The first Vietnam-Australia Economic Partnership Meeting (EPM) was held in Adelaide city of Australia on November 29 under the co-chair of Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Chi Dung and Australian Minister of Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Chi Dung

The event, to be held annually in rotation, aims to promote the trade, investment and development partnership between the two countries.

It is an important event that specifies the Joint Statement of the two countries issued on August 23 during the Vietnam visit by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, targeting the building of an economic cooperation strategy for the goal of becoming each other’s top 10 trade partners and doubling two-way trade.

The event also aims to reinforce the joint commitments of both sides in trade facilitation and economic connection, helping the two countries optimize opportunities from newly-emerging markets.

At the meeting, the two sides focused on measures to bolster bilateral trade, investment and development cooperation, as well as innovation partnership.

They discussed matters related to global and regional as well as multilateral issues related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the World Trade Organisation, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.

Through the event, Vietnam affirms the determination to work with Australia in enhancing trade, investment and development cooperation between the two countries, meeting the demand and interest of each country and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.

Concluding the event, Dung and Birmingham signed a joint statement of the meeting.

Vietnam will host the meeting in 2020.