The Summit focused on four priority areas: strengthening resilience and disaster response, promoting sustainable debt management for low-income countries, mobilising financing for a just energy transition, and leveraging critical minerals to support inclusive and sustainable growth.
PM Pham Minh Chinh, alongside world leaders, participated in two key discussions titled “Inclusive and sustainable economic growth - leaving no one behind” and “G20 contributions to a resilient world”.
At the plenary session, the PM emphasised the principles of “solidarity for strength—cooperation for shared benefits—dialogue for trust,” and proposed three strategic guarantees to foster inclusive and sustainable growth: ensuring stability for development in international relations, global politics, and macroeconomics; ensuring a rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, and a balanced, transparent and open global financial system; and ensuring flexible and effective global governance, creating an ecosystem for robust development.
He stressed that the G20 should lead in building cooperative international mechanisms based on mutual respect, seeking solutions to conflicts, creating favourable conditions for development, responding to crises, limiting trade barriers, and reducing supply-chain fragmentation. He also called for promoting debt conversion initiatives and safeguarding global macroeconomic stability.
The Prime Minister called on the G20 and multilateral institutions to enhance dialogue and develop a global governance framework harmonising economic, social and environmental priorities, balancing the interests of economies, and strengthening cooperation in artificial intelligence, climate change, disaster prevention and disease control.
His message, grounded in Viet Nam’s real-world experience building an independent, self-reliant, resilient economy and prioritising sustainability, climate response, and poverty reduction, was warmly welcomed and highly valued by participating countries.
The Summit adopted a joint declaration calling for peace in various regions of the world and outlining measures to safeguard the global supply of critical minerals, marking a victory for multilateralism. Viet Nam made an active and important contribution to this success.
During his participation in the G20 Summit—held not long after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s highly successful State visit to Viet Nam at the end of October—PM Pham Minh Chinh and President Ramaphosa officially announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership, marking a historic milestone that deepens and enhances cooperation between the two countries on the basis of trust and mutual benefit.
At their meeting, President Ramaphosa affirmed that South Africa has always regarded Viet Nam as a close traditional friend and one of its most important partners in Asia.
The two leaders committed to further strengthening economic, trade and investment cooperation—identified as the central pillar of bilateral relations—with the goal of raising two-way trade to 4–5 billion USD within the next 2–3 years.
At the Viet Nam–South Africa Business Forum, South African Vice President Paul Mashatile warmly welcomed the Vietnamese delegation, noting that PM Pham Minh Chinh and the high-level delegation were witnessing the “Ubuntu Spirit”—a profound humanist philosophy of unity, solidarity and compassion cherished by Southern African nations, akin to Viet Nam’s ideals of great national unity and community bonds.
The Vice President stressed that this is a crucial time for the business communities of both countries to enhance cooperation and expand economic, trade and investment exchanges. The key, he said, lies in building “bridges that span the borders of the two nations.”
Both governments are ready to actively support their respective business communities. At the Forum, there was strong consensus—from government officials to enterprise representatives—that amid globalisation, green transition and digital transformation reshaping development dynamics worldwide, Viet Nam and South Africa are well positioned to complement each other, leverage their respective strengths, and pursue sustainable and resilient growth.
PM Pham Minh Chinh highlighted the excellent political relations between the two countries, rooted in shared histories of national liberation struggles and a shared aspiration for freedom. He called on Vietnamese enterprises to invest in agricultural production directly in South Africa, particularly rice and goods that South Africa currently imports, to meet domestic demand while also exporting globally. He also encouraged major corporations such as Petrovietnam and EVN to explore investment opportunities in oil and gas exploration, mineral processing and renewable energy.
By harnessing the intellectual strengths of both nations, through strong cooperation mechanisms and shared aspirations for development, he emphasised that the two sides can fully unlock their distinct potentials and competitive advantages, transforming natural resources into products with higher added value that contribute to rapid and sustainable development.
The PM therefore urged the business communities of both countries to strengthen solidarity, cooperation, investment and mutual assistance so that they may “win together, develop together and share prosperity and happiness.”
PM Pham Minh Chinh’s participation in the G20 Summit in South Africa concluded with outstanding success. The visit reaffirmed Viet Nam’s position as an active, dynamic and responsible member of the international community. It also contributed significantly to the achievements of his broader trip to Kuwait, Algeria and South Africa, which saw all three countries and Viet Nam officially elevate their bilateral ties to Strategic Partnerships, opening up new horizons of cooperation full of promise and bright prospects.
