Financial assistance provided by the German Government is essential for Vietnam ’s sustainable development, Finance Minister Dinh Tien Dung said during a working session with his German counterpart Wolfgang Schäuble in Hanoi on September 22.

Minister Dung said that in terms of receiving German international development assistance, Vietnam ranked third out of the Asian countries, after India and China . In turn, Germany was the third largest bilateral donor for Vietnam , after Japan and France .

Over the years, Germany provided advice and funds for many projects implemented by the Finance Ministry, including the development of laws on the State budget and tax, and environmental protection, he added.

The official held out hope for further support from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) for his ministry’s projects in the future.

During the session, Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said German companies highly valued Vietnam ’s business climate and highlighted the cooperation between the two business circles.

He also urged both countries to enhance collaboration on customs issues, on which they released a joint statement in 2012 declaring their intention to improve cooperation in this field.-VNA