Indonesian scholar suggests upgrading ties with Vietnam
Indonesian scholar and senior journalist Veeramalla Anjaiah has suggested Indonesia and Vietnam upgrade their strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership, saying it would further strengthen their bilateral relationship.
Talking with Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Jakarta on December 22 following talks between President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo the same day, senior research fellow of the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) Anjaiah hailed President Phuc’s State visit to Indonesia from December 21-23 as an extremely important step towards raising bilateral ties to a greater height.
The visit takes place just ahead of the two countries celebrating the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership. It is of significance and a new milestone in long-standing ties between the two nations, according to Anjaiah
The two leaders discussed ways to promote friendship and cooperation, and signed cooperation deals.
Both sides also expressed their wishes to step up links across trade, investment, digital economy, agro-fisheries, clean and renewable energy, electric vehicles, national defence-security and other areas, he said.
The goal of US$15 billion in two-way trade by 2028 is “within reach”, given that it hit US$11 billion in the first ten months of this year, he added.
Anjaiah said the two sides had similar viewpoints on many issues, including the East Sea issue and guarantee of peace, safety, security, freedom of navigation and overflight in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
They shared a hope that ASEAN and China will soon complete negotiations toward the signing of a legally binding Code of Conduct in East Sea (COC) in accordance with UNCLOS and international law, he added.
