NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man, Australia Senate President Sue Lines hold talks in Hanoi

NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man, Australia Senate President Sue Lines hold talks in Hanoi: National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man held talks with visiting President of the Australian Senate Sue Lines in Hanoi on August 25, 2024.

At the talks, which followed a red-carpet welcome ceremony for the guest, the Vietnamese top legislator said that this visit will help specify and promote the implementation of the contents of the newly-established comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

He thanked the Australian Senate President for attending the funeral of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Expressing his delight at the achievements that the Australian Senate and Australian Government have gained so far, he said he believes that with a rising role and position, Australia will continue making positive contributions to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

For her part, President of the Australian Senate Lines said that with the upgrading of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, Australia and Vietnam have become each other's most important partner, with strengthened cooperation in new areas to meet each other's aspiration and interest in the fields of climate change response, digital transformation, energy, and peacekeeping.

The two sides agreed that the Vietnam-Australia relationship has been fruitful over the past 50 years with many important milestones such as the establishment of the comprehensive partnership in 2009, strategic partnership in 2018, and comprehensive strategic partnership in March 2024 on the occasion of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit.

This demonstrates the growing political trust and mutual understanding, especially through the maintaining of regular high-level exchanges and meetings across all channels, including the parliament channel.

The two sides have effectively run 20 bilateral cooperation mechanisms with positive outcomes.

Bilateral economic and trade collaboration has expanded stably with two-way trade reaching nearly 14 billion USD in 2023. Australia has been one of each other's top 10 leading trade partners, they noted.

In order to further deepen the Vietnam-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership, the Vietnamese NA Chairman proposed that the two sides continue strengthening cooperation through all channels, while increasing delegation exchange, and high-level mechanisms to reinforce their strategic trust within the framework of the new partnership.

The two countries should continue maintaining existing, newly-established cooperation mechanisms with renovated methods and contents, while efficiently and substantively implementing underway agreements, coordinating closely to build an action programme implementing the Vietnam-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership for the 2024-2028 period, and focusing on promoting people-to-people exchange and strengthening practical collaboration among localities and friendship organisations of the two countries, he suggested.

Regarding economics, trade and investment, the NA Chairman emphasised that Vietnam supports Australia's Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040. He proposed that the two sides continue to effectively implement the Vietnam - Australia Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy (EEES), toward the goal of lifting their trade turnover to 20 billion USD and doubling two-way investment in the coming time.

He suggested promoting trade promotion activities, and trade connection between the two countries' export enterprises.

NA Chairman Man urged Australia to soon consider and accelerate the process of market opening for Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products, expand investment in areas that Vietnam is prioritising and Australia has strengths in, such as high technology, innovation, clean energy, renewable energy, mining, infrastructure, telecommunications, services, tourism, high-tech agriculture.

He asked Australia to continue maintaining and increasing official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam in the human resources development-related fields, particularly in semiconductors, public management, public policy building and macro-finance.

Assessing that Vietnam’s economy is growing dynamically, Lines suggested that the two countries strengthen trade and investment cooperation.

On ODA, Australia pledges to support Vietnam in the 2024-2025 period with 95.7 million AUD (65 million USD) to help Vietnam achieve its socio-economic development goals, she said, hoping that the country continues to make progress in simplifying procedures approving ODA projects in the coming time.

At the talks, the Vietnamese top legislator expressed his wish that Australia continues to support Vietnam in participating in United Nations peacekeeping activities, coordinate in implementing the Vietnam-Australia joint statement on commitment to practical climate action signed in November 2021.

Vietnam wishes Australia support in implementing programmes on climate change response, development of sustainable livelihoods for the Mekong Delta, and drought response in the Central Highlands, Central and Southern provinces, Man said.

Vietnam wants Australia to share experience in building financial systems and policies on the establishment of carbon market, just energy transition, green energy, and environmental protection.

More than 32,700 Vietnamese students and postgraduates are studying in Australia, Man said, wishing to increase student and lecturer exchanges, and scientific research cooperation between educational - training institutions of the two countries.

He proposed Australia continue creating conditions for Vietnamese students to study in Australia after it approves new regulations on international education.

The two leaders affirmed that cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the Australian Parliament has been continuously expanded and put into practice, along with the positive development of relationship between the two countries. The two sides have been actively coordinating to carry out the cooperation agreement signed between the two legislatures in 2022, maintaining consultation and supporting each other at multilateral parliamentary forums. In particular, the high and all-level visits between the Vietnamese NA and the Australian Parliament in recent times have contributed to creating new momentum for the relationship between the two legislative bodies and between the two countries in general.

NA Chairman Man suggested that in the coming time, the two sides increase high-level contacts between committees, parliamentarians of the two countries, as well as the two friendship parliamentarian groups to exchange information and share experience in organising parliament activities, especially in building institutions, perfecting the legal system and supervising law enforcement. They will continue to promote the role of the two countries' legislative bodies in enhancing bilateral relations, supervise and urge ministries, agencies, localities and enterprises to actively implement signed agreements and treaties.

It is necessary for the two sides to promote cooperation between agencies and committees of the two countries' legislatures, between the office of the National Assembly of Vietnam and the Secretariat of Senate and the House of Representatives of Australia, especially in personnel training, experience exchanging in research and organisation of parliament activities. They should strengthen consultation, information exchange, coordinate stance on regional issues of mutual concern, and support each other at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF).

The top Vietnamese legislator proposed that Australia continue to pay attention to creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the Oceania country to live, work and study stably and integrate into local society, establish organisations in line with Australia's law, facilitate Vietnamese language learning at schools having many Vietnamese students, and promote the active role of Vietnamese people in contributing to the development of the host country and being as a bridge for the relationship between the two countries.

In the morning of the same day, the Australian Senate President and her entourage made a tour of the Trang An eco-tourism site, part of the Trang An Landscape Complex, which was recognised as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site, in Ninh Binh province.

As scheduled, NA Chairman Man hosted a banquet in the evening in honour of President of the Australian Senate Lines who is on an official visit to Vietnam./.