Full text of Vietnam - Canada joint statement

Based on the increasingly good multifaceted cooperation between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1973, Vietnam and Canada jointly decided to establish the framework of the Vietnam - Canada Comprehensive Partnership in the following areas:

On Politics and Diplomacy:

1. Vietnam and Canada will continue to exchange visits by High-Level Leaders and regular dialogue between senior officials of the two Governments, including Political Consultations at the Deputy Ministerial level; and welcome interactions between the Party and National Assembly agencies of the two countries.

2. Vietnam and Canada will continue to cooperate closely in multilateral institutions such as the United Nations (UN), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Francophonie. The two countries reaffirm their shared commitment to maintaining peace, security and stability in the world, supporting the United Nations Charter and the principles of international law, and will consider cooperation in relevant areas of mutual interest within bilateral and multilateral frameworks in a constructive and mutually respectful spirit, contributing to promoting bilateral relations.

3. Vietnam and Canada emphasize the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, and support the maintenance of a rules-based order for the seas and oceans, including the South China Sea. This approach is based on international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); support the protection of freedom of navigation, overflight, commerce and the use of the oceans for peaceful purposes, and the protection of the marine environment and ecosystems.

4. Vietnam and Canada affirm their support for the peaceful resolution of disputes in the East Sea, including full respect for diplomatic and legal processes and in accordance with international law.

5. Vietnam and Canada emphasize the important role of ASEAN in the regional architecture, support efforts to build a strong and prosperous ASEAN Community based on the rule of law, and welcome ASEAN's initiatives to maintain peace, security and prevent confrontation in the region such as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

6. Canada and Vietnam will continue to work together to address global challenges, including counter-terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and non-traditional challenges such as transnational crime, climate change, maritime security, food security, water security, and environmental protection. Canada and Vietnam will work to protect biodiversity and habitats, combat illegal logging and trafficking, and support the implementation of the Hanoi Statement on Illegal Wildlife Trade.

7. Vietnam and Canada recognize the importance of protecting and promoting human rights in accordance with their respective Constitutions and international commitments, including supporting the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and are willing to enhance mutual understanding.

On Trade and Investment:

8. Vietnam and Canada are committed to two-way trade and investment as an important driving force in the relationship between the two countries. The two countries will maintain their interest in each other's markets as important markets and promote bilateral trade and investment in key sectors.

9. Vietnam and Canada will facilitate trade exchanges and promptly resolve issues that may arise in trade and investment relations on the principles of cooperation, equality and mutual benefit; strengthen cooperation in multilateral economic-trade-financial cooperation frameworks such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB).

10. Vietnam and Canada will discuss the potential of the Canada-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and promote the implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

About Development Cooperation

11. Vietnam and Canada acknowledge the contribution of development cooperation to the overall bilateral relationship over the past decades and will maintain strong partnerships for the sustainable development of bilateral relations.

Canada appreciates Vietnam’s remarkable achievements in poverty reduction since the 1990s and the current development goals set out in the “Vietnam 2035” Report. Vietnam highly appreciates Canada’s official development assistance to Vietnam and its long-standing partnership in the field of development cooperation.

12. Canada and Vietnam reaffirm their commitment to the provisions of the 1994 General Agreement on Development Cooperation as the foundation of their partnership. They commit to maintaining their long-standing policy dialogue on enhancing development effectiveness and efficiency, considering these as mutually beneficial goals and fundamental prerequisites for continued cooperation.

13. Canada recognises the need for a new, more strategic approach to development cooperation between the two countries and will seek to allocate resources to programs that are consistent with Canada’s International Women’s Assistance Policy and respond directly to Vietnam’s development challenges such as poverty reduction and rural development, as identified in Vietnam’s Socio-Economic Development Plan 2016-2020.

Accordingly, Canada's development cooperation will support Vietnam's efforts to respond to climate change and promote sustainable development through the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

On Defense and Security:

14. Vietnam and Canada share common interests in peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region and will continue to coordinate in bilateral and multilateral dialogue and cooperation mechanisms on defense, security, capacity building and training issues.

15. Vietnam and Canada will explore and promote cooperation in the areas of peacekeeping, maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, as well as other areas of mutual interest and benefit. Vietnam and Canada will continue to explore ways to enhance defense cooperation through the International Military Training and Cooperation Program and Vietnam’s training programs.

16. Vietnam and Canada decided to explore new areas of cooperation to enhance security, including capacity building in areas of common interest.

About Culture and Education:

17. Vietnam takes positive note of Canada’s efforts to attract more Vietnamese students to study at Canadian educational institutions. Canada welcomes more Vietnamese students to seek educational opportunities in Canada.

18. The two countries recognize that the education sector falls under the jurisdiction of the provincial governments of Canada and decide to enhance and facilitate the expansion of academic cooperation and exchanges, including through the establishment of partnerships and student exchange programs between educational institutions of the two countries.

On Science - Technology and Innovation:

19. Vietnam and Canada will promote and strengthen cooperation in areas such as energy, clean and sustainable technology, agriculture and food, information and communication technology, environmental and marine research, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. The aim is to facilitate the participation of various stakeholders to share information, experiences and topics of mutual interest.

The two countries further seek potential opportunities to collaborate on research and development, deployment and commercialization of clean, advanced and innovative technologies to address the challenges of global climate change.

On People-to-People Exchange:

20. Canada and Vietnam welcome the strong and growing people-to-people ties between the two countries at all levels of society, including in the business, academic, media, cultural, sports, tourism and non-governmental organizations sectors. Canada and Vietnam will work to further promote these ties through cooperation in various fields and between localities of the two countries.

Vietnam and Canada recognize the contributions of the Vietnamese community to Canada. Canada, with its multicultural policy, welcomes Vietnamese values ​​and culture, which strengthens the friendly relations between the two peoples. Both countries encourage people-to-people contacts to promote friendly relations.