Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the ASEAN+1 foreign ministers’ meetings with China, Australia, Canada, India, and New Zealand in Kuala Lumpur on July 10.

Vietnam also co-chaired the ASEAN-New Zealand Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in its capacity as coordinator for ASEAN-New Zealand relations.

The meetings took place within the framework of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related events.

Participants commended the effective implementation of cooperation frameworks between ASEAN and its partners, particularly in areas such as trade, investment, sustainable development, smart agriculture, energy, education, tourism, innovation, and digital transformation. The partners reaffirmed their support for ASEAN’s centrality and pledged to assist in realizing the bloc’s strategic documents, including the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement, and the ASEAN Power Grid initiative.

Co-chairing the ASEAN-New Zealand meeting, Deputy PM and FM Bui Thanh Son and New Zealand FM Winston Peters praised the longstanding and trusted partnership for common development between ASEAN and New Zealand.

Speaking on behalf of ASEAN countries, Son hailed the strong and substantive growth in the partnership over the past 50 years and supported elevating it to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership this year.

ASEAN welcomed New Zealand’s support in fields such as cybersecurity, maritime security, disaster relief, and transnational crime prevention. The bloc also welcomed the entry into force of the protocol amending the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA), and called on New Zealand to continue supporting efforts to narrow development gaps, promote inclusive and sustainable growth, particularly in sub-regions like the Mekong, and enhance aviation connectivity and e-commerce.

In particular, ASEAN appreciated New Zealand’s commitment of over 329 million NZD (more than 198 million USD) to support regional programmes in climate resilience, renewable energy, smart agriculture, and disaster response.

Speaking at the meetings, Deputy PM and FM Bui Thanh Son emphasized the strategic importance of further strengthening ASEAN’s partnerships with its dialogue partners amid rapid, complex, and unpredictable developments in the region and globally.

Vietnam greatly valued the partners’ continued support for ASEAN’s centrality, their active engagement in ASEAN-led mechanisms, and their contributions to ASEAN Community building.

He also acknowledged the partners' efforts to upgrade, revise, and review free trade agreements such as the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) 3.0, the amended AANZFTA, the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), and the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement, which are crucial for promoting fair, inclusive, and adaptive trade in the evolving global economic landscape.

Vietnam called for enhanced support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in digital trade, and advocated for stronger cooperation in green development, supply chain connectivity, and sub-regional development.

Son also underscored the need to beef up cooperation in addressing non-traditional security challenges, including climate change, food and energy security, natural disasters, and epidemics. He urged for deeper regional collaboration in education and people-to-people exchange.

In light of increasing geopolitical uncertainties, the Deputy PM stressed the importance of dialogue, consultation, and confidence building. He called on partners to continue backing ASEAN’s principled stance on regional and international issues, including the East Sea issue, to help ensure peace, stability, cooperation, and sustainable development in the region.

On the same day, ASEAN+1 foreign ministers' meetings were also held with Japan, Russia, the Republic of Korea, and the United States, alongside the ASEAN+3 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting involving Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea.

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