Strengthening Defense Relations Between Vietnam and Australia Impacting the Future of Regional Security
In a significant display of mutual support, Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defence of Vietnam, and Hugh Jeffrey, Deputy Secretary General of the Australian Defence Department, recently signed a three-year cooperation plan for 2025-2027. This agreement follows the 8th Vietnam-Australia Defence Policy Dialogue, which highlighted the steady progress in bilateral defence ties between the two countries.
During the dialogue, Senior Lieutenant General Chien reaffirmed Vietnam's strong support for the ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He praised Australia's active and constructive role in regional multilateral forums, particularly the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+).
Australian Deputy Secretary General of Defence, Hugh Jeffrey, expressed his delight at the development in relations between the two countries, emphasizing defense cooperation as one of the main pillars contributing to this development. He also expressed hope for the expansion and strengthening of closer defense cooperation between the two sides in the coming time, with the aim of overcoming common challenges together.
Training cooperation is the foundation of the defense relationship between Vietnam and Australia, according to Senior Lieutenant General Chien. Key areas of collaboration over recent years include joint training, United Nations peacekeeping missions, military affairs coordination, intelligence sharing, military medicine, war legacy clearance, search and rescue operations, and defence industry development.
Jeffrey applauded the Australian Ministry of Defence's efforts to deepen defence cooperation with ASEAN, including the successful organisation of the inaugural Australia-ASEAN High-Level Defence Dialogue in May. He also emphasized the importance of effectively implementing the three-year cooperation plan (2025-2027) and the Peacekeeping Partnership Agreement.
Looking forward, both sides proposed strengthening high-level exchanges and deepening collaboration in armed services, military medicine, border management, and effectively implementing their 2025-2027 defense cooperation plan. They also emphasized deploying the Peacekeeping Partnership Agreement and enhancing coordination within multilateral frameworks such as the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).
Regarding the East Sea issues, Jeffrey emphasized the importance of maintaining respect for each country's sovereignty, international law, and common rules. Vietnam advocates for resolving disputes and disagreements in the East Sea (South China Sea) through peaceful means based on international law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and the early conclusion of a substantive and efficient Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
Vietnam adheres to the 'four no' defense policy, which includes no participation in military alliances, no alliance with one country to fight another, no foreign military bases, and no use of force in international relations. Senior Lieutenant General Chien suggested strengthening cooperation between military services and border management, an idea that Jeffrey agreed with.
The dialogue showcased a comprehensive and multifaceted defense partnership aligned with the Vietnam-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework and underscored commitments to peacekeeping, capacity building, and regional security collaboration. Both sides signed the three-year cooperation plan with the aim of further strengthening their defense ties in the coming years.
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