy, renewable energy, electric vehicle ecosystems, e-commerce, and AI-driven technology solutions.

Additionally, the leaders agreed to expand cooperation in science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation, working towards building a digital partnership and promoting new areas such as green economy and innovation.

The two leaders underlined their close coordination at regional and international forums, particularly within ASEAN, the United Nations, and the Non-Aligned Movement, reaffirming their commitment to enhancing ASEAN's central role, according to VOV.

On regional and international issues, the two sides accentuated the importance of maintaining peace, security, stability, and freedom of navigation in the East Sea. They reiterated their commitment to resolving disputes through peaceful means and in accordance with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam invited President Prabowo Subianto to visit Vietnam and attend the 4th P4G Summit on Green Growth and Global Goals in Hanoi this April. President Prabowo gladly accepted and expressed his eagerness to visit Vietnam soon.

Following their talks, General Secretary To Lam and President Prabowo Subianto chaired a press conference, officially announcing the elevation of Vietnam-Indonesia relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

President Prabowo Subianto expressed his pleasure at welcoming General Secretary To Lam and the Vietnamese delegation, marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations and reiterating the shared objectives of both countries in their national development efforts leading to their centennials.

Earlier, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of several cooperation agreements between the two countries, including memoranda of understanding on cooperation in digital and technical capacity building, science and technology, and aquaculture.

This significant step forward will undoubtedly strengthen the bond between Vietnam and Indonesia, paving the way for deeper, more effective cooperation across various sectors.

Vietnam, Japan strengthen cooperation for mutual growth

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung on March 10 received a visiting delegation from Japan’s International Friendship Exchange Council (FEC) – a non-governmental, non-profit organization currently having over 1,000 members, including executives from numerous companies investing and doing business in Vietnam.

Stressing the ever-growing and increasingly substantive comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan across all sectors, Deputy PM Dung noted that both nations highly value and are committed to strengthening their bilateral ties, particularly in the economy.

The official said over the past three decades, Japan has made significant contributions to Vietnam’s sustainable development, not only in terms of capital, technology, and market access but also by helping the Southeast Asian country join Japanese firms' supply and value chains. He expressed gratitude to Japanese businesses and associations, including FEC, for facilitating this progress, cited VNA.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung (R) and Chairman of Japan’s International Friendship Exchange Council Onoi Yoshiki at their meeting in Hanoi on March 10. (Photo: VNA)

Recognizing the crucial role of foreign investment in Vietnam’s economy, Dung called on Japanese firms to promote their investments, particularly in high-tech and deep processing industries, digital transformation, innovation, and new energy. He said Vietnam is focusing on such major infrastructure projects as the North-South high-speed railway, urban railways and the restart of its nuclear power project, presenting opportunities for Japanese enterprises.

The Deputy PM urged them to be more proactive and dynamic in seizing investment opportunities so that bilateral economic cooperation matches the level of diplomatic relations. He also encouraged FEC to help promote the collaboration and affirmed the Vietnamese Government's commitment to creating favorable conditions for Japanese businesses to thrive in Vietnam.

Onoi Yoshiki, Chairman of FEC, acknowledged that while the organization does not include Japan’s largest corporations, its members are highly skilled technical enterprises. He expressed his hope that FEC could contribute to Vietnam’s economic development, showing his belief in forthcoming policy initiatives and looking forward to forming trustworthy partnerships.

During the meeting, participating Japanese businesses introduced their strengths and expressed a strong desire to expand investment in Vietnam, particularly in the technology and engineering sectors.

“Made in Vietnam” animated films to go global

“Made in Vietnam” animated films are set to debut in April in cinemas for the first time and represent Vietnamese cinema at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival - the world's largest animation festival scheduled for June in France.

The animated projects include “Chien binh cham” (Blank Blank), “Wolfoo va cuoc dua tam gioi” (Wolfoo and the race of the three worlds), “Trang Quynh nhi” (The tale of Trang Quynh Nhi) and “Zombie mat lac” (Crossed-eyed zombie).

These film projects have all been produced from different technologies, including 3D Animation, 2D Frame-by-Frame, and Stopmotion production technology, VOV reported.

Photo: VOV

Mickael Marin, a representative of organizers of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, affirmed that the participation of Vietnamese animated films at the event represents the opening activity in the cooperation program between the French Embassy in Vietnam and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

The film screenings and promotional events at the festival will serve as a valuable platform for Vietnam to highlight not only its animated productions but also the skills of its animation professionals. This, in turn, will help expand opportunities for Vietnamese animation studios to integrate into the global industry.

Vietnam-China bilateral trade reaches 31 billion USD in first two months

Import and export activities between Vietnam and China were moderate in the first two months of the year, with a value exceeding 31 billion USD, data from the National Statistics Office showed.

The value of imports from China in the past two months reached 23.3 billion USD, an increase of 20.7% compared to the same period last year, cited VOV.

Farmers in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak collect and prepare durians for export. (Photo: VNA)

However, the value of exports to China was 7.9 billion USD, a decrease of 2.1% compared to the same period last year.

The value of Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports in February was estimated at 350 million USD, bringing the total export value of fruits and vegetables in the first two months of the year to 724 million USD, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Compared to the same period last year, the value of fruit and vegetable exports to China dropped by 43%, while exports to the US increased by 38% and exports to Thailand rose by 5%.

Since the beginning of the year, China has tightened imports of certain items from Vietnam, including durian fruit.

China is Vietnam’s largest import market and the second-largest export market. It is also the largest supplier of goods, especially raw materials for production, to Vietnam.

Vietnam-China trade reached a new record high of 205 billion USD last year.

Vietnam Airlines launch HCMC– Bali direct air route

General Secretary To Lam attended the official launching ceremony of Vietnam Airlines' direct route linking Ho Chi Minh City and Indonesia Bali resort island on March 9 as part of his ongoing trip to Indonesia.

This marks the national flag carrier's second route between Vietnam and Indonesia, bringing its total number of weekly flights between the two countries to 14, cited VGP.

Party General Secretary To Lam at the launching ceremony of the direct route linking Ho Chi Minh City and Bali resort island’s Denpasar, March 9, 2025. Photo: VNA

Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Denny Abdi highlighted the significance of enhanced connectivity between the two countries.

He welcomed Vietnam Airlines' initiative to operate direct flights between the two localities, noting that this development would boost two-way tourist traffic and open numerous opportunities for bilateral cooperation across various sectors.

With this air route, Vietnam Airlines will initially operate four round trips weekly from June 1, with service on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

From July, it will increase the frequency of daily flights.

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