New Zealand will bolster trade ties

New Zealand is keen to expand its range of co-operative ties with Vietnam Photo: Le Toan

The signed agreements cover education, aviation, and healthcare, and are expected to further facilitate companies from both countries in their endeavour to expand.

The relationship between the countries has gone from strength to strength, with Vietnam becoming New Zealand’s fastest-growing trading partner in Southeast Asia over the past five years. Significantly, two-way goods and services trade has increased by 120 per cent.

“We’ve signed a number of agreements which will see greater opportunities for New Zealand and Vietnamese companies to do more business together; for more students to be educated both in New Zealand and through New Zealand universities here in Vietnam; and to also see a greater exchange of people-to-people links through tourist visits,” Key told reporters during a conference held last week.

Education is among the lynchpins of New Zealand’s relationship with Vietnam. Out of the ten-member ASEAN bloc, Vietnamese students represent the second-highest group, with over 2,000 Vietnamese students choosing to study there in 2014.

The education agreements can, in fact, open doors for institutions in both countries to combine forces. New Zealand’s universities can work with Vietnamese education providers to offer local students international tertiary education opportunities in New Zealand.

According to Auckland University of Technology’s (AUT) international relations and development director, Lester Khoo, his university has a joint programme with Vietnam’s National University in Ho Chi Minh City, offering local students a two-year study programme in Vietnam, with the subsequent completion of their degree in AUT over another two years.

“New Zealand is one of the two countries in the world whose full list of universities are in the top 3 per cent of global rankings,” Khoo said in an interview in Hanoi last week. “It’s also important for Vietnamese families to consider the social security and the safety that New Zealand has to offer.”

Another area for mutual benefit is the aviation market. Vietnam boasts a rapidly growing international aviation sector, with annual passenger numbers projected to rise to 63 million in 2020, up from 32 million at present. This high rate of growth is attracting airline investments in commercial aircraft, as well as driving the demand for training, technical systems, experience, products, and services.

“New Zealand has a strong international reputation in our aviation sector, and it makes sense for our two countries to be working together to collaborate on training, products, services, and knowledge to help meet the growing aviation demand in Vietnam,” said Economic Development and Tertiary Education, Skills, and Employment Minister Steven Joyce.

According to Joyce, Air New Zealand will begin three flights per week to Ho Chi Minh City commencing summer next year.

In addition, in order to strengthen opportunities for health-related industries in both countries, a Letter of Arrangement between Vietnam’s Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Government has also been signed. New Zealand will help to strengthen Vietnam’s healthcare infrastructure across priority areas including hospital management, food safety, and IT applications in the healthcare sector.

Four business-to-business arrangements were signed between Joyce and other government officials: the Global Trust Alliance-Asure Quality-Vinamilk, Airways International-VATM (Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation), Airways International-Vietnam Aviation Academy, and Aviation New Zealand-VietJet Air, pointing to an elaborate and sustained effort to fortify ties between the two countries.

During his visit to Vietnam, Key visited Vingroup – Vietnam’s leading private company in property, hospitality, retail, education, and healthcare. Key applauded the group’s achievements and contribution to Vietnam’s development in recent years. He added that there will be new avenues for co-operation between Vingroup and businesses from New Zealand in the years to come, particularly in the areas of education and trade.

When visiting Vingroup’s Vinschool, Key noted that the education provider shares many similarities with New Zealand’s education system, which is aimed at building up life skills for students as well as supporting them to grow confidently and sociably in an international environment.