Review on external affairs from Aug. 14-20: Deputy PM's attendance at China-South Asia Expo, economic diplomacy for agriculture development

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang attended the opening ceremony of the 7th China – South Asia Expo (CAS Expo) and the 27th China Kunming Import and Export Fair in Kunming. (Photo: VGP)

Leaders’ activities

On August 17, President Vo Van Thuong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent messages of congratulations to Indonesian President Joko Widodo on the 78th anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day (August 17, 1945 – 2023). National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue sent a congratulatory message to Speaker of the People’s Representative Council of Indonesia Puan Maharani. Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son also extended greetings to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

On August 15, President Vo Van Thuong has sent greetings to President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Yoon Suk Yeol on the occasion of the 78th National Liberation Day of the RoK (August 15, 1945-2023). Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also sent his congratulatory message to RoK Prime Minister Han Duck Soo, and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue extended congratulations to Speaker of the RoK National Assembly Kim Jin Pyo. Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son sent his greetings to his RoK counterpart Park Jin.

On August 15, President Vo Van Thuong sent a message of congratulations to Indian President Droupadi Murmu on the 77th anniversary of India’s Independence Day (August 15, 1947 - 2023). On the same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh cabled a congratulatory message to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue extended his congratulations to Chairman of the Council of States (upper house of the Indian parliament) Jagdeep Dhankhar and Speaker of the House of the People (lower house) Om Birla. Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son also sent a message of congratulations to Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

On August 15, receiving outgoing Ambassador of Bangladesh to Vietnam Samina Naz, President Vo Van Thuong suggested Vietnam and Bangladesh step up all-level delegation exchanges, thus strengthening their comprehensive cooperation. The President highlighted the traditional relationship between the two countries, saying Bangladesh was among the very few South Asian nations that established diplomatic ties with Vietnam 50 years ago. Vietnam and Bangladesh share many similarities in economic development as both have paid attention to foreign investment attraction based on their abundant workforce, he said, suggesting them cooperate and exchange experience in this field.

President Vo Van Thuong and outgoing Ambassador of Bangladesh Samina Naz. (Photo: VNA)

On August 16, receives Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Bark, who is also Head of the Israel Sub-committee of the Vietnam-Israel Inter-Governmental Committee, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said Vietnam attaches importance to Vietnam-Israel relations. The visit by Minister Nir Bark and the organisation of the 3rd meeting of the Vietnam - Israel Intergovernmental Committee are a practical step to realise agreements reached during the official visit to Israel by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang in July and the freshly-signed Vietnam - Israel Free Trade Agreement, the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh receives Israeli Minister Nir Barkat: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh receives Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat, who is also head of the Israel sub-committee of the Vietnam-Israel Intergovernmental Committee, in Hanoi on August 16, 2023. (Photo: VNA)

From August 15-17, at the invitation of the Government of China and the Government of Yunnan province, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang visited Yunnan province and attended the opening ceremony of the 7th China – South Asia Expo (CAS Expo) and the 27th Kunming Import and Export Fair in Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province. During the visit, the Deputy Prime Minister met with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Chairman of the China Sub-committee in the Steering Committee for Bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and China; received Secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee Wang Ning.

On August 16, at the opening ceremony of the 7th CAS Expo and the 27th Kunming Import and Export Fair, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang emphasised that lVietnam has outstanding competitive advantages, converging conditions to become an ideal "dock" for foreign investors and is a potential destination in the shifting and restructuring process of the global supply chain and production network.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang (left) and Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi. (Photo: VGP)

On August 14, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha received Chairman and General Director of AstraZeneca Vietnam Nitin Kapoor. The Deputy Prime Minister highly appreciated AstraZeneca’s valuable and timely support for Vietnam in the fight against COVID-19. He expressed impression for AstraZeneca's ongoing collaboration activities in Vietnam, particularly in the fields of vaccines and biopharmaceuticals, saying that this plays a crucial role in proactively preparing for potential disease outbreaks in the future.

Activities of the Foreign Minister

On August 17, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan signed an action plan for implementing economic diplomacy to help promote agricultural development in the 2023 - 2026 period. Applauding the agriculture and rural development sector’s achievements, Foreign Minister Son said agriculture has established itself as a true pillar of support in the national economy, an essential contributor to social security, and a leading strength of Vietnam’s international cooperation and diplomatic activities. Foreign Minister Son stressed the critical necessity for stepping up economic diplomacy to support the sector, thus helping facilitate the export of agro-forestry-fishery products and maintain economic growth. Appreciating the diplomatic sector’s assistance, Minister Hoan expressed his hope that the diplomatic sector, especially overseas representative missions of Vietnam, will continue assisting the agricultural sector to weather challenges and seize opportunities to bring Vietnamese farm produce to more markets.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (right) and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan at the signing ceremony. (Photo: WVR/Tuan Anh)

Following the meeting, the two Ministers signed an action plan for implementing economic diplomacy to help with agricultural development for 2023 - 2026.

On August 16, the Indian Embassy in Vietnam held a ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of the Indian Independence Day (August 15, 1947 - 2023). Extending congratulations to the Indian Government and people on the anniversary, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son said India has made miraculous development strides to become the world's fifth largest economy and one of the powerful countries in terms of military, science - technique, information technology, biology, and medicine. It is also increasingly affirming its major role in the international arena. He also congratulated India on its achievements in internal and external relations, including its successful presidency of G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2023.

