Ottawa (VNA) – The upcoming state visit to Canada by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam is expected to transform the long-standing potential between the two countries into concrete plans and action programmes, ushering in a new chapter of development in their bilateral relations, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Pham Vinh Quang.
This marks a historic milestone, as it is the first official visit to Canada by the leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973, Ambassador Quang said in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency in Ottawa ahead of the visit.
It comes at a time when Vietnam-Canada relations are benefiting from favourable conditions to enter a new phase of deeper and more substantive cooperation, he said.
Since the two countries established their Comprehensive Partnership framework in 2017, bilateral relations have developed steadily across a wide range of areas. Regular cooperation mechanisms, including political consultations, the Joint Economic Committee and the Defence Policy Dialogue, have provided a stable foundation for closer strategic ties.
Economic and trade cooperation remains a highlight, with bilateral trade growing strongly in recent years. The ambassador attributed this growth to the effectiveness of existing frameworks, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), as well as the complementary nature of the two economies. Vietnam has consequently become Canada’s largest trading partner in ASEAN.
In the context of profound global changes, Vietnam and Canada share a number of strategic interests, including a commitment to rules-based trade, supply chain diversification, stronger multilateral cooperation and contributions to a peaceful and stable international environment.
The two countries also coordinate closely at multilateral forums, including the United Nations (UN), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), ASEAN and the Francophonie.
Quang noted that the state visit holds special importance as it helps put into action the foreign policy goals outlined at the 14th National Party Congress, especially the aim of strengthening ties with key partners in a meaningful, effective, and lasting way.
The visit is expected to help bring Vietnam-Canada relations to a new stage of development, serving the long-term interests of the two peoples while contributing positively to peace and stability in the region and the world, he said.
Regarding areas where the two countries could achieve breakthroughs and substantive results, the ambassador said it is hoped to unlock enormous potential for bilateral cooperation.
In trade, investment and supply chain diversification, Vietnam and Canada have favourable conditions to promote high-quality trade flows, expand logistics connectivity, strengthen customs cooperation and facilitate trade.
Deeper cooperation in agriculture, food, consumer goods, processing industries and key export sectors would help both sides make better use of existing trade frameworks, while opening opportunities to attract long-term Canadian investment in infrastructure, transport and key economic sectors.
In science, technology and innovation, the visit is expected to strengthen cooperation in clean technology, smart agriculture, new materials, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital transformation, in line with Vietnam’s development orientations for the digital and knowledge-based economies.
The outcomes of the visit will also help strengthen connections among research institutes, universities and businesses of the two countries, he said.
In energy and critical minerals, the two sides can promote cooperation in renewable energy, clean hydrogen and liquefied natural gas, while developing value chains for critical minerals serving high-tech industries.
The diplomat emphasised that the complementarity between Canada’s strengths in technology and finance and Vietnam’s manufacturing capacity and market, combined with the momentum generated by the state visit, is expected to create substantive cooperation outcomes and bring long-term benefits to the people of both countries./.
