Review on external affairs from May 8-14: PM’s attendance at 42nd ASEAN Summit; Vietnam-Australia strategic dialogue
Review on a number of news headlines on external affairs from May 8-14 by The World and Vietnam Report.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and other ASEAN leaders the 42nd ASEAN Summit at Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, on May 10, 2023. (Photo: WVR/Tuan Anh) |
Leaders’ activities
On May 9, at the Presidential Palace, President Vo Van Thuong hosted a reception for Queen Mathilde of Belgium, who was on a visit to Vietnam in her capacity as Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium. President Thuong welcomed the Queen’s visit on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the fifth anniversary of strategic partnership in agriculture between Vietnam and Belgium. He conveyed his invitation of King Philippe and the Queen to visit Vietnam soon to discuss measures to deepen bilateral cooperation in various areas. He took the occasion to thank Belgium, UNICEF Belgium and Queen Mathilde for their continuous support and cooperation with Vietnam in child protection and care, donating significant resources to help Vietnam improve the effectiveness of the effort.
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| President Vo Van Thuong welcomes Queen Mathilde, Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium. (Source: VNA) |
On May 11, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation returned to Hanoi, successfully ending their trip to attend the 42nd ASEAN Summit. In about 48 hours at Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has nearly 20 multilateral and bilateral activities.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the opening of the 42nd ASEAN Summit, delivered important speeches, shared Vietnam's views on ASEAN's priorities, and made proposals to strengthen the process of building the ASEAN Community, tighten relations between ASEAN and its partners, and exchange views on regional and international issues of common concern.
On May 10, the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia adopted the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on strengthening regional capacity and institutional effectiveness. Leaders of member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the East Sea.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister met with leaders of ASEAN countries, such as Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong; Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., Timor Leste Prime Minister Taur Matan, to review the implementation of agreements, exchange measures to strengthen relations, open up new opportunities for economic and trade cooperation, investment, security-defence, culture-education, people-to-people exchanges between Vietnam and ASEAN countries.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the Vietnamese delegation sent out many important messages at the 42nd ASEAN Summit. (Photo: WVR/Tuan Anh) |
On May 12, in Hanoi, receiving Mr. Brendan Nelson, Vice President of the Boeing Company and President of Boeing International, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh spoke highly of the US aerospace company’s plans for long-term cooperation in Vietnam and the opening of its representative office in Vietnam. Vietnam regards Boeing as an important, long-term partner in the development of the domestic civil aviation industry.
On the same day, receiving the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Kitack Lim, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested the IMO continue its support to Vietnam in maritime development, particularly in management science and personnel training. The Prime Minister spoke highly of the IMO Secretary General’s first visit to Vietnam, and thanked the IMO, the UN specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships, for their valuable contributions and support to Vietnam.
On May 8, receiving Palestinian Minister of the Interior Ziad Hab Al-Reeh, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to ties with Palestine. Prime Minister Chinh conveyed the regards of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Vo Van Thuong, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. The Prime Minister said since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties 35 years ago, Vietnam and Palestine have seen positive progress in their cooperation in politics-diplomacy, economy, culture, education-training, national defence-security.
On May 12, Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue hosted a reception for Teresa María Amarelle Boúe, a member of the Council of State of Cuba and Secretary General of the Cuban Women's Union (CUW).
Activities of the Foreign Minister
On May 9, in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, Minister Bui Thanh Son led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meetings, the 26th ASEAN Political-Security Community Council and the ASEAN Coordinating Council.
On May 11, talking to the press about the outcomes of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's trip to attend the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, from May 9 to 11, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said that the trip has become a fine success. The Foreign Minister noted that on May 10 and 11, ASEAN leaders discussed and reached consensus on many important orientations for the bloc’s cooperation in 2023 and coming years. Their discussions focused on the theme of “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of growth”.
