On June 10, 2024, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Industry and Trade in coordination with the Australian Embassy and the Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) Program in Vietnam organized the Conference "15th Anniversary of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) and The Business Outlook". The conference was attended by the leaders of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski, New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam Caroline Beresford, representatives of the Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) Program; along with many representatives of relevant ministries, branches, departments, agencies, representatives of associations, businesses, scholars and economic experts.

In his opening speech at the Conference, Mr. Luong Hoang Thai, Director of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, highly appreciated the positive impact of the AANZFTA Agreement on economic and trade cooperation in the region. After nearly 15 years of the Agreement coming into effect, the two-way trade turnover of ASEAN - Australia and ASEAN - New Zealand has recorded impressive growth. The Agreement also contributes to strengthening the supply chain, enhancing the competitiveness of the AANZFTA region in attracting investment and business activities as well as the region's resilience to adverse developments. From the perspective of bilateral relations, Vietnam always attaches importance to and is ready to promote economic and trade cooperation with Australia and New Zealand based on the foundation of good diplomatic relations and taking advantage of opportunities from the FTAs ​​of which the three countries are members, including the AANZFTA Agreement.

Sharing the same views with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Australian Ambassador and the New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam also expressed their hope to promote economic and trade cooperation with Vietnam. Representatives of the Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) Program affirmed their commitment to helping ASEAN member countries maximize the benefits of the AANZFTA Agreement and enhance regional economic cooperation.

After the opening session, delegates attending the Conference listened to presentations introducing the upgraded AANZFTA Agreement, the Regional Trade for Development (RT4D) Program's support for the implementation of the AANZFTA Agreement, and the upgraded AANZFTA Agreement with the handling of emerging issues in the current context.

Also at the Conference, scholars, experts, and business representatives participated in three thematic discussions on: (i) 15 years of implementing the AANZFTA - Looking back at the impact of the Agreement on Vietnam's development, regional cooperation and prosperity. Orientations for future bilateral and multilateral cooperation; (ii) Modern approaches to address trade barriers and new ways to improve trade facilitation; (iii) AANZFTA and the future vision of ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand economic and trade relations: opportunities and challenges, towards a green, circular economy, small and medium enterprises, environment and sustainable development. The thematic discussions provided comprehensive, multi-dimensional and objective perspectives on the AANZFTA Agreement, proposing policy recommendations and solutions for both the public and private sectors to make more effective use of the Agreement in the current context.

The conference was a great success, marking the cooperative efforts between Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand for the development and prosperity of the region and each country, opening up new cooperation opportunities for the governments, business communities and people of the three countries./.