Party General Secretary Tô Lâm (right) hosted a reception for visiting New Zealand Prime Minister and Leader of the New Zealand National Party Christopher Luxon. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm hosted a reception in Hà Nội on Wednesday for visiting New Zealand Prime Minister and Leader of the New Zealand National Party Christopher Luxon.

Welcoming the guest and his entourage on their official visit, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, Party chief Lâm thanked Luxon’s positive remarks about Việt Nam and bilateral ties and commended New Zealand’s foreign policy of valuing its engagement with Southeast Asia.

He expressed satisfaction with the trust-based political relationship between Việt Nam and New Zealand, which serves as a foundation for comprehensive cooperation across various sectors. He highly valued the outcomes of the talks between the two PMs, particularly the Joint Statement on upgrading bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, saying that this milestone reflects the remarkable progress and profound mutual trust between the two nations, providing a solid framework for their future development.

The General Secretary suggested that the two countries continue bolstering economic and trade collaboration, outlining specific strategies to enhance connectivity between their economies. He also praised New Zealand’s effective governance, strong economy, and advancements in science, technology and education -- areas crucial to Việt Nam's growth.

Expressing gratitude to the New Zealand Government for providing scholarships for Vietnamese students, he noted that New Zealand is becoming an increasingly trusted and favored destination for Vietnamese students to study and conduct research.

Luxon, for his part, believed that under the sound leadership of General Secretary Lâm and other leaders, Việt Nam will successfully achieve its goal of becoming a developed country by 2045.

New Zealand, with its strengths, expects to accompany and support Việt Nam in achieving its socio-economic development goals in the coming years, he said, expressing readiness to welcome more Vietnamese students, scientists, and researchers to the country for study and research, the leader said.

He also expressed desire to further boost coordination across tourism, trade and investment, connecting two countries’ business communities together.

Both leaders agreed on the future direction of the bilateral ties and believed that the newly established Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework would bring great mutual benefits and contribute to global and regional peace and development.

They also consented to work closely together on global and regional issues. Lâm thanked New Zealand for consistently supporting Việt Nam and ASEAN's stance on the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) issue and affirmed that Việt Nam is ready to support New Zealand in further strengthening ties with ASEAN, aiming to elevate the ASEAN-New Zealand Dialogue Relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

On the occasion, Luxon extended a formal invitation to Lâm to visit New Zealand in the near future. The host thanked and assigned both sides to coordinate the arrangements through the diplomatic channel. — VNA/VNS