People smuggling, money laundering and maritime security will become the focus of new law enforcement and intelligence cooperation between Australia and Vietnam, as the two nations attempt to bolster economic, trade and peacekeeping ties..
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Vietnamese counterpart Phạm Minh Chính described the bilateral relationship as stronger than ever, after meetings and discussions at a special summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations held in Melbourne.
The leaders announced they would enhance law enforcement collaboration between Vietnamese and Australian police, maritime and border authorities to address transnational crime like human trafficking, terrorism and cyber-crime.
Bolstered maritime co-operation through defence and intelligence-sharing also will allow the two countries will combat illegal fishing and cyber operations.
"I am confident that Australia and Vietnam can rise to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow," the prime minister told reporters during a joint press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday.
This comes after a collision between Chinese and Philippine ships in the South-China Sea on Wednesday.
"We express our concerns on the situation in the South China Sea and reaffirm our commitment to peace, security, stability, freedom of navigation and overflight, unimpeded lawful commerce, to the respect for legal and diplomatic processes and to the settlement of disputes, including those in the South China Sea, by peaceful means without resorting to the threat or use of force," they said in a joint statement.
The two leaders also announced a new peacekeeping partnership that will allow Australia to better support Vietnam's efforts in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.
Investment and trade ties have been key to this alliance after the two nations held their first annual Australia-Vietnam trade ministers dialogue in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Trade between the two countries reached $25.7 billion in 2022 - a 75 per cent increase from 2020 that has made Vietnam Australia's 12th largest trading partner.
As a result of these talks, 1000 Vietnamese workers will be welcomed to Australia later in 2024 in an effort to plug agriculture sector labour gaps in regional and remote Australia.
But the bedrock of this bilateral relationship was Australia's multicultural community, the prime minister said.
"There are over 350,000 Australians of Vietnamese heritage and Vietnamese is the fourth most common language spoken at home in Australia," Mr Albanese said.
"Our connections ensure, across generations and geography, (that we will) work together as comprehensive partners."
