Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính (right) and South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa at their meeting on October 23 in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Thursday had a meeting with visiting South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa in Hà Nội, during which the two sides agreed to promote market access for each other’s goods and products in order to boost bilateral trade.

The Vietnamese Government leader congratulated South Africa on its remarkable national development achievements and recognised the country’s important role and contributions to regional and global affairs.

He highlighted the fruitful development of the bilateral relations, noting that South Africa has consistently been Việt Nam's largest trade partner in Africa.     

The PM underlined the countries’ complementary strengths and vast potential for cooperation in green transition and digital transformation,  renewable energy, creative economy, media, and climate action, suggesting South Africa support Việt Nam to launch negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).

Thanking the South African leader for an invitation to the G20 Summit 2025, PM Chính affirmed Việt Nam's readiness to join and contribute actively to the event, particularly in areas of mutual priority such as poverty and inequality reduction, food security, sustainable development, and advancing global governance reforms.

He showed his delight to witness Việt Nam's remarkable achievements over nearly 40 years of “Đổi mới” (renewal), which inspire  South Africa and other developing countries.

President Ramaphosa, who is on a two-day state visit to Việt Nam, affirmed that Việt Namis a close friend and trusted partner of his country in Asia. He hailed Việt Nam's effective development model and its open foreign policy, noting that the two countries have complementary strengths that can foster mutual development and improve their position in the international arena.

The South African President expressed his desire to strengthen business connection in mining, manufacturing, agriculture, electric vehicles, high-quality workforce training, and maritime industry.

President Ramaphosa thanked PM Chính for accepting the invitation to attend the G20 Summit, saying that this demonstrates Việt Nam's responsible contribution to promoting sustainable development and reforming global governance mechanisms.

The guest said he believes that Việt Nam will successfully organise the signing ceremony of the UN Convention against Cybercrime. He showed his support for Việt Nam's leading role in digital transformation efforts and global technology governance.

The leaders agreed to actively negotiate and soon sign more important cooperation documents to facilitate stronger trade turnover and investment cooperation between the two countries. They pledged to promptly complete internal procedures to elevate the bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership in 2025, making the Việt Nam–South Africa relationship a model of cooperation among Global South countries.

Regarding multilateral cooperation, the two sides agreed to strengthen coordination and support each other's stance on regional and international issues at international forums and organisations, together promote multilateralism and South-South cooperation, contributing to maintaining peace, stability and cooperation in each region and in the world.

During the visit, the two leaders will attend a business forum co-organised by the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the South African Embassy in Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS