Vietnam, Australia move to set up joint research centre

Hanoi (VNA) - President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA) and Chairman of the Party Central Committee's Theoretical Council Nguyen Xuan Thang hosted a reception for Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie on August 26.

They discussed and agreed on contents related to a project to set up a Vietnam-Australia research centre, which aims to realise the Governments’ joint statement.

The project will be carried out by the HCMA and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia, together with the Embassy of Australia in Vietnam.

Sponsored by the Australian Government, the centre will help Vietnam access and apply technical knowledge and skills to contribute to the sustainable economic development and comprehensive growth of the country, as well as the long-standing relations with Australia. 

The establishment of the centre is to capitalise on the Australian side’s professional level and experience in improving capacity for the future leaders of Vietnam and deepen people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between ministries and sectors of the countries, Thang underlined.

He attached importance to training cooperation up to international standards, which is suitable for Vietnam’s current development conditions.

In reply, Mudie spoke highly of the outcomes of the countries’ cooperation in recent years. She said that future discussions will be needed with the engagement of ministries, departments and sectors.

At the event, Thang thanked the Australian Government for its support for Vietnam in the COVID-19 fight and its commitment to providing 40 million AUD (29 million USD) for the country's COVID-19 vaccine access and sharing 1.5 million AstraZeneca doses with Vietnam.

He affirmed that the countries’ cooperation has been built on mutual respect and trust, alongside common concerns and close bonds demonstrated through effective cooperation in the fields of politics, economy, national defence-security, education and people-to-people diplomacy. 

Of note, the sides have supported each other in battling COVID-19 over the recent past.

The Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership has flourished despite complicated developments of COVID-19. The countries have maintained regular exchanges, with the recent phone talks between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison, and the signing of an action plan to implement the strategic partnership for the 2020-23 period./.