PM discusses enhancing Vietnam-EU trade, cooperation with EU-ASEAN business delegates
Hanoi (VNA) – The
foreign-invested economic sector is an important component of Vietnam's economy
and the Vietnamese Government always
protects the legitimate and legitimate rights and interests of investors, Prime
Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on February 14.
He made the remarks at a reception
for a delegation of the EU-ASEAN Business Council and the European Chamber of
Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) to discuss measures to promote economic, trade
and investment relations between Vietnam and the EU.
The PM affirmed Vietnam always advocates further deepening the comprehensive partnership and cooperation with EU and the strategic partnership between ASEAN and the EU.
He suggested that EU investors and
businesses continue to accompany Vietnam in implementing three strategic
breakthroughs, promoting three main drivers of the country’s economic development, namely investment, export and
consumption; helping Vietnam access green and high-tech financial
investment sources, serving the needs of sustainable development in areas such
as digital transformation, green transformation, circular economy,
infrastructure development, high-quality human resources training and diversification of markets, products and supply chains.
In order to effectively implement the cooperative relations between
Vietnam and the EU as well as between the ASEAN and the EU in the coming time, the PM called on Vietnamese and EU businesses to jointly make efforts to effectively implement the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and push the remaining EU member
states to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam
Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and the EU to remove the yellow
card relating to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing imposed on seafood
products from Vietnam. At present, 12 out of 27 EU members have ratified the EVIPA.
The delegates expressed their pleasure that the EU has become the fifth largest trading partner and the third largest export market of Vietnam while the Southeast Asian nation is the EU's largest trading partner in ASEAN. In particular, the EVFTA is an important driving force for two-way trade between Vietnam and the EU to continuously increase. Trade turnover between Vietnam and the EU reached 62.4 billion USD in 2022, an increase of 9.8% compared to 2021.
Jens Ruebbert, Vice
Chairman of the EU - ASEAN Business Council said that the participation of more
than 50 leaders of large enterprises in the delegation reflects the importance
of Vietnam.
EuroCham Chairman Alain Cany expressed his belief in the outcome
of the implementation of the EVFTA in
the coming time and affirmed that EU businesses will actively promote the ratification of the EVIPA./.