This view was shared by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard at their meeting in Canberra on April 10.

The two leaders said they were pleased with the recent developments in Vietnam-Australia relations in a number of fields and appreciated the efficiency of their bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Mr Phuc congratulated Australia on its achievements in national construction and development and praised the country for regarding Vietnam as one of its priority countries for development in Asia while  PM Julia Gillard highlighted Mr Phuc’s visit to Australia as an important event in bilateral ties.

On regional and international issues of mutual concern, the two sides shared common views on the importance of maintaining peace, stability and cooperation in the East Sea, saying that the East Sea issue needs to be dealt with based on respect for international laws, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They also agreed to continue their close cooperation and coordination at regional and international forums and support each other for candidacy for UN agencies.

The Deputy PM met with Australia’s leading healthcare and justice experts on the same day to share experiences in controlling and preventing HIV/AIDS and other social evils.

Deputy PM Phuc met with senior Australian officials earlier and witnessed the signing of a criminal extradition agreement between the Vietnamese and Australian governments and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the Vietnam Ministry of Justice and Australia’s Attorney-General Department (AG).

During the visit, other members of the Vietnamese delegation also met with Australia’s Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, Chris Craigie, and Attorney-General Nicola Roxon.

The Vietnamese Government delegation led by Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc is on a visit to Australia from April 9-14 at the invitation of Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan.