At a rubber processing workshop in Vietnam (Photo: VNA) Berlin (VNA) – A series of exchanges and events to boost linkages and collaboration betweenVietnamese and German rubber producers have been held in Germany from April 20-27.
At an trade promotion event on April 21, which saw representativesfrom the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany, the Vietnam Trade Office, and many German rubber businesses, Ambassador Vu Quang Minhhighlighted the fruitful relations between the two countries in all fields,especially after more than 10 years of successful Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership.
Currently, Germany is Vietnam's largest tradingpartner in the European Union (EU), while Vietnam is Germany's largest tradingpartner in Southeast Asia.
He appreciated the dynamism of Vietnameseenterprises and affirmed the increasingly strong competitiveness of Vietnamesegoods, especially after the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) became effective in 2020.
Phan Tran Hong Van, Deputy General Secretary of theVietnam Rubber Association, said that Vietnam's rubber plantation area iscurrently 929, 500 hectares, accounting for 7.2% of the world’s total rubberarea. Vietnam is currently the third largest rubber exporter in the world, making up 17.4% of the total global rubber trade.
Rubber is a very important industry ofGermany, providing products for the automotive, mechanical, and constructionindustries, she said, noting Germany's high demand for importing natural rubber and rubber products.
According to statistics of the International TradeCenter, in 2021, Vietnam was the fourth largest supplier of natural rubber toGermany, with 40,580 tonnes, worth 84.25 million USD.
At the event, Vietnamese and German businesses discussedmeasures to boost collaboration in the future.
Tobias Boysen, Sales Director of Weber & SchaerGmbH & Co.KG - a major German distributor of naturalrubber and rubber products, appreciated the quality of Vietnam's rubber products. He said his group will increase imports of natural rubber, latexrubber and other products from the Southeast Asian country.
Martin Sülzle, head of the Import Department of BlickleRäder & Rollen Group - a distributor of wheels of all kinds, withbranches in 120 countries around the world, said that his company has demand for importing rubber products from Vietnam and plans to cooperatewith Vietnam in this field.
The Vietnamese delegation also visited a tire factory of Germany's Continental AG - the world’s fourth largest tiremanufacturer as well as the headquarters of Weber & Schaer andCorrie Maccoll to learn more about product needs and market trends forVietnam's rubber export./.
