Vietnam-Malaysia joint statement on strategic partnership                The Vietnamese and Malaysian governments have issued a joint statement on framework for the bilateral strategic partnership.    Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (right) and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Tun Rajak (Source: VNA) Following is the full text of the statement:  1. At the invitation of The Honourable Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia, His Excellency Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of Vietnam, paid an official visit to Malaysia from 7 to 8 August 2015.  2. During the visit, Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Mohd Najib held a bilateral meeting with His Excellency Nguyen Tan Dung on 7 August 2015. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the remarkable progress achieved in bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties on 30 March 1973. The two leaders, taking into consideration the 42 nd Anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries, recognized the importance of further strengthening links and enhancing relations between both sides.  3. Both sides recognised that over the last 40 years of diplomatic relations, the bilateral relations have profoundly been strengthened both in breadth and depth. Substantive progress and achievements had been made through cooperation in various fields, namely political and diplomatic cooperation, bilateral, regional and international cooperation, the economic, financial sector, trade and investment cooperation, defense and security, agriculture, labour, energy, education, culture, youth and sports, social activities and tourism, transportation as well as science, technology and innovation . Such excellent bilateral cooperation has entailed positive contribution towards maintaining peace, stability and promoting prosperity in the region and the world.  4. The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of the bilateral relations and the broad range of cooperation between Malaysia and Vietnam on regional and global issues. Both sides agreed to establish Strategic Partnership between Malaysia and Vietnam. The Partnership lays out a clear framework to enhance the bilateral relationship on a strategic, comprehensive and long-term perspective, deepening mutual trust and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefits which serve the best interests of the two peoples. The two leaders agreed that officials from both countries would discuss and develop a Plan of Action to take forward these interests.  5. Both sides agreed to continue to increase regular exchanges of high-level visits and contacts at all levels, intensify the relations among Government, Party and Parliament’s agencies. The two sides encouraged the exchange and cooperation between the Vietnam-Malaysia Friendship Association and Malaysian relevant organisations in an endeavour to make a strong linkage and contribute to further enhancing friendship and understanding between the two peoples.  6. Both sides agreed to maintain and develop the effectiveness of cooperation mechanism such as the Malaysia – Vietnam Senior Officials Dialogue (SOD) to encourage continued annual consultations and dialogue between senior officials of both countries and the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs as well as between other ministries, aiming at enhancing cooperation and exchanging of views on bilateral and major international and regional issues of mutual interest.  7. Both sides agreed to effectively implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Bilateral Defense Cooperation between the Government of Malaysia and the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (2008). Both sides committed to strengthen the cooperation between armed forces. This will help increase mutual trust and make positive contribution to maintaining of regional security and stability. The aforesaid cooperation may include cooperation between navy forces and capacity building in coordination between both sides and with other ASEAN countries to combat non-traditional challenges as well as to share information on strategic, defense and security issues. The two sides reiterated the importance of close cooperation in regional defense fora, towards building a peaceful, prosperous and strong ASEAN Community.  8. Both sides attached utmost importance in the field of security and agreed to cooperate further in the fight against organised/transnational crime and to designate national focal points on national security issues in both countries. Both sides reaffirmed the commitment not to allow any individual or organization to use one country’s territory to conduct activities against the other country. Both sides also agreed to expedite the signing of the MoU on Cooperation in Preventing and Combating Transnational Crimes and the Bilateral Agreement on Preventing and Combating People Trafficking between Vietnam and Malaysia, thus creating a legal framework for the exchanges of information and experience in combating crimes.  9. Both sides celebrated the strong progress of economic relations between Malaysia and Vietnam, as a result, bilateral trade values reached over 9 billion USD in 2014. In face of the ongoing global financial and economic challenges, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintain economic growth. Towards enhancing bilateral trade ties, both sides stood ready to deepen cooperation and improve the effectiveness of Malaysia-Vietnam trade cooperation. Both sides agreed to working closely together to increase bilateral trade value to US$15 billion or higher by 2020; undertaking regular exchange of trade missions, trade fairs and exhibitions to promote the expansion of trade between both countries, as well as strengthen linkages between national trade promoting organizations, chambers of commerce and manufacturers associations of Malaysia and Vietnam to develop trade and market opportunities. Both sides also reaffirmed commitments in maintaining favourable conditions for investors of both countries to explore investment opportunities in each country.  10. Both sides emphasised the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation and joint approaches in regard to more effective participation in multilateral and regional fora such as World Trade Organization (WTO), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN). Both sides also committed to furthering cooperation, in order to deepen economic integration of the two countries, towards the realization of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. In this regard, the two sides agreed to jointly promote the benefits and opportunities arising from the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA), ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS) and other related agreements to the private sectors of both countries.  11. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation with a view towards promoting closer financial linkages and enhancing the supervisory and regulatory systems of banking, insurance, capital market and other sub-sectors of the financial sector, including financial services and recognized the importance of capacity-building measures to these ends, taking into account existing Memoranda of Understanding between Bank Negara Malaysia and the State Bank of Vietnam and other MoUs entered into between relevant authorities in the respective countries.  12. Both sides agreed to encourage dialogue and promote cooperation in agriculture, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture, food processing , sanitary and phytosanitary and rural development. Both sides agreed to exchange information on agricultural policy in general and the possibilities for facilitating trade in agriculture from the establishment of the Joint Committee Meeting under the Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Cooperation signed on April 4, 2014.  13. Both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on the employment of foreign workers with the intention to improve the recruitment of Vietnamese workers in Malaysia. Both sides also agreed to establish MoU for the recruitment and placement of Vietnamese domestic workers in Malaysia.  14. Both sides reiterated their commitment to strengthen bilateral cooperation in energy sector, especially in the fields of oil and gas, electricity and renewable energy. Both sides agreed to create favorable conditions to develop joint venture agreement between the Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). Both sides reaffirmed to strengthen the long – established cooperation in oil and gas sector between Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) and Viet Nam Oil and Gas Group (Petro Viet Nam) and agreed not only to continuously support and to facilitate development or existing joint projects in both countries, but also to broaden investment cooperation in third country, gradually establish strategic partnership between the two national oil companies.  15. Both sides agreed to further enhance the existing cooperation arrangements in the field of fisheries and aquaculture. On IUU fishing, both sides agreed to enhance cooperation to address the issue under the framework of the Regional Plan of Action to Combat IUU Fishing (RPOA-IUU). In the same vein, both sides agreed to discuss further cooperation to address other IUU Fishing-related matters during the next Technical Working Group on Fisheries (TWGF) under the Memorandum of Understanding on Agriculture Cooperation between Malaysia and Vietnam.  16. Both sides welcomed the negotiation on the Memorandum of Understanding on Legal Cooperation Activities between the Ministry of Justice of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Attorney General’s Chambers of Malaysia and encouraged early conclusion of the negotiation.  17. Both sides agreed that both countries should explore many areas of cooperation in the field of education, including exchange programs of scholars, teachers, experts and students of the two countries, and promote exchanges and cooperation between educational institutions of both countries.  18. Both sides reiterated to broaden cooperation in such areas as culture, youth and sports, social activities, tourism and transportation, communication, information and technology, television, media and publishing.  19. Both sides agreed to promote exchange of views and cooperate extensively and intensively; share positions and support each other in regional and international fora and organizations such as the United Nations and relevant United Nations Agencies, the Non Aligned Movement, ASEM, FEALAC as well as within ASEAN mechanisms with dialogue partners. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the successful building of an ASEAN Community in 2015 and promote the development of ASEAN Community post 2015 as well as to attach high importance to the promotion of linkages, regional connectivity, narrowing the development gap, sub-regional cooperation, natural disaster management and mitigation, human resource training and development, and cooperation on maritime issues.  20. Cognisance of the fact that Malaysia and Vietnam are maritime nations, the two Prime Ministers recognised the importance of forging closer maritime cooperation, including sharing of information and intelligence in addressing and combating maritime security threats, enhancing shipping and port linkages, enhanced coordination in search and rescue activities as well as other activities, as agreed by both sides.  21. The two Prime Ministers exchanged views on matters relating to the South China Sea and expressed concern over the recent developments, and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation in and over-flight over the South China Sea. Both Prime Ministers shared the views that upholding ASEAN’s unity and centrality is of utmost importance in addressing/managing these matters.  22. The two Prime Ministers further reaffirmed the importance for all parties concerned to settle all their maritime disputes and differences through peaceful means, in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982), and to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that could complicate the situation or escalate the tension, as well as to not resort to threat or use of force in handling their disputes and differences in the South China Sea.  23. The two Prime Ministers underscored the importance of the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety, and expressed the commitment of Malaysia and Viet Nam towards that end. Both Prime Ministers emphasised the importance for the early establishment of an effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC). Both Prime Ministers urged all parties to increase consultations and intensified efforts towards building, maintaining and enhancing mutual trust as well as finding durable solution to the disputes in the South China Sea.  24. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung thanked the Government and the people of Malaysia for the warm hospitality extended to him and the Viet Namese high-level delegation. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung cordially invited Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to pay an official visit to Vietnam at his convenient time. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak accepted the invitation with pleasure.       VNA