Significant outcomes of PM's official visit to Malaysia

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son recently shared insights into the outcomes of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Malaysia and participation in the 46th ASEAN Summit and related high-level meetings.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim chaired a press conference on the afternoon of May 25.

According to Deputy PM Bui Thanh Son, the official visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his spouse, and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to Malaysia concluded with great success, yielding numerous important outcomes and reaffirming Vietnam’s increasingly respected role and position in the region.

“The Malaysian Government accorded Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the delegation a warm and respectful welcome, with the highest level of protocol, reflecting Malaysia’s special regard for Vietnam—the country’s only Comprehensive Strategic Partner within ASEAN,” Deputy PM Son stated.

The visit not only reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy direction set by the 13th National Party Congress but also underscored Vietnam’s priority in deepening ties with strategic partners, particularly regional neighbors like Malaysia, toward more profound, comprehensive, substantive, and breakthrough development.

During the visit, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held substantive and productive discussions with senior Malaysian leaders. A key highlight was the agreement to establish an annual dialogue mechanism between the two Prime Ministers, aimed at promptly resolving bottlenecks and enhancing bilateral cooperation in line with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework. Both sides also finalized a draft Action Plan to implement the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for 2025–2030, scheduled for signing later this year.

Vietnam and Malaysia also shared common views on regional and international issues, including reaffirming ASEAN’s unified stance on the East Sea, reflecting the two nations' strategic alignment in promoting peace, stability, and regional security.

Economically, both countries agreed to target US$20 billion in two-way trade by 2030, striving for greater balance. Specific measures include limiting trade barriers, facilitating the import and export of key products, and expanding cooperation in digital economy, circular economy, green economy, just energy transition, science and technology, and innovation.

Beyond the economic sphere, the two countries pledged to enhance security and defense cooperation. Agreements are being pursued to strengthen collaboration in combating transnational crimes, cybercrimes, and terrorist or subversive organizations. Notably, discussions are underway on establishing a consultation mechanism for maritime issues and a hotline to coordinate efforts against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Vietnam’s prominent role at the 46th ASEAN summit

A noteworthy outcome of the visit was the signing of three significant agreements in the fields of energy and education-training between major agencies and enterprises from Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.

At the 46th ASEAN Summit, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, alongside the Prime Ministers of Malaysia and Singapore, witnessed the signing of an appendix to the cooperation agreement on offshore wind power export from Vietnam to Singapore. This landmark project—featuring participation from PTSC (Vietnam), MYEC (Malaysia), and Sembcorp (Singapore)—marks a major step forward in regional energy cooperation and brings the vision of a unified ASEAN power grid closer to reality.

During the 46th ASEAN Summit, the Vietnamese delegation led by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also made proactive, practical, and breakthrough contributions.

A significant achievement was the adoption of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on “ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future” and the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. These were supported by four major strategies encompassing political-security, economic, socio-cultural, and connectivity dimensions, underscoring ASEAN’s proactive role in shaping a peaceful, secure, and prosperous regional future.

A historic moment was the decision to officially admit Timor-Leste as ASEAN’s 11th member in October—a milestone expansion after three decades that highlights ASEAN’s inclusive and cohesive identity.

The summit also emphasized the importance of expanding linkages to adapt to geopolitical and geo-economic shifts. High-level meetings such as the ASEAN-GCC Summit and ASEAN-GCC-China Summit opened new avenues for diversifying partners, markets, and supply chains, thus bolstering inter-regional cooperation.

Amidst rising global fragmentation, the Prime Minister urged ASEAN and its partners to intensify dialogue, strengthen trust, and uphold free, fair, and rules-based trade. He emphasized the importance of maintaining ASEAN’s centrality and its strategic connectivity via existing free trade agreements.

At the ASEAN-GCC and ASEAN-GCC-China Summits, Vietnam put forward breakthrough proposals to boost trade, investment, and supply chain integration. Vietnam also proposed initiating an ASEAN-GCC Free Trade Agreement and exploring a trilateral ASEAN-GCC-China FTA. Priority areas suggested included renewable energy, smart agriculture, sustainable infrastructure, green technology, aviation, tourism, and regional financial connectivity.