Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Ta Van Thong (L) in the interview (Photo: VNA) Talking to Vietnam News Agency reporters inJakarta, Thong said that this will be the second state visit to Vietnam by thePresident, after the first in September 2018.
The diplomat said that during this visit,the two sides can exchange views on fields of shared concern such as promotingtrade and investment, and cooperating in energy transition and development ofgreen and digital economy, electric vehicle manufacturing, and hi-techagriculture.
As the world situation is experiencing bigdevelopments in terms of geopolitics, security and economics, the two sides willhave many issues to be discussed to boost cooperation and coordination atregional and international forums, said Thong.
Together with fine political relations, bilateraltrade cooperation has enjoyed impressive growth in recent years, increasingfrom 8.2 billion USD in 2020 to 14.17 billion USD in 2022.
Last year, Indonesia became Vietnam’s thirdbiggest export market, and second largest import market in the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Regarding the target of 15 billion USDin two-way trade by 2028, the diplomat said that the goal is reachable.
To that end, the two countries arecoordinating to soon organise their eighth economic and trade joint committee,he said, adding that the Vietnamese Government has issued a strategy todevelop the Halal industry to boost exports to Muslim markets, includingIndonesia.
As both Vietnam and Indonesia have madestrong commitments to cutting carbon emissions, demonstrating theirresponsibility in contributing to the global effort to respond to climatechange, they can cooperate closely in the fields of energytransition, carbon storage, development of renewable and green energies, andsustainable green economic development.
It is necessary to consider the signing ofa new agricultural cooperation agreement to carry out specific collaborationprojects to increase farmers' livelihoods, ensure food security and promotetrade and economic development of each country, said Thong.
Regarding aquatic products and fisheries,the two sides can continue to promote recent exchanges on commodity groups suchas lobster, tuna, and seaweed. The can also strengthen cooperation between businesses,associations and fishermen to develop fisheries in a sustainable way.
Tourism is also a promising field topromote collaboration between the two countries, he said. Theresumption of direct flights after a period of disruption caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic, and the opening of new Ho Chi Minh City – Jakarta and Hanoi –Jakarta routes by the Vietnamese budget carrier, Vietjet, are favourableconditions for the two sides to cooperate in developing specific tourismproducts, connecting destinations, and creating new products in a green andsustainable direction, he assessed.
According to the diplomat, the traditional andtrusted friendship is a solid foundation for the Vietnam-Indonesiastrategic partnership to look toward the future, and become more substantiveand effective in all fields, and the two countries still have huge potential tobe tapped and a lot of advantages to supplement each other./.
VNA
