Discussions focused on suggestions for bilateral cooperationand connectivity amongst multiple sectors to develop the friendships betweenCan Tho and French localities in the near future.
At the event, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’sCommittee Truong Quang Hoai Nam said that amidst the widespread and effectivedevelopment of Vietnam-France strategic partnership, more and more French localitiesare seeking cooperation opportunities with Vietnam, notably between Brest andHai Phong, Val-de-Marne and Yen Bai, Aquitaine and Thua Thien-Hue, and Ile-de-Franceand Hanoi.
During the upcoming conference, Can Tho is determined tostep up bilateral ties with French localities in the key areas of artstraining, cultural heritage preservation, urban transportation, renewableenergy and environmental protection, and climate change response.
In urban transportation, the city will call for support fromFrench experts in a transportation upgrade project in core and outlying areas.
At the same time, Can Tho has set the goal of attractingFrench coordination in developing renewable energies, looking to pilot a newproject on tapping renewable energy in high-tech agriculture or seafoodprocessing which will then be spread to cities and provinces in the southwest,making Can Tho a locomotive in clean energy use.
To improve its resilience to climate change, the city isdetermined to work with French localities to carry out clean air, greenhouseemission reduction, water drainage management, and wastewater treatmentprojects.
The conference will afford Vietnamese and French authoritiesand key economic zones a chance to share experience, as well as form effectiveand sustainable economic partnerships among localities.
This year’s event will attract over 1,000 delegates from 20French and nearly 40 Vietnamese cities and provinces, the highest number sincethe first event was held in 1989.
It is expected to make a breakthrough in bilateral ties,especially at a time when Vietnam and the European Union are on the verge ofsigning a free trade agreement.–VNA