Strategic partnership with Indonesia records strong development

Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Ta Van Thong made the statement in a recent interview granted to a VOV correspondent in Indonesia as part of the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the joint strategic partnership.

The diplomat outlined that Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to Indonesia back in 2017 marked an important milestone in terms of bilateral relations, as it was the first made by a senior Party leader to Indonesia after that by President Ho Chi Minh in 1959.

In 2018, Indonesian President Joko Widodo paid a state visit to the nation, while PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc also visited Indonesia in the same year. In 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, PM Chinh chose Indonesia for his first trip abroad after taking office, whilst last year saw President Phuc also make a state visit to Indonesia, he noted.

The diplomat outlined that the action programmes signed between the two sides have contributed to deepening the bilateral partnership in all fields, from politics, diplomacy, defence-security to economy, tourism, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. They have finalised a joint action scheme for the 2024 to 2028 period for signing at an early date. Meanwhile, other co-operation mechanisms such as the committee for bilateral ties at the deputy foreign minister level, as well as the joint committee for economic and science-technology co-operation have also been implemented.

Indonesia is currently the nation’s third largest trade partner in the region, while the country represents the fourth biggest of Indonesia. Two-way trade tripled in the 2013 to 2022 period to more than US$14.4 billion in 2022, with the figure hitting US$4.2 billion in the first four months of the year as Vietnamese exports to the Indonesian market reached US$1.6 billion. This year, two-way trade is set to reach or exceed US$15 billion.

The two sides have enjoyed fruitful defence-security co-operation, with many high-level visits. The Vietnam Coast Guard signed a co-operation agreement with the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency in December, 2021.

The two sides have worked together in aquatic farming, as well as fisheries exploitation and processing.

Bilateral ties in culture, education-training, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges have also been strengthened, with localities of the two sides have also moved to advance the joint partnership. Each year sees the two countries welcome about 70,000 to 80,000 visitors from each other, he said, adding that both sides have resumed a number of direct air routes and are in the process of considering the opening of new ones.

Regarding the focus of joint co-operation moving forward, Ambassador Thong said that along with the sound partnership in politics-diplomacy, bilateral economic co-operation has also seen strong growth.

Moving forward, the two sides will continue to ramp up their traditional friendship, thereby paving the way for the development of the bilateral strategic partnership to a new height, he said. The diplomat added that the signing of a new joint action programme for the 2024 to 2028 period will help the two sides further beef up their already stable partnership, while also opening new co-operation opportunities in new areas such as energy transition, digital transformation, and infrastructure building.

Ambassador Thong therefore highlighted the bright prospects ahead for mutual economic co-operation, particularly as Indonesia makes up the world’s 16th biggest economy, especially in trade and investment.

Regarding major priorities and orientations ahead in the joint partnership in the future, the diplomat underlined that the two sides will continue to collaborate closely at multilateral organizations and forums. In addition, they will seek to maintain and promote existing co-operation mechanisms and jointly work on policies following Indonesia’s priorities, thereby increasing delegation exchanges and further promoting collaboration in defence-security.

Simultaneously, the two countries will continue to bolster ties in economics, as well as trade and investment, with the goal of expanding bilateral ties to new and promising areas and offering more incentives for businesses to encourage them to explore each other’s market, he said.

The two nation will also seek to bolster ties in culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, with the opening of more air routes connecting tourist destinations in the two countries, stated the Ambassador.

Concerning ties between the two countries within ASEAN, Ambassador Thong outlined that joint relations are important to the establishment of the ASEAN Community, as well as the role and position of the bloc in the current regional architecture. Historically, this is significant as Indonesia was the first to support Vietnam to join the ASEAN.

As active members of the association, the two countries have worked hard together for the development of the ASEAN Economic Community, he said.

The diplomat noted that in the bloc, Indonesia is the largest market with more than 280 million consumers, whilst Vietnam ranks third with 100 million people and an impressive economic growth.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam, in the role of ASEAN Chair, co-ordinated closely with other ASEAN member countries, including Indonesia, to make positive contributions in responding to the pandemic. This is along with other efforts relating to recovering the supply chain, ensuring a safe environment for production and business activities, and promoting the self-reliance and intra-bloc strength of the association, he went on to say.

As the ASEAN Chair this year, Indonesia has focused on accelerating the recovery of member countries, as well as overcoming challenges amid difficult and unexpected developments in the world economic situation, the Ambassador said.