Malaysia to bolster support for Vietnam in Halal development, IUU fishing combat

Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan has affirmed that Malaysia will continue assisting Vietnam in developing the Halal industry and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

He made the remarks during the telephone talks on December 12 with Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung to discuss bilateral ties and regional matters of shared concern.

The two ministers expressed their satisfaction at the recent significant advances in the countries' relations, as well as the sound cooperation between the two foreign ministries. They agreed to continue working closely to further enhance the Vietnam – Malaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and to convene the eighth meeting of the joint commission soon to officially adopt the 2026–2030 action plan for implementing the partnership.

Underscoring the importance of economic cooperation, they agreed to strive to raise bilateral trade to 20 billion USD in a more balanced manner, while promoting collaboration in fisheries and expediting the signing of a renewed memorandum of understanding on cooperation in agriculture, fisheries, and food security.

Trung congratulated Malaysia on its excellent fulfilment of the ASEAN Chairmanship this year, praising the successful implementation of numerous new initiatives and progress made in addressing regional issues.

The two ministers also exchanged views on recent regional and international developments, voicing deep concern over the tensions between Cambodia and Thailand.

They agreed to continue coordinating closely with other ASEAN member states to uphold intra-bloc solidarity, and promote the bloc’s centrality and mechanisms to encourage Cambodia and Thailand to exercise restraint, refrain from the use of force, engage in dialogue, and resolve the dispute peacefully, thereby contributing to peace, stability, security, and development in the region and the world./.