Ambassador: Canada and Vietnam enjoyed excellent and ever-expanding ties

TIN LIÊN QUAN
	Concerted effort by Vietnam, Canada’s NAs needed to further bilateral ties
	Party senior official meets Canadian, French ambassadors

Vietnam is one of 12 countries invited to attend the G7 Outreach Session this year. How do you assess Vietnam's role in this conference?

Prime Minister Trudeau, as Chair of the G7 this year, invited Vietnam’s Prime Minister Phuc among select leaders from around the world to the G7 Outreach Session for an opportunity to have an open and frank conversation on the theme of oceans with a view to finding solutions to the problems facing the world’s oceans.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau at the sidelines of the Outreach G7 Summit. (Photo: VNA)

Canada is concerned by the profound pressure being placed on our oceans, seas and coastal areas. We firmly believe that a coordinated approach to their management is needed, one that integrates environmental, economic, and social considerations.

Vietnam is also impacted by marine plastic waste, both from domestic sources and received from upstream countries.

The durable nature of plastic combined with inadequate waste management facilities and poor consumer behaviour is at the root of this global environmental problem. It harms ocean biodiversity and resilience, and poses risks to the livelihoods, health and food security of people who depend on our oceans and freshwater bodies.

How is the relationship between Vietnam and Canada developing, Your Excellency?

This year marks the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations between Canada and Vietnam. Canada and Vietnam have enjoyed excellent and ever-expanding ties since 1973.

The formalisation of the Comprehensive Partnership identifies a number of areas for cooperation, namely: political and diplomatic; trade and investment; development cooperation; defence and security; cultural and academic exchange; science, technology and innovation; and people-to-people ties.

The growing ties between Canada and Vietnam are also evidenced by the greater frequency of visits by high-ranking Vietnamese and Canadian government officials, business leaders, think tanks, and academics.

Besides, Canada and Vietnam are both active members within multilateral organisations, such as Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) which Vietnam hosted in 2017, World Trade Organization (WTO), the security-focused Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, and La Francophonie.

In terms of trade and investment, Vietnam has been Canada's largest trading partner in the ASEAN region since 2015. In 2017, bilateral trade reached 6.2 billion USD. Canada ranks 14th in 112 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 149 projects valued at 4.1 billion USD.

Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Ping Kitnikone.

Canada’s current overall development objectives in Vietnam are to reduce poverty by stimulating sustainable economic development and to improve democratic governance. Sustainable economic growth is supported through agricultural development, such as the promotion of food quality and safety, and agricultural competitiveness. These objectives are in line with the Government of Vietnam's development and poverty reduction priorities.

Since 1990, Canada has provided more than 1.3 billion USD in development assistance and poverty reduction efforts in Vietnam. Canada is supporting democratic governance in Vietnam by strengthening citizen and media engagement on public policy and public administration issues. Canada works with civil society and likeminded partners to improve human rights in Vietnam.

People-to-people ties between the two countries are robust, with nearly 250,000 Vietnamese-Canadians living in Canada. This community is making a strong contribution to our country’s prosperity. Vietnam is also the largest source of students from Southeast Asia, furthering our ever-expanding people-to-people ties between our two countries. In 2017, a total of 14,095 students were studying in Canada.

Vietnam and Canada also have great defence relations through delegation exchanges, sideline meetings at international forums such as the ARF and Shangri-La Dialogue, exchanging experiences and cooperation on English language training, humanitarian assistance, crime prevention, immigration and participating in UN peacekeeping corps.

Will the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which Vietnam and Canada are members, create a catalyst for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries?

On March 8, 2018, Canada and Vietnam, together with nine other members, concluded the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a trading bloc that represents 495 million people with a combined gross domestic product of CAD $13.5 trillion.

The CPTPP, when implemented, will significantly enhance our bilateral trading relationship and promote two-way FDI. Bilateral trade is growing steadily and there is much room for growth in the near future. The CPTPP will establish duty-free access for trade in goods between Canada and Vietnam, delivering benefits for Vietnam and Canada by eliminating tariffs for our key exports. This will help Canada and Vietnam tap into further commercial opportunities.

Beyond the CPTPP, Canada’s priority is to further deepen our relations with Vietnam. Canada and ASEAN are currently engaged in exploratory discussions for a potential ASEAN-Canada free trade agreement.

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