Addressing a discussion on the future of Asia-Pacific tradeand investment during the APEC CEO Summit 2022, which took place in Thailandfrom November 16-18 with the participation of more than 850 leaders of worldand regional leading businesses, the Vietnamese leader said that digitaltransformation is an inevitable and objective trend that is taking place verystrongly and extensively, positively affecting cross-border trade and theglobal economy.
Stemming from difficulties and challenges in the past twoyears, the world and the region are establishing new, resilient and sustainablesupply chains, with diversified supply sources, effective monitoring mechanismsand traceability, he said.
The president held that under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic andclimate change, some areas such as health, biotechnology, clean energy, andcarbon emission reduction will strongly attract foreign direct investment (FDI)in the time to come.
Mentioning Vietnam’s policies and achievements insocio-economic development, he said that amidst many difficulties,Vietnam has maintained macro-economic stability, while keeping inflation undergood control and ensuring major balances in energy and food.
According to forecasts of many international organisations,Vietnam will be among the countries with high gross domestic product (GDP) growthin the Asia-Pacific region, with expansion reaching 7.2% in 2022 and 6.7% in 2023.
As one of the dynamic economies with high level of openness and a destination formany multinational groups, Vietnam has signed and implemented nearly 60agreements on investment promotion and protection, along with 15 free tradeagreements, including new generation agreements with high standards such as theComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP),the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and the Regional ComprehensiveEconomic Partnership (RCEP). Vietnam's recent economic achievements are clearevidences that increased trade and investment cooperation at the regional andglobal levels can benefit all stakeholders, he stressed.
President Phuc also made known Vietnam’s priorities in investment attraction,including quality, efficiency, technology, and environmental protection.
Vietnam wishes to attract FDI projects with high technology,helping promote innovation and development research, creating favourableconditions for Vietnamese enterprises to participate in regional and globalvalue chains, and boosting digital, green and circular economy, he underlined.
The country attaches importance to the significance of accompanying withbusinesses, putting them in the core position, and sharing, listening andsolving their difficulties under all circumstances, along with the reform andsimplification of administrative procedures. Vietnam hopes that the APECbusiness community will uphold the spirit of cooperation, overcome difficultiesand challenges, and continue to promote investment and business activities inthe region, he stated.
Along with President Phuc, major keynote speakers of the APECCEO Summit 2022 also included Chinese President Xi Jinping, Thai Prime MinisterPrayut Chan-o-cha, French President Emmanuel Macron, Indonesian President JokoWidodo, and US Vice President Kamala Harris./.