PM Christopher Luxon's visit weaves stronger ties between Vietnam and New Zealand: NZ Ambassador
WVR - If the Vietnam-New Zealand relationship were a piece of fabric, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s visit is expected to reinforce its threads, making the fabric even more resilient amid today’s volatile global landscape.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Wellington, March 2024. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Caroline Beresford shared this perspective with The World and Vietnam Report in an interview ahead of Prime Minister Luxon’s official visit to Vietnam and his participation in the second ASEAN Future Forum from February 25-28, at the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
What makes Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s upcoming official visit to Vietnam particularly significant, especially as our two nations mark 50 years of diplomatic relations (June 19, 1975 – 2025)?
This visit is extremely important for New Zealand, and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has an ambitious agenda for building relations with Southeast Asia.
New Zealand’s current foreign policy identifies Vietnam as one of its most significant partners in the region and globally.
Therefore, accompanying Prime Minister Luxon to Vietnam is a large trade delegation, not only to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations but also to strengthen and expand ties with a key partner like Vietnam.
If we liken our bilateral relationship to a fabric woven with interlaced threads, Prime Minister Luxon’s visit is expected to further tighten these threads and solidify the structure of this ‘fabric’ amid an increasingly complex global landscape.
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| New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Caroline Beresford. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Beyond traditional areas of cooperation such as agriculture and education, what new areas of collaboration could emerge from Prime Minister Luxon’s visit to Vietnam?
Over the past 50 years, New Zealand and Vietnam have collaborated across nearly all areas. While education and agriculture remain New Zealand’s key strengths, our cooperation extends far beyond these fields.
We hope this visit will open up new business opportunities. As I mentioned, around 25 business leaders will be part of the New Zealand trade delegation accompanying the Prime Minister. On this occasion, they will sign cooperation agreements with Vietnamese partners.
As such, we can expect a range of new cooperation areas while continuing to strengthen traditional fields. By applying New Zealand’s research, science, and technology to agriculture and education, we can enhance the value of these sectors and drive economic growth for both countries.
“New Zealand’s current foreign policy identifies Vietnam as one of its most significant partners in the region and globally.” – Ambassador Caroline Beresford
This year marks both the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 5th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and New Zealand. How would you assess the development of bilateral relations over the past 50 years?
Over the past 50 years, we have come a long way. Since establishing diplomatic relations, our two countries have developed many new ‘threads’ of connection, making our ‘fabric’ stronger and more expansive.
A crucial part of this relationship is the bilateral cooperation mechanisms. We have worked together across various fields such as agriculture, sustainable development, climate change, research, and education. We have even initiated new cooperation frameworks, exemplified by the first Vietnam-New Zealand Maritime Dialogue held in Hanoi in December 2024. This forum opens new avenues for dialogue, advancing mutual interests in maritime and oceanic matters.
Therefore, we can confidently affirm that the ‘structure’ of Vietnam-New Zealand relations after five decades is highly robust. This is evident in the regular exchange of high-level delegations, strong regional cooperation, and our shared commitment to supporting the international order, international law, and free and open trade for the prosperity of our people.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh holds talks with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Wellington, in March 2024. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
What are the key areas of cooperation that Vietnam and New Zealand should focus on promoting in the near future?
I believe the best way to maximize mutual benefits is to identify complementary areas—sectors where New Zealand excels and Vietnam seeks to strengthen, or vice versa. Both our countries have clear economic growth strategies, and we will seek areas of cooperation that complement each other’s plans.
Thus, one of my priorities in Vietnam is to enhance exchanges and collaboration between science, technology, and innovation policymakers in both countries. New Zealand has a long-standing history of innovation and a strong scientific and research community. We can apply some of these advanced technologies to traditional sectors to boost efficiency and value. These are areas where Vietnam and New Zealand can work together effectively.
For instance, through advanced agricultural technology, we have been working with Vietnam to develop crops that emit lower greenhouse gases, helping Vietnam meet its emissions reduction targets. Meanwhile, high-value, naturally developed fruit varieties can enhance Vietnam’s export potential.
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| During his visit, PM Christopher Luxon is expected to attend and deliver a keynote speech at the second ASEAN Future Forum. |
During his visit, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is expected to attend and deliver a keynote speech at the second ASEAN Future Forum. Could you share the significance of his presence at this event?
I am delighted that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will participate in the ASEAN Future Forum. New Zealand strongly supports this forum and appreciates Vietnam’s initiative in establishing a regional platform for discussing ASEAN’s future.
In a time of significant challenges to the regional order, ASEAN’s central role is crucial in maintaining stability and prosperity for all people in the region. This is why New Zealand remains firmly committed to supporting ASEAN, and it is also why our Prime Minister is highly interested in this forum.
Prime Minister Luxon wants to express New Zealand’s support for ASEAN and collaborate with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in sharing perspectives on our relationship with the ASEAN Community.
Moreover, this year marks the 5th anniversary of New Zealand’s partnership with ASEAN. New Zealand was the second Dialogue Partner of ASEAN, following Australia for a short period. Our cooperation programs with ASEAN are just as extensive as our bilateral relations with Vietnam.
Over the next two years, Vietnam will serve as New Zealand’s Dialogue Partner within ASEAN. This presents a significant opportunity for our two countries to enhance collaboration across various sectors. We hope to consolidate and elevate this relationship, contributing jointly to regional development.
Thank you for your insight!
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