Vietnamese PM welcomes Australian PM in official visit

By Vu Anh   June 3, 2023 | 10:03 pm PT
Vietnamese PM welcomes Australian PM in official visit
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (L) and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese review the honor guard of the Vietnam People's Army in Hanoi on June 4, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Sunday welcomed his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in Hanoi as part of the latter’s two-day visit.

The two PM saluted the flag and reviewed the honor guard of the Vietnam People's Army.

They then discussed bilateral partnership and witnessed the partnership signings of the two countries’ government bodies.

Albanese will also meet with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Vo Van Thuong and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

This is Albanese's first visit to Vietnam since he assumed the position of prime minister in May 2022. The visit occurred as Vietnam and Australia commemorate the 50th anniversary of their establishment of diplomatic relations in 1973.

The two countries upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership in March 2018. Economic and commercial cooperation is considered a highlight in the relationship.

Bilateral trade turnover in 2022 reached $15.7 billion, up 26.7% from 2021. Australia was Vietnam's seventh largest trading partner and has opened the door to lychee, mango, dragon fruit, longan, and frozen shrimp from Vietnam.

As of April, Australia had just under 600 funded projects with total capital of nearly $2 billion in Vietnam, mostly in the sectors of manufacturing, accommodation, healthcare, social assistance, and agriculture, forestry and fishery.

Vietnam had also invested in Australia in 88 projects costing more than $592 million, ranking 10th among 79 countries and territories investing in this country, mainly in agriculture, forestry, wholesale and retail, and manufacturing.

Australia is one of the largest bilateral partners providing official development assistance to Vietnam. In the 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Australia has provided AUD3 billion (US$1.97 billion) to Vietnam.

Currently, there are about 31,000 Vietnamese students and researchers in Australia. As of March, the two countries boasted 45 joint programs, 200 cooperation documents and joint research between universities and research institutes.

The Vietnamese community in Australia numbers around 350,000 people, ranking fifth among foreign ethnic communities there.

 
 
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