Vietnam and New Zealand Strengthen Bilateral Economic Ties

The top Vietnamese leader, General Secretary and President Lam, met with New Zealand Minister of Trade and Investment Todd McClay to discuss bilateral economic ties. The meeting comes at an important time for relations between the two countries, which have developed into a dynamic partnership spanning trade, education, investment, science, innovation, and people-to-people exchanges.

In his opening remarks, McClay highlighted Vietnam's fast-growing economy, market of over 100 million people, young workforce, and deep integration into global trade. He noted that beyond traditional areas such as agriculture and food, there remains significant potential for cooperation in high-tech agriculture, health technology, education, research, and skills development.

General Secretary and President Lam welcomed the candid and substantive views of the business communities, saying they reflect the spirit of innovation, dynamism, and future-oriented thinking that Vietnam encourages. He called on businesses from both countries to upgrade agricultural and food cooperation through green value chains, with a focus on smart agriculture, biotechnology, deep processing, cold-chain logistics, traceability, and branding.

The top Vietnamese leader also encouraged New Zealand businesses to view Vietnam not only as a market but also as a partner for research, product development, manufacturing, and innovation in Southeast Asia. He suggested that New Zealand act as a bridge for Vietnamese enterprises to integrate more deeply into high-quality value chains in the Pacific region.

Vietnam is ready to serve as a gateway for New Zealand businesses to expand into ASEAN, he said, stressing that cooperation commitments must soon be translated into concrete programmes, projects, and results. The success of bilateral economic ties should be measured not only by trade turnover or the number of projects but also by the quality of connectivity, technological content, the level of participation in emerging value chains, and tangible benefits for businesses and people.