Towards a new page in Vietnam-New Zealand relations

The diplomatic relations between Vietnam and New Zealand were established on June 19, 1975. Important milestones in bilateral relations were when the two countries upgraded their relations to a Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Partnership in 2009 and 2020, respectively. On that basis, the political trust between the two sides is increasingly consolidated, and the exchange of high-level and all-level delegations has been maintained. For New Zealand, Vietnam is an important partner in the region, both geopolitically and economically. Vietnam has always valued and promoted multifaceted cooperation with New Zealand.

Trade cooperation is one of the important pillars of Vietnam-New Zealand relations. In 2023, bilateral trade reached more than 1.3 billion USD, of which imports reached 680.6 million USD, and exports reached 648.9 million USD. Economic cooperation between the two sides has many advantages, as both countries are members of several free trade agreements, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) agreement. This is the basis for the two sides to aim for a bilateral trade turnover of 2 billion USD.

Although investment cooperation between the two countries is still modest, it has much potential to be exploited. As of November 2023, New Zealand had 52 investment projects in Vietnam, with a total capital of more than 208 million USD, focusing on education and training, processing industry, manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and construction. Vietnam has investment projects in New Zealand with a total registered capital of 37.8 million USD.

Education and training are important areas of cooperation in the Action Programme to implement the Vietnam-New Zealand strategic partnership for 2021-2024. New Zealand has a developed education system, including a high-quality university education system.

New Zealand has awarded many scholarships and organised study abroad consulting activities to attract Vietnamese students. The two countries' educational institutions also have many joint training and research programmes. Educational cooperation has not only helped each country develop human resources to serve the needs of socio-economic development but also contributed to enhancing cultural exchanges and strengthening the friendship between the two countries.

Defence-security cooperation between the two countries has continued to develop smoothly. Cooperation fields, such as agriculture and labour have developed positively. Vietnam has received official development assistance (ODA) from New Zealand, which is stable and increasing each year, focusing on such areas as agriculture and education. New Zealand committed to giving Vietnam the non-refundable ODA worth 26.7 million NZD in the 2021-2024 period, similar to the 2018-2021 period. The two sides are promoting cooperation in new areas, such as climate change response and energy transition.

Vietnam and New Zealand shared many common views and visions on regional and world issues. The two countries have supported each other and coordinated effectively in international and regional forums that they are both members of, as well as in mechanisms led by ASEAN. This was emphasised by New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters in a phone call with Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in January this year. According to Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Vietnam will actively promote practical cooperation programmes between ASEAN and New Zealand as the coordinator of ASEAN-New Zealand relations from 2024-2027.

Vietnam and New Zealand aim to celebrate 50 years of establishing diplomatic relations and five years of strategic partnership in 2025. To celebrate this important milestone, the two sides are trying to promote and exploit the potential for cooperation, bringing Vietnam-New Zealand relations to develop even stronger in the new period.