The high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA), headed by Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong, co-sponsored two resolutions on trade and digital economies.

In his closing speech, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Australia Tony Smith highlighted the APPF’s significant contributions to the building of regional friendship, solidarity and cooperation over the past three decades and demonstrated its role as a straightforward, constructive and mutually respecting forum with the purpose of ensuring peace, stability, prosperity and harmony in the region.

The APPF 28 touched upon a number of issues at the three plenary sessions on politics and security, economy – trade, and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
On the fringes of the APPF 28, NA Vice Chairman Phong had bilateral meetings with Chairwoman of the Lao NA Pany Yathotou, President of the Cambodian NA Samdech Heng Samrin, and Deputy President of the Australian Senate Sue Lines.

Meeting with Chairwoman of the Lao NA Pany Yathotou, Vice Chairwoman Phong showed her elation at the increasingly substantive development of the great friendship, special solidarity and all-around cooperation between the two Parties and states.

She suggested the two sides continue working together to carry out cooperation programmes and hold meetings to share information about and experience in the fields of both parliaments’ concern. Phong voiced her confidence that with great efforts and high determination of the countries’ leaders, ministries and sectors, bilateral cooperation programmes will prove efficient.

Chairwoman Pany Yathotou hailed Vietnam’s assistance to the construction of the Lao NA’s building, while hoping that relevant agencies will coordinate well to speed up the construction progress and finalize the building on schedule with high quality.

She underlined the need for both sides to soon organise experience sharing workshops on tax management, customs, prosecution, land, policies for ethnic minority groups, and full-time parliamentarians.

Meeting with President of the Cambodian NA Samdech Heng Samrin, Phong underlined that Vietnam always considers the bilateral relations as a precious asset that needs to be maintained and passed down to future generations. Therefore, they should educate people, especially the young, on the traditional relationship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation.

She also called for more external activities of the countries’ parliamentary friendship groups and friendship associations, alongside people-to-people diplomatic activities.

Expressing his delight at the fruitful cooperation across multiple areas, Heng Samrin thanked Vietnam for supporting Cambodia in the past as well as the current national development process.

He was also appreciative of its financial assistance for the construction of the building of the Cambodian NA’s Secretariat and committees.

The Cambodian NA leader greatly valued the recent signing of the supplementary treaty to the 1985 Treaty on the Delimitation of National Boundaries and the 2005 Supplementary Treaty, and the protocol on land border demarcation between Vietnam and Cambodia. He described the documents as historic achievements, helping to build a border of peace, stability, cooperation and development.

Heng Samrin also noted with satisfaction the bilateral trade of US$4 billion in 2019, expressing his hope that the figure will hit US$5 billion soon.

Talking to Deputy President of the Australian Senate Sue Lines, NA Vice Chairwoman Phong hailed the APPF 28’s theme and Australia’s professional organisation of the meeting. 

She highlighted the growing ties between the nations and thanked Australia for supporting Vietnam over the past years. Particularly, she praised the Australian Government and parliament’s favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the nation.

Sue Lines lauded the Vietnamese community’s contributions to her country and expressed her wish to further advance cooperative ties between the two countries, as well as between their legislatures.