Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ (R) meets with Minister of Trade Todd McClay in New Zealand. — VNA/VNS Photo Khánh Linh

WELLINGTON — Việt Nam and New Zealand on Thursday affirmed their determination to raise two-way trade to US$1.7 billion by 2020 during Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ’s working visit to New Zealand.

While in Wellington, Huệ paid a courtesy visit to Speaker of the House of Representatives David Carter, held talks with Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett and worked with Minister of Foreign Affairs Gerry Brownlee and Minister of Trade Todd McClay.
The officials agreed to intensify investment in fields with high Vietnamese demand and deep New Zealand strength such as agriculture, renewable energy and infrastructure.
Paula Bennett and Todd McClay promised to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese agricultural products to enter New Zealand, and continue supporting the country in improving production, processing and preservation of farm produce to meet foreign markets’ high standards.
The two sides reached a consensus on the early signing of the 2017-20 Việt Nam-New Zealand Action Programme in 2017 in order to boost co-operation in the priority fields of politics, economy-trade, agriculture, education-training, and science and tourism.
They also pledged to organise the sixth meeting of the two countries’ Joint Committee on Economic and Trade Co-operation.
The New Zealand leaders asserted to maintain the provision of official development assistance (ODA) for Việt Nam, with a focus on social welfare, rural development, human resources improvement and climate change adaptation.
Deputy PM Huệ thanked New Zealand for supporting Việt Nam in projects related to dyke safety, clean vegetables and hi-tech agriculture, while suggesting the two sides build a regular bilateral dialogue mechanism in order to carry out measures to use New Zealand’s ODA effectively.
Both sides discussed regional and international issues, agreeing to continue close co-ordination at multilateral forums, especially ASEAN.
They emphasised the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, maritime and aviation safety, and freedom in the region, settling disputes peacefully on the basis of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, strictly following the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, and working toward forming a Code of Conduct in the East Sea.
Huệ and the New Zealand leaders also reaffirmed support for the intensification of economic co-operation and trade liberalisation in the region, and they agreed to tighten co-operation to seek a proper path for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The hosts spoke highly of Việt Nam’s successful organisation of meetings within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Year 2017, hoping that the two countries will share experience when New Zealand hosts APEC 2021. — VNS