Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang (L) and State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Udo Philipp (Photo: VNA) Berlin (VNA) – Vietnamese Deputy Minister ofIndustry and Trade Phan Thi Thang and StateSecretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Udo Philipp co-chaired the second meeting of the Vietnam-Germany Joint Committee for EconomicCooperation in Berlin on February 23.
The committee noted that last year, two-waytrade between Germany and Vietnam reached nearly 15 billion EUR, up from 10billion EUR in 2015. The German side wished to join in projects in energy,healthcare and digitalisation through the exchange of experience andtechnological transfer.
Bothsides reaffirmed their strong bilateral relationship, demonstrated by GermanChancellor Olaf Scholz’s Vietnam visit, during which a number of new agreementswere signed, including a Memorandum of Understanding on energy transition, labourand vocational training.
In energy cooperation, both sides wished toupgrade their Energy Dialogue to an Energy Partnership to accelerate the energy transitionprocess in the two countries.
Theyacknowledged the crucial role of ensuring energy security in economicdevelopment through diversification of energy sources; development, production and use of renewable energy, and technologies in energy efficiency, energyconservation and storage.
In the fields of industry and digital transformation, the two sides looked to strengthencooperation in automobile production; and agreed to encourage German companies to seekcomponent and spare part suppliers in Vietnam and invest in supportingindustries in other fields such as textile, leather and footwear, electronicsand high-tech manufacturing. They also mentioned the possibility to step up theissuance of working visas for German employees in Vietnam, thus creatingfavourable conditions for German companies to do business in the country.
Hostand guest discussed solutions to simplify administrative procedures andremove non-tariff trade barriers. They agreed to support and protect geographicalindications of each other's products in accordance with EU-Vietnam Free TradeAgreement (EVFTA) and the laws of both countries. Vietnam proposed that Germany ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), encourage Germanbusinesses to invest in Vietnam, and make it easier for Vietnamese farm produceand aquatic exports to enter the German market.
Theyvowed to jointly popularise products through retail distribution channels inpartner markets, as well as inform each other about trade fairs andexhibitions.
DeputyMinister Thang emphasized the importance of maintaining thisdialogue mechanism, especially amid fluctuations in the world today.
Accordingto chargé d'affaires a.i of the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany Chu Tuan Duc, the Joint Committee's second meeting has achieved important results, particularly the joint wish of upgrading their Energy Dialogue to an Energy Partnership.
At the meeting, they also agreed toorganise the meeting of the Joint Committee every two years. Accordingly, thenext meeting is scheduled to be held in Vietnam in early 2025, or may beearlier if agreed by both parties./.
