Pakistan–Vietnam relations

Pakistani-Vietnamese relations

Pakistan	Vietnam

Pakistan-Vietnam relations, or Pakistani-Vietnamese relations, refers to the bilateral relationship between the

Vietnam provided US$50,000 worth of aid to Pakistan during the catastrophic 2010 floods.^[10]

Trade links

In early 1998, Vietnam sent a group of businessmen to Pakistan, which had a meeting with the Ministry of Commerce of Pakistan and visited various factories and companies to study the economic environment and opportunities to do business with Pakistani companies.^[11]

Trade between the two countries increased from US$10 million in 1999 to US$150 million in 2008.^[12] Pakistan is Vietnam's largest tea importer.^[13] Vietnam's imports from Pakistan consist of cotton, leather and pharmaceutical products. Potential for imports from Pakistan include motorcycles, surgical instruments and investment in coal mining and aquaculture.^[14][15] Vietnam has also purchased military equipment and armaments from Pakistan, causing tensions in its relationship with India.^[16]

Meanwhile, Vietnam has the potential to export raw rubber and various rubber products and machinery to Pakistan.^{[citation needed]}

In 2021, Pakistani-Vietnamese trade reached an all-time high of over $794 million, a boost of 54.41% from 2020.^[17][18][19]

Political cooperation

In May 2001 General Pervez Musharraf, paid an official visit to Vietnam. In March 2004, President Trần Đức Lương, at the invitation of President Pervez Musharraf, also visited Pakistan.^[20] Pakistan considers Vietnam an important diplomatic partner, because of Vietnam full membership of ASEAN, and Vietnam support of Pakistan's bid to be a full dialogue partner of ASEAN.^[21] Therefore, under the Pakistan "East Asia Vision Strategy" foreign policy, Vietnam has the potential to promote Pakistan's mutual interests in ASEAN, whereas Pakistan supports Vietnam bid for non-permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.^[22] Vietnam's support for Pakistan in 2011 for EU duty waiver for its textile products has also been seen as very critical by Pakistani diplomats.^[23]

Pakistan's counter to Indian influence in Vietnam

Pakistan has been seriously following Vietnamese diplomacy and has a sense of wary over the development of strong ties between India and Vietnam, consequently having the potential of deteriorating relations between Pakistan and Vietnam. This is due to the fact that Pakistan is a long-time close ally of China, the latter of which has tense relations with Vietnam. Developments in Vietnam's relations with Pakistan's rival India would prove to be a major problem for Pakistan. To circumvent this, Pakistan's "East Asia Vision Strategy" was projected in order to balance Pakistani-Vietnamese relations.^[24]

Pakistanis in Vietnam

Areas with a significant population of Pakistanis in Vietnam include the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnamese in Pakistan

Many factors contribute to the limited presence of Vietnamese communities and culture within Pakistan, most notably the latter's close relationship with China. Due to the absence of a strong historical connection and no close relations between the two countries (as well as the geographical distance between them), there continues to be a lack of interaction between the Vietnamese and Pakistani people (not taking into account the diasporas of both communities that are present in countries such as the United States and Canada). Despite this, it is not uncommon for the two communities to cross paths as Pakistan regularly hosts a respectable amount of Vietnamese tourists and small communities of Vietnamese people and cuisine can be found in Karachi.

References