Following is the full text of the
joint communiqué.
“Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific, the Rt. Hon. Mark Field MP, and
Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son co-chaired the sixth
UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue on January 5, 2018 in Hanoi. The Dialogue flowed from the bilateral
Strategic Partnership signed in 2010 and was an important moment to assess and
steer the Partnership.
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During the dialogue. Photo: chinhphu.vn
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“Both sides agreed to promote
exchange of delegations at various levels, including high-level visits and to
enhance the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation mechanisms. There was a
shared understanding of the importance of championing and delivering free
trade, including the support for early ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free
Trade Agreement and commitment to avoiding any disruption in the growth of
bilateral relations following the UK’s exit from the European Union
and to ensuring continuity in key areas. Both sides welcomed the further
broadening and strengthening of the Strategic Partnership. Bilateral trade and
investment continues to expand as the total trade in goods and services
increased 22 percent in 2016 reaching GBP 4.8 billion. There was discussion and
agreement to further enhance cooperation on improving the business environment
in Vietnam, including
through the UK’s
Prosperity Fund Program.
“Cooperation on education, training,
skills, research and innovation remains at the core of the Partnership and is
growing strongly. The number of UK Chevening Scholarship places available for
Vietnamese applicants has increased significantly in recent years and both
sides agreed to work more closely to promote the scheme to applicants from all
areas including the public sector.
“There was discussion about the
importance of cooperation on consular matters. The UK thanked the Vietnamese
authorities for their help and support when British citizens had needed during
the past year. Both sides agreed to continue discussions aimed at strengthening
further cooperation in this area.
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The chairs of the sixth
UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue. Photo: VGP
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“Both sides welcomed new areas of
collaboration since the fifth Strategic Dialogue in 2016. This included more
and higher level defense engagement in all areas of cooperation including
delegation exchange, training, sharing of views and information on issues of
mutual interest, defense industry and UN peacekeeping. To further enhance this
cooperation, both sides agreed to continue effectively implementing all the
signed documents and taking full advantage of the current working mechanisms.
The cooperation to tackle serious organized crime was commended and both sides
agreed to focus even more effort to tackle the risks of sexual exploitation and
abuse of children. The importance of joint work to combat modern slavery and
human trafficking was emphasized. To drive forward this cooperation, both sides
agreed to quickly complete a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on human
trafficking/modern slavery. The importance of human rights and the role they
play in building stable, open and prosperous societies was also discussed.
“Vietnam-UK collaboration on
combating illegal wildlife trade was discussed, particularly the positive steps
Vietnam
has taken domestically and in hosting the Hanoi Conference in 2016. Both sides
agreed to continue their collaboration, including in the preparation for the
London IWT Conference that will take place in 2018.
“The Dialogue included detailed
discussions of the many regional and global challenges faced at present,
including chemical and nuclear proliferation, international terrorism and
climate change. Both sides underlined the need for multilateralism and
cooperation at multilateral fora, respect for international law and a
rules-based approach to finding enduring solutions to the issues, and agreed to
further work together at the United Nations and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).
The UK took note of Vietnam’s intention to host, and undertook to consider
support for the ASEM Conference on Climate Action to achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals hosted by Vietnam in 2018. On the South
China Sea (East Sea), both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining
regional peace, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in
this region. Both sides reaffirm that all disputes need to be resolved by
peaceful means in accordance with universally recognized principles of
international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS), without resorting to the threat or use of force. Both sides
highlighted that all Parties concerned should implement their international
obligations in good faith and refrain from actions that could further
complicate the situation and increase tensions in the region. The UK supports ASEAN and China’s early signing of COC.
“2018 will mark the dual anniversary
of 45 years of diplomatic relations between the UK
and Vietnam and 25 years of
the British Council operating in Vietnam. To mark this, and the
strength and warmth of the Strategic Partnership, both sides agreed to plan a
year of events to celebrate the Vietnam
in the UK and the UK in Vietnam.”
Source: VNA