OPENING A NEW CHAPTER IN VIETNAM-MALAYSIA RELATIONS

Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse have just concluded an official visit to Malaysia at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his spouse. The visit has marked an important milestone in the elevation of Vietnam-Malaysia relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, opening a new chapter in the bilateral cooperation for peace, stability, sustainability, inclusivity, and shared prosperity, as well as for a united, self-reliant, and prosperous ASEAN community.

VIETNAM-MALAYSIA COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

During the visit, talks and meetings between Party General Secretary To Lam and Malaysian leaders took place in an atmosphere of sincerity and trust.

The two sides congratulated each other on their development achievements, and reviewed the strong, profound and comprehensive outcomes of the Vietnam-Malaysia relationship since the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relationship in 1973, especially the significant milestones in both bilateral and multilateral aspects since the two countries upgraded their ties to a Strategic Partnership in 2015.

Based on the achieved results as well as opportunities and potential to further develop the partnership to new heights, Party General Secretary To Lam and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim decided to elevate the Vietnam-Malaysia relationship to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

 

With this decision, Vietnam and Malaysia have affirmed their commitment to support each other’s development paths as well as to continue fostering and strengthening the friendly cooperation and political confidence between the two countries on the basis of respect for international law, independence, and each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions. 

The directions and measures for the implementation of the comprehensive strategic partnership shall be in accordance with the socio-economic context, law and regulations of each country and the principle of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. 

The joint statement on upgrading Vietnam-Malaysia ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership underlines the two sides’ agreement on directions to further deepen and enhance relations in all fields, with a special focus on breakthrough measures to strengthen the connections, resolve difficulties and promote cooperation; to embark on a new chapter in the bilateral cooperation for peace, stability, sustainability, inclusivity, and shared prosperity; and for a united, resilient and prosperous ASEAN Community, with the main pillars.

These results include promoting political, defence and security cooperation; enhancing economic connectivity towards sustainable development; opening cooperation in new areas such as digital transformation, clean energy, and new technology; and helping to strengthen coordination on international and multilateral issues. 

During the visit, General Secretary To Lam had meetings with the Vietnamese community in Malaysia, including typical overseas Vietnamese representatives, leaders of associations, intellectuals, and Vietnamese businessmen in ASEAN member countries. 

General Secretary To Lam was pleased to see that the Vietnamese communities are constantly growing, making increasingly important contributions to socio-economic development in ASEAN countries, as well as to the development of friendly relations and cooperation between Vietnam and other countries. 

The General Secretary asked overseas Vietnamese to continue to play a bridging role in the relations between Vietnam and other countries as well as to contribute to the development of each country.

CONTRIBUTING TO STRENGTHENING ASEAN’S SOLIDARITY, SELF-RELIANCE AND CENTRAL ROLE

Along with the vision for the next stage in Vietnam-Malaysia relations, Vietnam’s respect for ASEAN and the vision of a prosperous, united and developed ASEAN Community were emphasised by Party General Secretary To Lam during his official visit to Malaysia. 

In his policy speech at the University of Malaya, the oldest and most prestigious university of Malaysia, the cradle of many famous politicians and intellectuals in Malaysia, the General Secretary affirmed that Vietnam’s development path cannot be separated from the world and the region.

Vietnam cannot achieve its development goals without solidarity, valuable support and effective cooperation from the international community, including Malaysia and ASEAN partners.

General Secretary To Lam affirmed that Vietnam supports Malaysia's role as ASEAN Chair in 2025 and reaffirmed Vietnam's commitment to continue closely coordinating with Malaysia and all ASEAN member countries towards realising the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 through promoting inclusive growth and sustainable development and enhancing regional cooperation.

The joint statement stated that the two sides have emphasised the importance of maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region, and are committed to strengthening cooperation in areas of mutual interest, thus contributing to ASEAN's solidarity, centrality and self-reliance.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to further promoting fair, inclusive, and sustainable development within the ASEAN Community by linking sub-regional development with ASEAN's overall development goals.

The leaders of both countries reiterated ASEAN's consistent stance on the East Sea/South China Sea and reaffirmed their commitment to continued close coordination to maintain peace, security, stability, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea.

Both sides called for the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the creation of a favourable environment for negotiations on an effective, substantive, and legally binding Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

As noted by Malaysian leaders themselves, the visit by Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse holds significant importance, providing a strong impetus to enhance mutual understanding and deepen cooperation between the two countries in a new phase. The visit also underscores the shared desire of Vietnam and Malaysia to work together in building a united, cohesive, and prosperous ASEAN Community.