Indonesian President's visit expected to boost strategic ties with VN

This is the first official visit to Viet Nam since Widodo became the Indonesian President in 2014. 

Traditional relationship

The two nation established diplomatic ties in 1955. Since then, the two nations inked a number of cooperative agreements and set up several cooperative mechanisms such as the Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation and Bilateral Cooperation Committee at foreign ministerial level.

In 2003, the two nations signed the Declaration on the Framework of Friendly and Comprehensive Cooperation Entering the 21st Century and the Agreement on the Demarcation of the boundaries of continental shelf on the occasion of Indonesian President Megawati’s official visit to Viet Nam.

The two countries issued a joint communiqué affirming their resolve to work toward strategic partnership on the occasion of PM Nguyen Tan Dung’s official visit to Indonesia in September 2011.

Three years latter, the two sides signed a Joint Statement on the establishment of Strategic Partnership during State President Truong Tan Sang’s State visit to Indonesia.

In 2017, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong paid an official visit to Indonesia, marking the first official visit by a Party chief to Indonesia and opening a new chapter in the two countries’ relationship.

Cooperation promoted across all fields

The two-way trade value increased from US$4.6 billion in 2012 to US$6.5 billion in 2017 and US$4.6 billion over the first seven months of 2018.

Both sides set goal to raise the two-way trade to US$10 billion by 2020.

As of June 2018, Indonesia ranked 5^th among ASEAN nations and 30^th among 126 countries and territories investing in Viet Nam with total registered capital of US$514 million in 71 projects in fields of petrol, coal, banking, hotels, wood processing, fiber production and garments.

Indonesia is one of the first regional countries to establish defense and security ties with Viet Nam.

The two sides inked Memoranda of Understanding on sea and fishery cooperation, agricultural, financial and energy cooperation.

The Indonesian President’s upcoming visit to Viet Nam is expected to shape the bilateral cooperation orientations in the years to come./.

By Thuy Dung