Jakarta (VNA) – As Country Coordinator for ASEAN–New Zealand relations, the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to ASEAN co-chaired the 14th Meeting of the ASEAN–New Zealand Joint Cooperation Committee at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta on April 24 together with the New Zealand Mission to review cooperation progress and discuss major directions for the coming period.
The meeting followed important milestones in 2025, when ASEAN and New Zealand marked the 50th anniversary of their Dialogue Relations, upgraded ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), and adopted the ASEAN–New Zealand Plan of Action for 2026–2030.
Both sides noted the completion of 100% of action lines under the 2021–2025 Plan of Action. Key initiatives such as the Manaaki Scholarships, short-term training courses for young trade officials, and New Zealand’s support for ASEAN specialised centres were highlighted as practical and impactful outcomes, reflecting the country’s long-term and consistent commitment to ASEAN. New Zealand Ambassador Joanna Anderson commended Vietnam’s active, flexible, and effective coordination during 2024–2025.
New Zealand reaffirmed its alignment with ASEAN’s stance on upholding international law and norms, including principles enshrined in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the UN Charter, the ASEAN Charter, and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.
The country also pledged to further deepen ties with ASEAN across strategic and economic dimensions and international issues based on mutual respect, sincerity, transparency, and constructive engagement. To this end, New Zealand will focus on effectively implementing the 2026–2030 Plan of Action through targeted initiatives such as the ASEAN–New Zealand Dialogue Relations scholarships, the ASEAN–New Zealand Climate Action Initiative, and investments supporting climate-resilient Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
ASEAN and New Zealand agreed to advance implementation of the 2026–2030 Plan of Action along clear roadmaps, focusing on shared priority areas including trade and investment, connectivity, people-to-people exchanges, education and training, energy, climate, agriculture, non-traditional security, and transnational crime.
In its coordinating role, Vietnam has worked with New Zealand to draft and promote the adoption of the Terms of Reference for the ASEAN–New Zealand Vision Fund. Funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade with a value of 25 million NZD, the fund will support cooperation projects in priority areas such as governance and security, economic development, environment and climate change, and capacity building. Vietnam and New Zealand are encouraging ASEAN member states to proactively propose projects to effectively utilise this resource.
From the perspective of an ASEAN member state, Ambassador Ton Thi Ngoc Huong, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN, emphasised that Vietnam encourages New Zealand to continue its active engagement in both ASEAN–New Zealand frameworks and ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+), and Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF), contributing to trust-building, dialogue, cooperation, and conflict prevention in the region.
She also called for enhanced maritime cooperation, including maritime domain awareness, application of technology and AI, search and rescue operations, protection of critical undersea infrastructure, addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and strengthening capacity for maritime law enforcement agencies.
On economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, the ambassador urged greater support for businesses, especially MSMEs, to better leverage agreements such as the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), promote digital economy collaboration, and expedite ratification of the ASEAN–New Zealand Air Services Agreement.
She also highlighted the importance of cooperation in smart agriculture, high-quality food production, renewable energy, and climate finance, alongside continued support for scholarship and training programmes such as Manaaki and ELTO. Vietnam also called on New Zealand to assist ASEAN in narrowing development gaps through the implementation of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan V.
The ambassador also introduced upcoming Vietnamese initiatives, including the Asia Future Forum and a proposed ASEAN–New Zealand cooperation initiative on subregional development, which received interest from participating countries.
The meeting reaffirmed the shared determination of ASEAN and New Zealand to deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, creating new momentum for practical cooperation and contributing to peace, stability, and development in the region./.
VNA
