Party leader's working trip to take relations with Malaysia to new heights

As countries in the Southeast Asian region, the people of the two states boasts a long-standing relationship of exchange, co-operation, and mutual learning. This relationship has been increasingly strengthened and developed since the two first established diplomatic relations on March 30, 1973, thereby marking an important beginning for bilateral ties.

Since then, the relationship between the two countries has gone through more than 50 years of construction and development, with an important milestone being the upgrading of relations to a strategic partnership in 2015. This is even more special as the nation is Malaysia's only strategic partner in the ASEAN region, which in turn has helped the joint relationship to develop strongly, practically, and record important achievements.

Talking to the media on the threshold of the visit, Le Hoai Trung, secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its Commission for External Relations, said that the Party leader's trip holds great significance in terms of carrying out the foreign policy outlined by the 13th National Party Congress and the related documents on foreign affairs, which in turn highlight the importance of relations with ASEAN member states, including Malaysia.

The visit will contribute to bringing the mutual relationship to new heights, thereby creating new and important opportunities in which to strengthen the nation’s peaceful environment whilst attracting additional resources for the purpose of national development.

Malaysia holds a key position in terms of Southeast Asia and has significant prestige and influence within ASEAN, especially as it will officially assume the role of ASEAN Chair ahead in 2025.

The Vietnam-Malaysia relationship has seen both comprehensive and strong developments, especially over the past 10 years since the two nations first established a strategic partnership in 2015. Vietnam represents the only ASEAN member state with which Malaysia has established such a partnership.

This in turn has led to better mutual understanding and has contributed to strengthening political trust, Trung added.

According to the official, the two countries share common views on major international issues, whilst their relationship has grown flourished across a variety of fields. He added that Malaysia represents an important economic partner for the nation, being the third-largest trading partner within ASEAN and consistently one of the top 10 foreign investors in the Vietnamese market.

There are currently tens of thousands of Vietnamese workers based in Malaysia. Every year, around 700,000 to 800,000 Vietnamese and Malaysian tourists visit each other's countries.

Bilateral ties in defence and security have also been expanded, with new mechanisms, agreements, and forms of collaboration. This is as well as working together at multilateral forums, including ASEAN, to become closer.

Trung outlined that during the visit, the Party leader is expected to meet with the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President of the Senate of Malaysia, as well as leaders of the largest political parties in Malaysia.

He will deliver an important policy speech at the Universiti Malaya (University of Malaya), the largest and most prestigious university in Malaysia, and hold meetings alongside business representatives and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Malaysia.

Trung said that these meetings will provide the two countries’ leaders with the opportunity to exchange views on international and regional situations, as well as developments of each country, thereby further deepening mutual understanding whilst consolidating political trust.

The visit will provide a solid foundation to further elevate the bilateral relationship in all aspects, particularly in areas of mutual interest, such as politics, foreign affairs, defence, security, economics, and people-to-people exchanges, he added.