New Zealand minister of foreign affairs to visit Vietnam

According to the New Zealand embassy in Vietnam, minister McCully’s visit is a further evidence of New Zealand’s commitment to strengthening the already excellent bilateral relationship with Vietnam. 

“One focus of the visit will be to explore opportunities for further expanding the relationship as the two countries celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations in 2015,” an embassy’s statement said.

The relationship between Vietnam and New Zealand has grown significantly in the last 10 years, with excellent cooperation in areas such as trade and economic relations, education, development, defence, police and customs. 

New Zealand and Vietnam signed a Comprehensive Partnership Agreement in 2009.

“This visit is the latest in a series of significant high level visits from New Zealand to Vietnam over the past 18 months, and reflects the importance New Zealand attaches to our ever growing relationship with Vietnam,” says New Zealand ambassador to Vietnam, H.E. Haike Manning. 

“New Zealand and Viet Nam will celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations in 2015, and we’re looking forward to marking this milestone with a series of events and activities in Vietnam which showcase New Zealand culture, education and high quality products to the Vietnamese public,” Manning said.

During his visit to Hanoi, Minister McCully will meet Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh to review progress in the bilateral relationship, as well to discuss common interests in regional and multilateral fora.  Minister McCully will also meet Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh to discuss New Zealand’s development assistance partnership with Vietnam, as well as the broader trade and investment relationship between the two countries.

Minister McCully will also be presiding over the launch of two tourism-related initiatives: a nationwide NZ tourism themed competition and the appointment of Ms Jennifer Pham as the New Zealand Embassy’s Honorary Tourism Envoy in Vietnam for 2014. 

Vietnam is now New Zealand’s 20th largest trading partner and New Zealand’s fastest growing export market in ASEAN over the past five years, with potential for further significant expansion. 

In late 2012, New Zealand and Vietnam established a goal of $1 billion in two way trade by 2015. 

In the year to December 2013 bilateral trade grew by 20 per cent to $785 million.  The main New Zealand goods exported to Vietnam are dairy (56 per cent) and forest products (13.5 per cent).