Vietnam, Australia form comprehensive partnership
Sydney (VNA) - The Australian Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith, affirmed that Australia-Vietnam currently close and vigorous relations can be expanded in many areas.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reporters prior to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s official visit to Australia on Oct. 13 and Oct. 14, 2008, he also praised Vietnam's current renovation process and its government's policies which focus on sustainable growth.
Vietnam’s economy continues to grow rapidly in recent years and the country is more dynamic in resolving regional and international issues, he stressed.
Following are the questions and answers:
Q: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam will pay an official visit to Australia from October 13-14, 2008. The visit takes place when Vietnam and Australia are celebrating the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Would you please comment on the significance of the visit?
A: The decision to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1973 was one of the early foreign policy actions of the Government of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. The 35th anniversary of that event is an important milestone in a long-standing relationship and an excellent opportunity for both countries to reflect on the progress made since that time.
The anniversary on 26 February 2008 was marked by events in Melbourne and Hanoi. Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, hosted a visit by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education and Training, Dr Nguyen Thien Nhan, both of whom attended an Asia Society gala event on 26 February in Melbourne. On the same day, the Australian Embassy in Hanoi hosted a gala performance at the Hanoi Opera House enjoyed by an audience of several hundred, including Vietnam’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hoang Tuan Anh. Australia has welcomed other senior visitors, including Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong and President of the National Assembly, Nguyen Phu Trong during the anniversary year. I was pleased to visit Vietnam in July to convey personally my congratulations to Vietnam’s leadership on this important milestone. I look forward to Prime Minister Dung’s visit as a further opportunity to strengthen ties between our two countries.
Economic cooperation between Vietnam and Australia has developed comprehensively to the areas of trade and investment together with growing provision of Australian official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam. What do you think of the prospect of bilateral economic cooperation between our two countries in the future?
Two-way trade between Australia and Vietnam has grown an average of 20 per cent a year over the last five years to reach 6.9 billion USD in 2007-08. We expect this to grow further over coming years as Vietnam continues to implement its WTO commitments. Australia strongly supported Vietnam’s entry to the WTO and will continue to assist Vietnam with the implementation process, including through support for the Beyond WTO program. I am confident that the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA, once signed, will contribute further to bilateral and regional trade outcomes.
Regarding investment, I am a strong believer that investors will come as long as conditions are right. Vietnam’s substantial opening of its financial sector to foreign participation has been crucial to boosting bilateral investment; the significant progress of investments by Australian banks, ANZ Bank and Commonwealth Bank, are testament to this. The Australian Government believes that many other opportunities exist for greater Australian investment in Vietnam, particularly in areas such as education services and mining. The ministerial-level Joint Trade and Economic Cooperation Committee, last held in July 2007, will continue to provide another important forum for progressing the bilateral trade and investment relationship.
During your first visit to Vietnam , you said that Vietnam and Australia had demonstrated a long-standing partnership and that you were proud of the length and significance of relations between the two countries. How do you consolidate those foundations and what kind of progress is Australia making to make the relationship robust in the future?
I was pleased to visit Vietnam in July, during which I announced a number of initiatives to advance the bilateral relationship. These included the reinvigoration of bilateral strategic talks, the commencement of the Mekong Subregional Energy program and anti-corruption training for Communist Party officials. The forthcoming visit by Prime Minister Dung will help to consolidate the relationship and explore ways in which the relationship can grow over coming years.
What else could be done to develop a comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Australia?
From modest beginnings in 1973, the bilateral relationship between Australia and Vietnam has progressively strengthened. Cooperation is extending to a broad range of public policy areas, and private sector and people-to-people contacts are strong. Australia has warmly welcomed, and supported, Vietnam’s increasingly active role in regional and international affairs.
The Government is strongly committed to taking forward this important bilateral relationship, building on existing strengths and extending into new areas of cooperation.
At present, about 10,000 Vietnamese students studying in Australia, more than any other English-speaking country. What is your assessment of education cooperation between our two countries as well as the benefit that bilateral human resource development cooperation will bring to our countries?
Australia has an international reputation as a leading education and training provider and is an important study destination for Vietnamese students. Cooperation in education has become an increasingly important part of the bilateral relationship between Australia and Vietnam. The strength of our education relationship is underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding signed in February this year by Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, and Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Training, Nguyen Thien Nhan.
