- Rt Hon Christopher Luxon
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Vietnamese counterpart, His Excellency Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, have today announced the elevation of the New Zealand-Viet Nam relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
This upgrade was announced during the Prime Minister's visit to Viet Nam as the two countries mark 50 years of diplomatic relations.
Both leaders discussed opportunities to further grow and deepen the relationship between New Zealand and Viet Nam across economics, trade and investment, defence and security, education, and people-to-people connections under the new partnership.
"Strengthening our relationship with Viet Nam is incredibly important to New Zealand's economic future, with more opportunities for businesses at home to access this crucial market. I am delighted that Prime Minister Chinh and I today agreed to take the relationship between our countries to the next level," Mr Luxon says.
"A Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is the highest level of partnership with Viet Nam and is a fitting way to commence our 2025 anniversary year.
"This significant upgrade in the relationship is a major milestone and demonstrates the high level of trust, ambition, and strategic alignment between our countries. Viet Nam is the rising star of Asia, and the opportunities to work together on common goals are enormous.
"Today, Prime Minister Chinh and I reflected on the flourishing relationship between New Zealand and Viet Nam, and the shared ambition to expand cooperation and to do more together across a wide range of priorities.
"The agreement also shows the priority my Government is placing on relationships with Southeast Asia - a region crucial to our plan to grow our economy, create jobs and lift incomes."
Prime Minister Luxon's visit to Viet Nam continues tomorrow with a range of business and political engagements in both Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Editor's notes:
New Zealand and Viet Nam agreed a Strategic Partnership in 2020.
The agreement to elevate to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will place New Zealand at the top tier of Viet Nam's international relationships.
Over the next year, New Zealand and Viet Nam will agree a Plan of Action to outline joint initiatives under five pillars: (i) political engagement, (ii) defence, security and oceans, (iii) economics, trade and investment, (iv) climate change, science and technology; and (v) education and people to people links.
This is Viet Nam's 10th Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
