Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong and Deputy Secretary of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Grahame Morton co-chaired the 14th political consultation between the two foreign ministries in Hanoi on October 19.
The two sides conducted a comprehensive review of bilateral cooperation and progress on high-level commitments and agreements, saying that relations have advanced since they were upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in February 2025, with a range of important diplomatic activities marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, particularly the state visit to New Zealand by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam in August.
They welcomed progress on the 2025-2030 Action Plan, adopted in November 2025, and agreed to coordinate preparations for high-level diplomatic activities in 2027 when Vietnam hosts APEC Economic Leaders’ Week.
The officials agreed to deliver on the outcomes of General Secretary and President Lam’s visit to consolidate political trust and deepen substantive ties. They also plan to step up exchanges and consultations across levels and channels, and push cooperation in national defence and security and the fight against transnational crime.
On trade and investment, the two sides discussed a target of 3 billion USD in two-way trade. They pledged to ease market access for each other’s farm produce, expand cooperation in digital transformation and cross-border e-commerce, and bolster links among companies.
Cuong thanked New Zealand for backing Vietnam’s chairmanship of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in 2026. He asked New Zealand to keep sharing experience and technical assistance as Vietnam prepares to host APEC in 2027, and work closely on rolling out multilateral economic agreements.
Both sides vowed to move ahead with official development assistance projects in environment, climate-resilient agriculture and green transition. They also pledged support for cooperation in renewable energy, access to climate and green finance, the Sustainable Development Goals and the commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
The host called for stronger maritime cooperation, including sustainable fisheries and marine scientific research. New Zealand promised continued support for Vietnam’s workforce development through undergraduate and postgraduate education and English-language training. The two agreed to speed up the launch of direct flights to expand connectivity and people-to-people exchanges.
On global and regional issues of mutual concern, they said the world and the region face numerous challenges and uncertainties that call for closer cooperation and responsible action to maintain peace and stability and support sustainable development. They agreed to back each other at multilateral forums, including the United Nations, and in groupings both belong to.
New Zealand underscored the importance it attaches to relations with ASEAN as a whole and Vietnam in particular, reaffirming support for ASEAN centrality and ASEAN-led mechanisms in propelling cooperation and shaping the regional architecture. It also praised Vietnam’s role as country coordinator for ASEAN-New Zealand relations in 2024-2027.
New Zealand said it wants to advance its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN and deepen ties with the Mekong sub-region in the coming years.
Both sides stressed the importance of peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation in the East Sea. They said countries should respect international law and settle disputes by peaceful measures on the basis of international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The 15th round of consultations is scheduled for 2027 in New Zealand./.
