In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s upcoming attendance at the G20 Summit and bilateral activities in South Africa at the invitation of President of South Africa and President of G20 in 2025 Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, the diplomat highlighted the significance of the event, noting that it represents another step forward, demonstrating the growing strength and dynamism of bilateral relations.
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South African Ambassador to Vietnam Vuyiswa Tulelo |
According to the ambassador, President Ramaphosa just concluded a state visit to Vietnam from October 22-23 at the invitation of President Luong Cuong, once again highlighting the strengthening of ties between the two nations. The last state-level visit between South Africa and Vietnam was recorded nearly 20 years ago. Therefore, this was not merely a presidential visit but a significant milestone spotlighting the importance of bilateral relations.
On the sidelines of the G20 Summit, the Vietnamese PM and the South African President are expected to sign an agreement to elevate bilateral relations from a comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership, underscoring the strength and importance of bilateral relations, the diplomat said.
Regarding the potential for cooperation between the two countries, Tulelo said during reciprocal visits between the South African Deputy President and the Vietnamese Vice President in 2022 – the year marked the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the two sides challenged themselves that the relationship cannot only be politically sound and strong, and that it has to be elevated in trade and economic relations.
According to the diplomat, since then, the relationship has been growing annually. And again, with the upcoming signing to elevate the bilateral relations, it's an indication that not only do the two sides want to become friends, but they want their people to be able to benefit from that friendship.
"Vietnam is a strategic role player in Southeast Asia, but also in its membership in ASEAN," she said.
For South Africa to have a friend like Vietnam as a dialogue partner in ASEAN is very strategic. Whereas Vietnam are helping the African country to be able to enter the ASEAN market, South Africa opens up doors for Vietnam in Africa through the Africa Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA).
Collaboration between the two countries is highly significant, as they are not competitors but complementary partners in terms of trade relations, she noted.
According to the diplomat, part of the goal in upgrading the relationship is to transfer the skills between the two countries. While exporting raw materials to Vietnam is important, South Africa also would like its people to learn the skills from Vietnamese of how to beneficiate those raw materials.
She highlighted the remarkable achievements Vietnam is making with VinFast and the electric vehicle industry, noting that the country is really breaking boundaries every day as it puts itself as a competitor within the electric vehicle industry.
South Africa may not yet have a strong EV industry, but it has the minerals to produce batteries. "Now imagine the relationship between South Africa and Vietnam, where Vietnam builds the actual electric vehicle and we produce the battery for that. Not only is that a strong and strategic partnership, but it is groundbreaking because it's two countries of the South using their different strengths to elevate each other economically into the world and not being coming in as competitors, but coming in as collaborators," she said.
She stated that the two sides see the possibilities as endless but are confident they are moving in the right direction. On the sidelines of the G20 Summit, PM Pham Minh Chinh and his delegation will engage in discussions with the South African government and ministers to explore concrete and practical ways to strengthen bilateral ties.
Tulelo emphasized that her country’ goal is not merely to become an dialogue partner of ASEAN but to contribute meaningful value to that dialogue partnership.
South Africa does not only want Vietnam to look at it as the gateway to be able to access Africa and the free trade area agreement, it wants Vietnam to know that as the chair of The Southern African Development Community (SADC), South Africa will be there to work Vietnam hand in hand to understand the logistics and signing of a FTA between Vietnam and the South African Customs Union (SACU).
The diplomat noted that in Vietnam’s participation in the G20 and its contributions to representing the shared interests of developing economies for a more equitable and inclusive global economic order, both Vietnam and South Africa have a long history of serving as voices of reason on the international stage - advocating for the voiceless and promoting fair and just treatment for all countries.
For South Africa, the G20 presidency was not just about the country joining the big group, it was about bringing the voice of the under-represented and the marginalized, she said, noting that her country could hardly find a better partner than Vietnam to collaborate with.
She explained that the G20 chairmanship was not merely about hosting, but about recognizing that for the world to grow, past problems and structural issues must be acknowledged. She added that it is necessary to create opportunities for others to have a voice in multilateral forums, while emphasizing that this cannot be achieved alone.
“We need friends, and that's why it's important for Vietnam to be there, and we need Vietnam then. When Vietnam comes back from the G20, as we look forward to the next presidency of the G20, they help us to be an ally and an agitator for an equitable and free and democratic representation of the G20. So we want, we need Vietnam to be part of the G20, but we also need the world to see where solidarity is a deliberate choice,” she concluded.
Source: VNA