General Secretary, President To Lam's visits to Australia, New Zealand: Strengthening trust and companionship on a new journey
WVR - The State visits by General Secretary, President To Lam to the two Comprehensive Strategic Partners in the South Pacific send a strong message that, on its new development path, Vietnam wishes to continue receiving the companionship of its two friends and Comprehensive Strategic Partners, while nurturing the seeds of friendship sown over the past more than five decades so that they may continue to blossom and bear fruit.
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This is the first visit of General Secretary, President To Lam to Australia and New Zealand in his new role, and also the first visit of a key Vietnamese leader to Australia and New Zealand since Vietnam and the two countries upgraded their relations to Comprehensive Strategic Partners in March 2024 with Australia and February 2025 with New Zealand.
Therefore, the visit affirms Vietnam's regard for important partners in the Indo-Pacific and its determination to deepen and make the new relationship frameworks substantive and effective.
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| General Secretary, President To Lam and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese exchange a joint statement. (Source: VNA) |
Turning potential into concrete cooperation
It can be affirmed that Vietnam-Australia relations are at their most dynamic stage since the two countries established Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with numerous potentials being unlocked, cooperation plans outlined, and determination heightened from both sides. In this spirit, the central focus throughout General Secretary, President To Lam's visit to Australia is to turn these potentials into concrete cooperation with detailed, visible, and measurable roadmaps.
In Australia, with a vibrant working program, General Secretary, President To Lam met with Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn; held talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese; met with the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House; received the Australian Government's Special Envoy for Southeast Asia; met with the opposition coalition leaders, the President of the Liberal Party of Australia; attended and spoke at the Forum on Science, Technology, Innovation, Education, and Human Resource Development; met with prominent intellectuals and scientists from the Vietnamese Intellectuals and Experts Association in Australia; and met with leaders of several businesses and economic groups in Australia.
During high-level exchanges, both sides reaffirmed the solid foundation of the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, built on strategic trust and mutual understanding over more than 50 years. Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in politics, defense, security, and judiciary; enhance economic connectivity; share knowledge and connect people; strengthen cooperation on climate, environment, and energy; promote cooperation in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation; and enhance regional and international cooperation... Three joint statements and 13 cooperation documents signed are the clearest evidence of the determination to turn potential into concrete cooperation, especially at the highest level.
The “newness” and “more” of the relationship were emphasised by the high-level leaders of both countries in the fields of science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation when both sides agreed to make this field a new driving force for bilateral relations. Specifically, both sides aim to expand cooperation in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum technology...; aim to form a Vietnam-Australia technology connection space and develop high-quality human resources; promote green and sustainable transformation, adapt to climate change, aiming for net-zero emissions...
In the joint press conference, General Secretary, President To Lam and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed optimism about the new cooperation agreements and believed that both sides have many conditions to increase trade value and enhance economic cooperation. New flight routes will boost trade and strengthen exchanges and connections between the peoples of the two countries.
The trust between the two countries is not only reinforced in bilateral cooperation but also clearly demonstrated in the commitment to coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums, connect with ASEAN, strengthen ASEAN's central role, and support the Mekong Subregion in building a green economy and sustainable development.
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| New Zealand officials welcome General Secretary, President To Lam at Auckland International Airport. (Source: VNA) |
New Zealand has, Vietnam needs
A four-hour flight over the South Pacific brought General Secretary, President To Lam and the high-level Vietnamese delegation from the land of kangaroos, Australia, to the land of kiwis, New Zealand.
The visit to New Zealand by General Secretary, President To Lam takes place at a time when Vietnam is entering a new development phase, prioritizing the development of quality human resources, high-value agriculture, and green growth. These are areas where New Zealand has strengths, and both sides are effectively cooperating. Both sides recognize that there are still great potentials to be further exploited in the coming time.
Therefore, the visit program aims to deepen and make the relationship more substantive, in which both sides will promote specific cooperation in education, agriculture, trade, and sustainable development; contribute to turning political commitments into practical benefits, programs, and projects to serve the development goals of each country, as well as contribute to peace, stability, sustainable development, and regional resilience.
Within the framework of the visit, the leaders of the two countries had the opportunity to exchange directions and solutions to continue consolidating and deepening existing cooperation fields, while promoting the expansion of broader cooperation spaces in new, potential-rich fields, meeting the needs of each country in the development process. Besides talks and meetings, both sides organized a Business Roundtable and the Vietnam-New Zealand Education Forum, signed a new education cooperation agreement along with many important documents.
Both countries share the belief that the sustainability and endurance of the Vietnam-New Zealand relationship over time is a solid foundation, providing strong motivation for bilateral cooperation to develop robustly and conquer new heights.
Affirming role and position
In recent days, the international public has paid much attention to General Secretary, President To Lam's visit to the two countries. The international public believes that the visit not only contributes to strengthening bilateral relations between Vietnam and two important partners in Oceania but also continues to elevate Vietnam's position and role in the region and on the international stage.
The news site Stuff quoted New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on August 12: “With a population of over 100 million and GDP growth of 8% last year, Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia and an increasingly important partner for New Zealand.”
The British news agency Reuters commented that General Secretary, President To Lam's visit to Australia and New Zealand is part of efforts to strengthen partnerships and enhance cooperation in various fields.
Meanwhile, Dr. Dmitry Mosyakov, Director of the Center for Southeast Asia, Australia, and Oceania, Russian Academy of Sciences, stressed that the visit is significant, vividly reflecting Vietnam's consistent implementation of an independent, self-reliant foreign policy, multilateralizing and diversifying international relations. According to him, Vietnam is increasingly recognized as an important partner in regional and international cooperation mechanisms.
Thus, metaphorically speaking, the seeds of friendship between Vietnam and Australia and Vietnam and New Zealand, sown over 50 years ago, have now grown into tall green trees. The historic visit of General Secretary, President To Lam has infused new vitality for these green trees to bear fruit and blossom, elevating the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Australia and Vietnam and New Zealand to new heights; thereby clearly showcasing a confident Vietnam in the new era, making positive contributions to a peaceful, stable, and sustainable development environment in the region and the world.