Bilateral activities

On August 21, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Canada (August 21, 1973 - August 21, 2023), Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Vinh Quang shared on the achievements of the cooperation relationship between the two countries in the past time as well as prospects for cooperation in the future. Vietnam and Canada have obtained numerous achievements in bilateral relations over the last 50 years, but there remains substantial potential for them to advance those ties, said Ambassador Quang.

On the thresholds of the official visit to Vietnam by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev from August 20-22, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Vietnam Yerlan Baizhanov has highlighted the significance of the visit and underlined the importance for the two States and Governments to set up cooperative institutes, conclude agreements, set up committees, issue licences and certificates to create premise for all-around cooperation between the two nations.

On August 17, in Kuala Lumpur, receiving newly accredited Vietnamese Ambassador Dinh Ngoc Linh, Malaysian King Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah affirmed the importance his country attaches to the friendship with Vietnam. Presenting his credentials, Ambassador Linh pledged utmost efforts to further promote the strategic partnership between the two countries in the time to come. King Abdullah stated Malaysia treasures the warm friendship with Vietnam, and that he hopes to welcome Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong to visit his country in the near future.

Vietnamese Ambassador Dinh Ngoc Linh presents his credentials to Malaysian King Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on August 17, 2023. (Photo: VNA)

From August 17-18, on the occasion of his working trip to Nepal, Vietnamese Ambassador to India, concurrently to Nepal and Bhutan, Nguyen Thanh Hai, paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', had meetings with Speaker of the House Dev Raj Ghimire, Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal Marxist Leninist United K.P. Sharma Oli; Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud and Sudanese Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Kirati.

On August 16, the Vietnam - Israel Inter-Governmental Committee on cooperation in economy, science - technology and other fields convened the 3rd meeting in Hanoi. The event took place under the chair of Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat and Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat.

Highlighting the significance of the meeting after a six-year hiatus, Minister Dat said the event was held amidst the 30th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties (July 12, 1993 - 2023) and following the signing of the Vietnam - Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA) after seven years of negotiations. It provided a condition for the countries to continue fostering comprehensive cooperation in the new context. Minister Barkat said his country wants to focus on several groups of sectors that it is strong at, including high technology; home security; application of Industry 4.0 technology to raise productivity; health care and life aspects; desert technology, agriculture, food; and hi-tech tourism.

Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat (L) and Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat show the signed minutes of the third meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee in Hanoi on August 16. (Photo: Vietnam Government Portal)

On August 16, at his press conference, Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat affirmed that with the recently-signed bilateral free trade agreement (VIFTA), Vietnam begins to be a big player on Israel’s investment map.

On August 15, in Houston, USA, the Consulate General of Vietnam in Houston Nguyen Trac Ba hosted a conference on cooperation and investment in the fields of petrochemical, chemical and energy in Dung Quat Economic Zone. Quang Ngai province on the occasion of the visit of the delegation of Quang Ngai province. The event attracted nearly 30 investors, organizations, and companies based in the United States.

On August 15, Minister of National Defence Phan Van Giang led a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to attend the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS-11) in Russia. Addressing a plenary session on security in Asia-Pacific, Minister Giang underlined the region's importance, which attracts the interest and presence of many countries outside the region, particularly world powers. To ensure an environment of peace, stability and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific, he said it is essential to have political trust, strategic confidence, goodwill cooperation for mutual development, equality and respect among nations. On the occasion, Minister Giang announced a plan to organise the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2024, which coincides with the 80th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People's Army. He hoped that countries will send delegations to the event.

On this occasion, on August 14, General Phan Van Giang also attended the opening ceremony of the International Military-Technical Forum 2023 (Army-2023) in Moscow.

Multilateral activities

On August 19, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien led a Vietnamese delegation to attend the 55th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM-55) which opened in Semarang, Indonesia, with the participation of ASEAN Economic Ministers. After this meeting, there was a series of Economic Ministerial Consultations between ASEAN and its dialogue partners from August 20-22.

The Vietnamese Minister gave comments on issues related to intra-ASEAN economic cooperation such as preparations for the signing of the second Protocol amending the agreement on the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA), negotiations to upgrade the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), and preparations for the launch of negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework.

Minister Dien also attended the consultations between ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) and ASEAN partners, such as the EU, Canada, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and Hong Kong (China) that took place in Semarang, Indonesia within the framework of the 55th AEM Meeting.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

On August 17, at the Ministry's regular press conference, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang made statement on Vietnam's sending representatives to participate in the Summit of the world's leading emerging economies (BRICS), while answering a question on the relationship between Vietnam and BRICS.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang at the Ministry's regular press conference on August 17, 2023. (Photo: WVR/Nguyen Hong)

The Spokesperson said that being an active and responsible member of the international community and consistently implementing a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and diversification of external relations, Vietnam is ready to participate in and actively contribute to global and regional multilateral mechanisms, organisations and forums.

Like many countries around the world, Vietnam pays attention to the progress of discussions on expanding membership of the BRICS Group of major emerging economies, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Vietnam is among 71 countries invited by the host country South Africa to participate in the 15th BRICS Summit, to be held in South Africa from August 22-24, 2023. Two conferences, “The BRICS and Africa” and “The BRICS Political Parties Plus Dialogue” will take place in South Africa. Vietnam plans to send official representatives to the conferences, she said.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang also informed on defense cooperation between Vietnam and the Russian Federation, citizen protection work for 45 Vietnamese rescued in a recent landslide in Khammouane province of Laos.

Other activities

On August 16, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the World Bank in Vietnam jointly organized the Seminar in hybrid format, on Updating the World Economic Outlook and Policy Implications in the Implementation of Economic Diplomacy. Attending the Seminar were more than 100 participants. Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang chaired the Seminar.

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