(VOVworld)- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak begins an official visit to Vietnam on Thursday at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. The 3-day visit aims to boost the comprehensive partnership between the two countries and create new cooperation opportunities, especially in economics, trade and investment.
Vietnam and Malaysia officially established their diplomatic ties in March, 1973. In 1976 they opened embassies. In 2004, they released a Joint Statement on the framework of a Comprehensive Partnership in the 21st century. Since then friendship and comprehensive cooperation between them have developed steadily in all areas. They have maintained high-level visits. In September, 2011, President Truong Tan Sang paid a state visit to Malaysia. Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan attended the Global Summit in Malaysia in 2013 and Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai attended the Global Entrepreneurs’ Summit in Malaysia last October.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak |
Expanded cooperation in all areas
Malaysia is Vietnam’s third largest trading partner within ASEAN and ninth largest overall. Malaysia has launched more than 400 projects in Vietnam with a registered capital of more than 10 billion USD. Two-way trade has increased steadily over the years, reaching 7.9 billion USD in 2012, 16% more than the previous year, and 9 billion USD in 2013. Since the two national petroleum giants PetroVietnam and Petronas Malaysia established cooperative ties in 1991, they have carried out 10 projects in Vietnam, with a combined output of 72,000 barrels per day. They have cooperated in oil services, processing, and exploration and have signed a number of cooperative agreements. Do Huu Hao is President of the Vietnam-Malaysia Friendship Association: “Vietnam and Malaysia have boosted cooperation in commerce and industry. Two-way trade has increased continuously. Malaysia’s investment in Vietnam has risen sharply, especially in oil and gas, tourism and construction of industrial factories in Vietnam. The two countries have also increased cultural exchanges. This is a special and close friendship which has been further strengthened within ASEAN”.
Since the two countries exempted visas for their ordinary passport holders in September 2001, the number of Malaysian tourists to Vietnam has increased sharply. In 2012, Malaysia received more than 200,000 Vietnamese tourists and about 300,000 Malaysian tourists visited Vietnam thanks to direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The two countries have signed a labor cooperation agreement. As a result, about 80,000 Vietnamese nationals are currently working in Malaysia. Progress has been made in national security and defense cooperation.
Similar foreign policies
In their foreign policies, both Vietnam and Malaysia seek to create a stable and peaceful environment in the region, protect and promote their economic advantages through closer direct relations with other countries and in multi-lateral forums, and strengthen their economic ties with other developing countries through the South-South relationship. Both pay special attention to boosting relations with other ASEAN countries. Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Dato Azmil Zabidi said:“As member of ASEAN community, we are actually working within ASEAN. Everything that we address internationally is through ASEAN. Of course, we have bilateral relations with other countries, but ASEAN is the cornerstone of Malaysia’s foreign policy and I think it’s the same for Vietnam. Everything we do, we do through ASEAN”.
On the basis of the fine development of relations between the two countries, the Malaysian Prime Minister’s visit to Vietnam will create opportunities for the leaders of the two countries to deepen their ties, especially in economics, trade, investment and labor.