Authorities and businesses from Vietnam and Germany gathered at a seminar on May 19 in Berlin, Germany to seek ways to promote German investment in the southeast Asian country.

Speaking at the opening of the seminar, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Nguyen Thi Hoang Anh attached significance to the event amid the 40th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

She highlighted the space for the two nations to strengthen their cooperation and to fully tap the potential of the strategic partnership established in 2011.

Vietnam and Germany aim to achieve bilateral trade worth 10 billion EUR, Anh said.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Germany will ensure its role as a bridge to connect the two nations and actively support bilateral cooperation, Anh affirmed.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh, who led the Vietnamese delegation to the ongoing “Asia-Pacific Week” in Germany, underscored the two nations’ roles in the economy of the region and the world.

Vietnam has integrated into the global economy by actively playing a role in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Asian free trade agreement (AFTA), accelerating the signing of other FTAs, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the minister said.

Vietnam will continuously improve its legal framework and administrative procedures opening up opportunities for German investors, particularly in vocational training, technology transference and human resource training and development, Anh added.

He highlighted Vietnam’s business climate with its stable macro economy, young labour force and consistent policies as advantages for international investors while hailing the contributions made by the two nations’ business communities in fostering their multilateral cooperation.

He also expressed his expectation for strong development in cooperation between Vietnam and Germany as well as other partners in the EU in the coming years.

Germany is currently the largest European trade partner of Vietnam with two-way trade reaching nearly 8 billion USD, accounting for over 20 percent of the total trade between Vietnam and the EU.

More than 300 German businesses have been licensed to operate in Vietnam with Siemens, Daimler, Adidas, Braun and Allianz as long-term operators in the country.-VNA