Regarding Vietnam's contributions, Foreign Minister Son said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the Vietnamese delegation sent out many important messages at the Summit, including those on the solidarity of ASEAN, the resolve to make substantive and effective contributions to the ASEAN Community building, and the Vietnamese Party and State’s consistent viewpoint of considering ASEAN as an important and integral part of the country’s foreign policy. In that spirit, Prime Minister Chinh’s remarks were aimed at suggesting ideas, inspiring self-reliance, and unlocking resources for the development of the ASEAN Community.
Bilateral activities
On May 12, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu presented a copy of President Vo Van Thuong’s credentials to Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeo Mori. Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to developing its relations with Japan, one of its leading important partners, and promised to try hist best to promote the bilateral extensive strategic partnership. He expressed his pleasure to be appointed as Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan at the time when the two countries are jubilantly celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu presented a copy of President Vo Van Thuong’s credentials to Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeo Mori. (Photo: WVR) |
On May 11, the 8th Strategic Dialogue at the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense level between Vietnam and Australia took place in Hanoi. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet and Major General Vu Cuong Quyet, Director of the Ministry of National Defence's Institute for Defence Strategy, together with Australia’s Deputy Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs Michelle Chan and Deputy Secretary of the Department of Defence Hugh Jeffrey co-chaired the event.
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| Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet and Major General Vu Cuong Quyet, Director of the Ministry of National Defence's Institute for Defence Strategy, together with Australia’s Deputy Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs Michelle Chan and Deputy Secretary of the Department of Defence Hugh Jeffrey at the 8th Strategic Dialogue at the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense level between Vietnam and Australia. (Photo: WVR/Quang Hoa) |
At the dialogue, the two sides noted with pleasure that the two nations have recorded fruitful development in the bilateral relations since they established their diplomatic ties 50 years ago (1973-2023), especially after the relationship was upgraded to a strategic partnership in March 2018. The two sides also shared information and views on about strategic issues, and regional and global situations, including Asia-Pacific regional architecture, Mekong sub-regional cooperation.
From May 9-11, within the framework of the activity program of “the Vietnam-UK Friendship Year 2023: Celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations”, Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long has made a working trip to Belfast city in Northern Ireland to foster bilateral connections and cooperation, especially in education and trade.
Multilateral activities
On May 11, in New York, addressing the UN General Assembly’s high-level meeting themed “Accelerating the achievement of the SDGs in middle-income countries (MICs), with a focus on the environmental dimension”, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, has called on developed countries to carry out their commitments to help middle-income ones realise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang affirmed that multilateralism, international solidarity, peace, and stability form an important basis for sustainable development in MICs. The ambassador also highlighted Vietnam’s efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, commitment to achieving the target of net zero emissions by 2050, and recent establishment of the Just Energy Transition Partnership.
On May 9, the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Vietnam celebrated the 73rd Anniversary of Europe Day. Attending the event, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang emphasized that 2023 is also a special year with Vietnam celebrating the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations with 6 EU member countries, namely France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and Finland. This is a proof that effective and promising bilateral cooperation has been nurtured and spread to the overall relationship between Vietnam and the EU.
Citizen protection
On May 4, according to the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines, local authorities rescued more than 1,000 people, including Vietnamese nationals, who were forced to work at an establishment owned by the Clark Sun Valley Hub group in Pampanga province, near Manila capital. The rescued persons are staying safely at a facility arranged by Philippine authorities. Regarding the case, shortly after being notified, the embassy visited the Vietnamese nationals, collected their information, and gave medication to some with health problems on May 6 and 9. It is working closely with relevant agencies of the Philippines to make assistance plans.
On May 9, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it has asked the Philippine authorities help ensure accommodation for the Vietnamese citizens. The Ministry also asked the Philippine side to enhance cooperation in resolving the forced labour case involving Vietnamese citizens and strictly deal with violators.
Other activities
On May 10, the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam collaborated with the Swiss Embassy in Hanoi to organize an briefing session on the outcomes of the 4th Mekong River Commission Summit in Vientiane, Laos (April 2-5) and the United Nations Conference on Water in New York, USA (March 22-24). Vice President of Diplomatic Academy Nguyen Hung Son and Mr. Thomas Gass, Ambassador of Switzerland to Vietnam co-chaired the event. Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet attended and delivered a concluding speech.
