Joint statement between Vietnam and New Zealand

1. Accepting the invitation of Mr. John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung paid an official visit to New Zealand from March 19 to 20, 2015.

2. The official welcoming ceremony for Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung took place at Government House in Auckland on March 19. Immediately after the welcoming ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung held talks with Prime Minister John Key and attended Prime Minister John Key's reception with the participation of Ministers and senior officials of the two countries. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung paid a courtesy visit to the Governor General of New Zealand, Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae; meeting with House of Commons Speaker David Carter and Labor Party Leader Andrew Little. On March 20, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung chaired a discussion with New Zealand business leaders; Visit Auckland University of Technology and meet overseas Vietnamese and students from New Zealand and Vietnam.

3. The two Leaders welcomed the positive developments in bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and New Zealand on June 19, 1975, and welcomed the activities commemorating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations taking place in the two countries in 2015. The two sides also recognized the 40th anniversary of the establishment of relations between New Zealand and ASEAN in 2015, and noted recognize the strong development of the Comprehensive Partnership between New Zealand and ASEAN.

4. The two Leaders reviewed developments in the relationship since the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership between New Zealand and Vietnam in 2009. Both sides welcomed the successful completion of the Action Program for the period 2010-2013 and the positive results in implementing the Action Program for the period 2013-2016; highly appreciated the existing cooperation mechanisms between the two countries, including the new Joint Committee on Economy and Trade meeting in November 2014, the Political Consultation between the two Foreign Ministries (the upcoming meeting is expected to be held in 2015), the annual Defense Dialogue, the Defense Strategy Dialogue and the Channel II dialogue between the Vietnam Diplomatic Academy and the Asia-New Zealand Foundation held in February 2015.

5. The two sides noted recent high-level visits from both sides, including the State visit to Vietnam by Governor-General of New Zealand Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae in August 2013. The two Leaders welcomed the important cooperation documents signed such as the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (signed in 2013) and the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation (signed in 2013), and the new cooperation documents signed on March 19, as the Protocol amending the Air Transport Agreement, Agreement on Food Hygiene and Safety and Animal/Phytosanitary Quarantine.

6. The two Leaders noted that two-way trade in goods as of June 2014 reached over 800 million USD, equivalent to a growth rate of 120% in the 5 years since the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership, and also noted that the trade balance between the two countries is increasingly more balanced. The two leaders believe that the two sides can achieve the target of $1 billion in trade in goods and services by the end of 2015. The two sides also agreed to continue to encourage each side's business community to take advantage of the opportunities and benefits available within the framework of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.

7. The two sides reaffirmed the importance of five strategic cooperation areas identified in the 2013-2016 Action Program, including agriculture and agricultural trade, education, aviation, clean technology, environmental management, natural disaster risk management and tourism.

8. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung highly appreciated the New Zealand Government's development support for Vietnam, focusing on agriculture, skills and knowledge, and natural disaster risk management. Prime Minister John Key emphasized that New Zealand will continue to provide development support to Vietnam, focusing on transferring New Zealand's knowledge and technology in important development areas. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also recognized New Zealand's new initiative on a new cooperation model with Vietnam called the Intergovernmental Trade Partnership, creating opportunities for Vietnam to access world-class intellectual property of the New Zealand Government.

9. Both sides highly appreciated the close and effective coordination between the two countries in regional forums such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting+ (ADMM+), and the East Asia Summit (EAS); recognized the importance of the above forums in enhancing and maintaining prosperity in the region as well as resolving regional security challenges. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to efforts to complete negotiations on comprehensive, high-quality free trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in 2015 and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), on the basis of the ASEAN+1 FTA.

10. The two sides agreed to continue to consult and cooperate closely, whenever possible, on important international issues such as multilateral trade initiatives, global peace and security through peacekeeping cooperation, and response to climate change and other environmental issues. New Zealand affirmed its commitment to continue promoting cooperation in the field of peacekeeping. Both sides welcome support for each other's candidacies at multilateral organizations and commit to continuing to give each other this support whenever possible. Prime Minister John Key once again thanked Vietnam for actively supporting New Zealand's candidacy for the position of non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2015-2016 term, and pledged to support Vietnam.successfully organized APEC 2017. New Zealand and Vietnam emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region, peacefully resolving maritime disputes, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

11. In response to the positive developments in the two countries' relationship since the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership in 2009 and after the successful visit of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to New Zealand from March 19-20, the two Leaders agreed on a common vision to strengthen and deepen the current Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries, aiming to establish a Strategic Partnership in the near future, specifically including the following elements:

– Strengthen the exchange of high-level delegations with the goal of each side having 1 high-level visit every 3 years;

– Aim to double the total bilateral trade in goods and services from the current 860 million USD to 1.7 billion USD by 2020;

– Strengthening cooperation in two strategic areas of mutual benefit: agriculture/agricultural economics and education;

– Increase the number of Vietnamese international students in New Zealand from the current level of 2,000 international students.

– Promote aviation connectivity between the two countries, including regularly evaluating the implementation of the bilateral Air Transport Services Agreement and setting a goal of opening direct flights between the two countries in 2017;

– Develop a “connectivity” plan between the two countries to increase awareness and interest of the people of New Zealand and Vietnam, including promoting the implementation of the Working Holiday Program, developing practical exchange mechanisms such as business and young leader exchanges, and promoting educational, tourism and cultural connections.

12. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung thanked the Government and people of New Zealand for the thoughtful welcome given to the Prime Minister and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung invited Prime Minister John Key to visit Vietnam as soon as possible. Prime Minister John Key happily accepted the invitation. The timing of the visit will be arranged through diplomatic channels.