At the invitation of the Rt Hon John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam His Excellency Nguyen Tan Dung paid an official visit to New Zealand during 19-20 March 2015. The two leaders reviewed progress in the relationship since the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership between New Zealand and Viet Nam in 2009.

They noted noted the value of existing coordination mechanisms between the two countries, including the Joint Trade and Economic Commission which had met most recently in November 2014, the Political Consultations between the two Foreign Ministries (with the next meeting scheduled during 2015), the 2015 high-level Strategic Defence Dialogue and the annual bilateral Defence Talks, and the valuable Track II dialogue between the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam and the Asia NZ Foundation, which had met in February 2015.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also noted New Zealand’s introduction to a proposed new mode of cooperation with Viet Nam, named Government-to-Government Commercial Partnerships, which provide an opportunity for Viet Nam to access world-class New Zealand Government Intellectual Property.

The two sides reiterated with appreciation the excellent and close coordination between the two countries in regional fora such as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+) process, and the East Asia Summit, recognising the importance of these fora in enhancing and maintaining regional prosperity and in addressing regional security challenges.

The two sides agreed to continue to consult and work closely together, wherever possible, on key international issues such as multilateral trade initiatives, global peace and security, including through cooperation on climate change and other environmental issues. New Zealand and Viet Nam expressed a commitment to further enhance cooperation with peacekeeping training.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also extended an invitation for Prime Minister John Key to visit Viet Nam as soon as possible. Prime Minister John Key accepted the invitation with pleasure.