The Australian Government wants to ensure that this relationship continues to grow. To this end, the Government is offering input into Vietnam’s draft legislation relating to foreign investment in education to ensure it maximises opportunities for development of cooperation in this important sector, including investment and collaboration between Australian and Vietnamese institutions.
Vietnam’s economy continues to grow rapidly in recent years and the country is more dynamic in resolving regional and international issues, he stressed.
Following are the questions and answers:
Q: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam will pay an official visit to Australia from October 13-14, 2008. The visit takes place when Vietnam and Australia are celebrating the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Would you please comment on the significance of the visit?
A: The decision to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1973 was one of the early foreign policy actions of the Government of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. The 35th anniversary of that event is an important milestone in a long-standing relationship and an excellent opportunity for both countries to reflect on the progress made since that time.
The anniversary on 26 February 2008 was marked by events in Melbourne and Hanoi. Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, hosted a visit by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education and Training, Dr Nguyen Thien Nhan, both of whom attended an Asia Society gala event on 26 February in Melbourne. On the same day, the Australian Embassy in Hanoi hosted a gala performance at the Hanoi Opera House enjoyed by an audience of several hundred, including Vietnam’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hoang Tuan Anh. Australia has welcomed other senior visitors, including Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong and President of the National Assembly, Nguyen Phu Trong during the anniversary year. I was pleased to visit Vietnam in July to convey personally my congratulations to Vietnam’s leadership on this important milestone. I look forward to Prime Minister Dung’s visit as a further opportunity to strengthen ties between our two countries.
Economic cooperation between Vietnam and Australia has developed comprehensively to the areas of trade and investment together with growing provision of Australian official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam. What do you think of the prospect of bilateral economic cooperation between our two countries in the future?
Two-way trade between Australia and Vietnam has grown an average of 20 per cent a year over the last five years to reach 6.9 billion USD in 2007-08. We expect this to grow further over coming years as Vietnam continues to implement its WTO commitments. Australia strongly supported Vietnam’s entry to the WTO and will continue to assist Vietnam with the implementation process, including through support for the Beyond WTO program. I am confident that the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA, once signed, will contribute further to bilateral and regional trade outcomes.
Regarding investment, I am a strong believer that investors will come as long as conditions are right. Vietnam’s substantial opening of its financial sector to foreign participation has been crucial to boosting bilateral investment; the significant progress of investments by Australian banks, ANZ Bank and Commonwealth Bank, are testament to this. The Australian Government believes that many other opportunities exist for greater Australian investment in Vietnam, particularly in areas such as education services and mining. The ministerial-level Joint Trade and Economic Cooperation Committee, last held in July 2007, will continue to provide another important forum for progressing the bilateral trade and investment relationship.
During your first visit to Vietnam , you said that Vietnam and Australia had demonstrated a long-standing partnership and that you were proud of the length and significance of relations between the two countries. How do you consolidate those foundations and what kind of progress is Australia making to make the relationship robust in the future?
I was pleased to visit Vietnam in July, during which I announced a number of initiatives to advance the bilateral relationship. These included the reinvigoration of bilateral strategic talks, the commencement of the Mekong Subregional Energy program and anti-corruption training for Communist Party officials. The forthcoming visit by Prime Minister Dung will help to consolidate the relationship and explore ways in which the relationship can grow over coming years.
What else could be done to develop a comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Australia?
From modest beginnings in 1973, the bilateral relationship between Australia and Vietnam has progressively strengthened. Cooperation is extending to a broad range of public policy areas, and private sector and people-to-people contacts are strong. Australia has warmly welcomed, and supported, Vietnam’s increasingly active role in regional and international affairs.
The Government is strongly committed to taking forward this important bilateral relationship, building on existing strengths and extending into new areas of cooperation.
At present, about 10,000 Vietnamese students studying in Australia, more than any other English-speaking country. What is your assessment of education cooperation between our two countries as well as the benefit that bilateral human resource development cooperation will bring to our countries?
Australia has an international reputation as a leading education and training provider and is an important study destination for Vietnamese students. Cooperation in education has become an increasingly important part of the bilateral relationship between Australia and Vietnam. The strength of our education relationship is underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding signed in February this year by Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, and Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Training, Nguyen Thien Nhan.
The Australian Government wants to ensure that this relationship continues to grow. To this end, the Government is offering input into Vietnam’s draft legislation relating to foreign investment in education to ensure it maximises opportunities for development of cooperation in this important sector, including investment and collaboration between Australian and Vietnamese institutions.
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