HÀ NỘI — Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên led the Vietnamese delegation to the ninth meeting of the Commission of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and related activities, held in Melbourne, Australia, from November 20–21.

At the session, ministers and senior officials reviewed and agreed on several key matters, including items requiring upgrade negotiations, progress in Costa Rica’s accession process, consideration of initiating accession talks with a number of other economies, and assessments of implementation and outstanding issues under the agreement.

Delegates were also briefed on Việt Nam’s preparations and priority agenda for 2026, when the country will take over the CPTPP Chairmanship. Việt Nam’s proposal to establish a CPTPP support unit to help address resource constraints received strong backing and unanimous endorsement from member economies.

The meeting adopted the Joint Statement of the ninth CPTPP Commission and agreed to open accession negotiations with Uruguay. Negotiations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Philippines and Indonesia are set to commence in 2026 when conditions permit.

On the meeting’s margins, CPTPP–EU and CPTPP–ASEAN trade and investment dialogues were convened to enhance connectivity between the CPTPP, the EU and ASEAN, thereby fostering cooperation amid increasing global economic and trade volatility.

The Vietnamese delegation made active and substantive contributions that were well recognised by other members. Minister Diên also held bilateral discussions with counterparts from New Zealand, Japan, the UK and the EU on issues of mutual concern and ways to advance economic and trade cooperation.

The 10th CPTPP Commission at ministerial level will take place in 2026, chaired by Việt Nam, with Australia and Peru serving as Vice Chairs.

Addressing the meeting, Minister Diên noted that 2026 is forecast to remain a challenging period for the global economy and trade, while CPTPP members will face an unprecedented workload linked to implementation, upgrading and expansion of the agreement.

In this context, he affirmed that Việt Nam is honoured to take on the 2026 Chairmanship and is committed to fulfilling the role with the utmost responsibility, building on Australia’s achievements as Chair in 2025 and injecting fresh momentum into the CPTPP.

He stressed Việt Nam’s intention to promote a comprehensive agenda focused on strengthening implementation, advancing upgrade negotiations, broadening engagement with key partners, concluding Costa Rica’s accession, and progressing other accession processes. Việt Nam also aims to work with members to reinforce coordination mechanisms and enhance support for CPTPP economies.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the CPTPP is Việt Nam’s first next-generation free trade agreement. It has markedly strengthened the country’s foreign trade.

As of October, Việt Nam’s trade with CPTPP partners reached US$102.8 billion, up 20.6 per cent year-on-year; exports hit $58.3 billion, rising 26 per cent, while imports totalled $44.5 billion, up 14.47 per cent from the same period in 2024. — VNA/VNS