New Zealand and Vietnam signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership late on Wednesday, pledging to boost engagement in areas including defence and education, the said two countries said in a statement.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon held a joint press conference on the results of their talks in Hanoi on Wednesday, during which they announced the upgrade of the bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

New Zealand has become the 10th nation, and the seventh in the past three years, to be promoted to the top tier of Vietnam’s diplomatic hierarchy.

New Zealand and Vietnam have signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, aiming to deepen collaboration in defense, education, economics, climate change, and more. The agreement marks 50 years of diplomatic relations,

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Vietnamese counterpart, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, have announced the elevation of bilateral ties.