Auckland (VNA) – Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung held a bilateral working session with New Zealand Minister for Trade and Investment Todd McClay in Auckland on August 13, as part of activities by a high-ranking delegation accompanying General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam on his state visit to New Zealand.
At the meeting, Hung reaffirmed that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and New Zealand has been developing fruitfully, becoming increasingly substantive and wide-ranging. The countries share many common values and maintain close ties both bilaterally and at regional multilateral frameworks.
Amid difficulties facing the global and regional economies and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, the two ministers discussed measures to further strengthen bilateral economic and trade cooperation, ensure the smooth flow of essential goods and regional supply chains, and work towards achieving the target of 3 billion USD in bilateral trade soon.
To boost trade and work towards the agreed target, Hung called on New Zealand to closely coordinate in accelerating market access for agricultural and food products, promoting two-way trade and investment, and encouraging New Zealand businesses to invest in Vietnam.
The two sides should also expand cooperation in digital transformation, digital trade and cross-border e-commerce, while connecting Vietnamese information technology and software companies with the New Zealand market. They should continue to coordinate closely and support each other in multilateral cooperation, while making effective use of free trade agreements to maximise benefits for the business communities of both countries, he said.
McClay spoke highly of and agreed with Vietnam's proposals. Regarding market access for agricultural, aquatic and seafood products, he said he would discuss the matter with relevant New Zealand agencies to help advance the process.
On multilateral cooperation, Hung asked New Zealand to support Vietnam in successfully and effectively fulfilling its role as rotating Chair of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in 2026, bringing practical benefits to all members.
He also expressed his hope that Vietnam would continue to receive New Zealand's experience-sharing and technical assistance as it prepares to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2027.
Vietnam highly values New Zealand's contributions to promoting policy dialogue, sharing experience in measuring trade in environmental goods and supporting APEC's green-growth initiatives, Hung said.
In response, McClay pledged New Zealand's support for Vietnam during its CPTPP chairmanship and said his country is ready to share whatever experience and assistance Vietnam might need.
At the end of the meeting, Hung invited McClay to visit Vietnam and expressed his hope of welcoming him to the 11th meeting of the CPTPP Commission, scheduled to take place in Vietnam in November this year.
According to statistics, two-way trade between Vietnam and New Zealand reached 845 million USD in the first six months, up 15% year on year. Vietnam's exports to New Zealand totalled 400 million USD, up 19%, while imports stood at 445 million USD, up 11%./.
VNA
