Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove (Photo: AFP/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgrove andhis spouse will pay a State visit to Vietnam from May 23-26 at the invitationof President Tran Dai Quang.
The visit takes place at a time when the two countries are celebratingthe 45th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties (February 26).
It affirmsVietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisationand diversification of international relations as well as its great attachmentto promoting friendship and strategic partnership with Australia.
Vietnam and Australia established a comprehensive partnership in 2009and signed a declaration on enhancing the bilateral comprehensive partnershipin March 2015. The two nations elevated their ties to the level of strategicpartnership in March 2018 on the occasion of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’sofficial visit to Australia.
Australia considers Vietnam a key partner in the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and highly evaluates its role in the bloc.
The two sides signed a Plan of Action for 2016-2019 during the visit toAustralia in November 2016 by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister PhamBinh Minh.
The two countries have cooperated effectively in the field of securityand defence through the exchange of delegations and cooperation agreements oncounter-crimes, immigration management, illegal migration prevention,information and experience sharing, and English training.
Vietnam and Australia signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding on cooperation in peacekeeping operation training and mineclearance in 2016.
The presence of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) post at the VietnamAustralia Joint Transnational Crime Centre (JTCC) in Ho Chi Minh City makes iteasier for the two sides to share intelligence information and collaborate toprevent terrorism, human trafficking and drug crimes.
The two countries have coordinated closely at regional and internationalforums such as ASEAN, East Asia Summit (EAS), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) Forum, and the United Nations (UN).
Vietnam supported Australia’s bid to become a non-permanent member ofthe UN Security Council in the 2013-2014 tenure and the International MaritimeOrganisation (IMO) Council in the 2016-2017 tenure.
Vice versa, Australia backed Vietnam’s candidacy for a seat in the UNHuman Rights Council in the 2014-2016 tenure, the Executive Board of UNESCO inthe 2015-2019 tenure, and the UN Economic and Social Council in the 2016-2018tenure.
Vietnam agreed to support Australia’s efforts to become a non-permanent memberof the UN Security Council in the 2018-2020 tenure, while Australia consentedto back Vietnam’s bid to run for a seat in the UN Human Rights Council in the2020-2021 tenure and the Universal Postal Union Council in the 2017-2021 term.
Over the past 45 years, Vietnam and Australiahave focused on cooperation in economy and trade. Australia is now the eighthbiggest trade partner of Vietnam. Two-way trade records annual average growthof over 7 percent, reaching nearly 6.5 billion USD in 2017, a year-on-year riseof 22.2 percent.
Vietnam exported over 520 million USD worth of goodsto Australia, mainly aquatic products. Australia has opened its door forVietnamese fruits like lychees, mangoes and dragon fruits.
Australia now ranks 20th among 126 countries andterritories investing in Vietnam with 412 investment projects worth 1.8 billionUSD, focusing on industry and construction, processing industry, services,education, and agro-forestry-fisheries.
Vietnam is running 44 investment projects in Australia with totalcapital of 387.1 million USD, concentrating on processing and manufacturingindustry, arts, entertainment, mining and services.
The official development assistance (ODA)constitutes an important factor in enhancing the bilateral relationship. Australiais one of the biggest providers of non-refundable ODA for Vietnam, averagely92.7 million AUD in the 2013-2018 period, helping the Southeast Asian countrywith poverty reduction, especially in the Mekong Delta.
Australia plans to provide an additional 84.2 million AUD in ODA forVietnam in 2018-2019, focusing on economic reform, capacity enhancement, genderequality, and livelihood improvement.
Bilateral cooperation in tourism, education andscience-technology is also growing. In 2017, Vietnam welcomed nearly 370,500Australian visitors, up 15.5 percent against the previous year.
Regarding education, Australia is providing nearly100 scholarships annually for Vietnamese students. Around 30,000 Vietnamesestudents and postgraduates are studying in Australia at present.
In the field of science-technology, Vietnam isone of the 17 countries benefiting from Australia’s science and techcooperation initiative. Australia helped Vietnam to establish the ClimateInnovation Centre in Hanoi to promote start-up models in climate changeadaptation and environmental protection.-VNA
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