Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday. — VNA/VNS Photos

JOHANNESBURG — Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính held separate meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Mathias Cormann in Johannesburg on Sunday, on the occasion of their attendance at the G20 Summit in South Africa.

Meeting with President Macron, PM Chính affirmed that treasuring and advancing ties with France is an objective requirement and an important choice for Việt Nam. He proposed both sides continue maintaining the exchange of delegations at all levels, particularly high-level ones, and expressed his hope to welcome the French PM to visit Việt Nam soon.

The two leaders also discussed increasingly extreme weather patterns and climate change, which have caused natural disasters across many parts of the world. President Macron expressed his deep sympathy with the Vietnamese people affected by recent storms and floods. Both leaders underscored the need for shared responsibility and enhanced cooperation to prevent, respond to, and overcome the grave consequences of climate change.

President Macron recalled his positive impressions from his state visit to Việt Nam in May 2025, noting the effective implementation of agreements reached between high-ranking leaders of the two countries in economy, trade, science, technology, and defence. He agreed that Việt Nam and France should finalise and adopt the action plan to implement the joint statement on their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Highlighting the vast potential for economic cooperation, PM Chính suggested France continue to work closely with Việt Nam to effectively carry out the EU–Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

He also urged the European country to soon ratify the EU–Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and prompt the European Commission to lift its “yellow card” warning on Vietnamese seafood related to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

On regional and international matters of mutual interest, the two leaders shared concerns regarding global trade and non-traditional security challenges, particularly cyber security. PM Chinh welcomed France’s cyber security initiatives and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in this field.

President Macron appreciated the Vietnamese leader’s assessments and affirmed that the two countries should further unite, work closely together, and enhance strategic autonomy amid current global political and trade volatility, while working with partners to uphold multilateralism and international law.

In his meeting with the OECD Secretary-General, PM Chính expressed his appreciation for the OECD Secretariat’s support, including Cormann’s personal backing, which helped Việt Nam fulfil its role as Co-Chair of the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme for 2022–2025 as well as sound implementation of the Vietnam-OECD memorandum of understanding for 2022–2026.

Sharing an overview of Việt Nam’s economic development and strategic orientations towards 2045, PM Chính asked OECD experts to continue supporting the nation in enhancing policy planning and implementation capacity as well as national competitiveness, towards meeting OECD global governance standards.

PM Chính during a meeting with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann

He also called for expanded experience-sharing, consultation, and assistance for Vietnamese ministries and agencies’ deeper engagements in OECD specialised committees. The Government leader also expressed his hope that more Vietnamese professionals would be able to work at the OECD.

Secretary-General Cormann praised the dynamic and effective cooperation between the OECD and Việt Nam, affirming that the country is a fast-growing, increasingly influential economy in Southeast Asia and a key driver of global growth. He underscored the OECD’s wish to deepen cooperative ties with Việt Nam and expressed readiness to provide policy advice and support in areas the country requires. — VNA/VNS