Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm holds talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Auckland on August 13. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

AUCKLAND — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee and State President Tô Lâm held talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Auckland on Thursday, during which they agreed to further consolidate political trust, expand economic and trade cooperation and make effective use of shared free trade agreements.

Welcoming Lâm and the Vietnamese delegation, Luxon said the visit marked an important milestone in strengthening bilateral ties after more than half a century. He confirmed that Việt Nam is an important partner for New Zealand and expressed his impression of the Southeast Asian country’s remarkable achievements, including its strong economic growth.

The top Vietnamese leader congratulated New Zealand on its important achievements in national development, confirming that Việt Nam attaches importance to its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with New Zealand. He noted with satisfaction the significant progress in bilateral ties, particularly the elevation of relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2025.

He also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng to PM Luxon.

The two leaders briefed each other on the development situation in their respective countries and spoke highly of the reliable political ties and strong bonds between the two peoples, which they said provide a foundation for the two nations to strengthen bilateral cooperation for the benefit of both sides and for peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

They agreed to continue strengthening political trust and expanding all-level exchanges and meetings through Party, State, parliamentary and people-to-people channels, while making effective use of policy consultation mechanisms.

Both leaders also agreed to further promote defence and security cooperation in a more substantive and effective manner, particularly in maritime security, naval ship exchanges, cybersecurity and military medicine.

Private meeting between Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, prior to official talks between the two sides on August 13. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

They also said both sides should look into establishing a direct communication mechanism or hotline for dealing with transnational crime, and speed up negotiations on signing bilateral cooperation agreements.

Lâm proposed the two sides enhance coordination to review and carry out the action programme to implement the Việt Nam-New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for 2025-2030.

Regarding economic ties, the two leaders highlighted the complementary nature of the two economies and identified trade and investment as an important pillar with substantial room for growth, particularly in agricultural, aquatic and seafood products.

They agreed to expand economic and trade cooperation and make effective use of shared free trade agreements, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area.

At the same time, the leaders said they will work to promote trade facilitation and market access for each side’s key agricultural products, reduce technical barriers and boost exchanges on quality standards, quarantine, food safety and electronic certification. 

Luxon confirmed that New Zealand will continue to promote collaboration in trade and investment, creating favourable conditions for businesses from both countries to explore opportunities for cooperation and investment in each other’s markets.

The top Vietnamese leader expressed appreciation for support provided by the New Zealand government to Việt Nam over the years, particularly in agriculture and the environment. Lâm also expressed his hope that the two sides will continue to work together to develop green, low-emissions and climate-resilient agriculture, ensure food security and increase the added value of agricultural products, while building exemplary cooperation models regarding sustainable farming.

Sharing the two countries’ common development goals based on science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, the New Zealand PM spoke highly of Việt Nam's efforts to develop policies and implement solutions to apply AI in protecting data sovereignty and national digital sovereignty.

He confirmed that New Zealand will continue sharing experience in building a digital government, developing ecosystems supporting science and technology development, and establishing innovation and start-up support centres.

The two sides agreed to make education, tourism, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges important drivers of bilateral relations. 

Party General Secretary and President Tô Lâm shook hands with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at their talks in Auckland on August 13. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

They will expand cooperation in training workers with the qualifications, expertise and skills needed for the new era of development, while encouraging airlines to launch direct flights to narrow the geographical distance between the two countries and create more opportunities for people-to-people exchanges and new, more substantive and comprehensive cooperation.

Amid complex regional and global developments, Luxon spoke highly of Việt Nam's role as coordinator of ASEAN-New Zealand relations and thanked the country for helping New Zealand upgrade its ties with ASEAN, an important multilateral mechanism in Southeast Asia, to a comprehensive strategic partnership. He also confirmed his support for and commitment to assisting Việt Nam during APEC Year 2027.

The two leaders confirmed that they will continue to strengthen cooperation on regional and international issues of mutual concern at multilateral forums, particularly the United Nations. They also reaffirmed the importance of upholding international law in the region and settling disputes in the East Sea by peaceful means in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. — VNA/VNS