Da Nang (VNA) – Vietnam and Australia issued a joint press releaseon the outcomes of the talks between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and PrimeMinister Malcolm Turnbull in Da Nang city onNovember 10.

The following is the full text of the joint press release.

“Vietnam - Australia
Joint Press Release
Bilateral talks between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc
and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull

1. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc andPrime Minister Malcolm Turnbull held bilateral talks on November 10 duringPrime Minister Turnbull’s visit to Da Nang for the 2017 APEC Summit. 2. The two Prime Ministers had awide-ranging and productive discussion about the Australia - Vietnamrelationship and regional and international issues of mutual concern. Bothsides were pleased with the strong development of the Enhanced ComprehensivePartnership between Vietnam and Australia and agreed that the relationship ischaracterized by mutual respect and shared interests, as well as a joint commitmentto maintaining peace, stability and respect for international law in the Asia-Pacificregion. Noting this strong foundation and the potential for the two countries towork more closely together on a range of issues, the two Prime Ministers agreedthat the Vietnam-Australia relationship should be elevated to the level of aStrategic Partnership. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam and theDepartment of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia will continue their jointwork in order for leaders to be able to sign the new Strategic Partnership atthe earliest convenience. 3. The two sides agreed to maintainhigh-level exchanges to strengthen close bonds and mutual trust between the twocountries and broaden people-to-people links. They also committed to fullyimplement the Vietnam-Australia Plan of Action 2016-2019, and to accelerate anddeepen cooperation across a range of areas, including defence, trade,investment, development, education, labor, tourism, law, finance, informationand communication. 4. Recognizing that closer defence andsecurity cooperation should be an important focus of the upcoming StrategicPartnership, the two Prime Ministers agreed to continue military visits anddialogues and to promote cooperation in peace-keeping, aviation and maritimesecurity and safety, counter-terrorism, special forces, war legacy issues, andofficer training. 5. Both sides noted the progress in bilateraltrade and investment cooperation, and pledged to deepen trade and directinvestment and to work together to integrate the two countries' economies moredeeply into the regional economy. The two Prime Ministers encouraged the earlycommencement of Ministerial-level consultation on the “Economic Partnership”,which will further bring together trade, investment and development prioritiesof the two countries. Australia's development assistance to Vietnam willcontinue to focus on priority areas such as private sector development, agricultureand rural development, infrastructure, climate change, capacity building,innovation and gender equality. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the signing ofa new women’s economic empowerment program“Aus4Equality” and the announcementof the “Innovation Partnership” in Da Nang. 6. To promote regional peace, stabilityand security, both sides agreed to continue cooperation in regional andinternational fora, especially the East Asia Summit (EAS), in which ASEAN playsa central role. Prime Minister Phuc expressed appreciation for Australia'ssupport to Vietnam during its year as APEC host. Vietnam will work closely withASEAN members and Australia to prepare for the ASEAN-Australia Special Summitto be held in Sydney in March 2018. 7. The two Prime Ministers welcomed the substantialprogress made so far on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in the new context  and looked forward to bringing the TPP intoforce expeditiously. 8. Both sides reaffirmed the importanceof maintaining peace and stability in the region, including in the South ChinaSea. They underlined their shared interest in protecting freedom of navigationand overflight, and the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in accordancewith international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law ofthe Sea (UNCLOS), without resorting to the threat or use of force. The PrimeMinisters called on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid actions thatcould erode trust and undermine efforts to manage tensions, including militarizationactivities on disputed features. Both sides called on all parties to fullyimplement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea(DOC) and affirmed the importance of the early finalization of an effective,legally-binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). 9. PrimeMinister Turnbull reiterated that he looked forward to welcoming Prime MinisterPhuc to Australia at the time of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in 2018.”-VNA