Vietnam, Germany look to boost economic cooperation

At the workshop (Photo: http://tapchithongtindoingoai.vn/)

Hanoi (VNA) - A workshop to promote economic cooperation between Vietnam and Germany took place in Hanoi on October 3, bringing together representatives from around 200 enterprises of the two nations.

The event was jointly held by radio The Voice of Vietnam (VOV), the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (VINASME), and Huong Sen Group in the framework of the Vietnam – Germany Culture Festival 2020.

It is a particularly important event in the context that the European Union – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) came into effect from August 2020 and the two sides’ enterprises are fighting to overcome difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants said that 2020 is very difficult year as the whole world is struggling to respond to the crisis caused by the COVID-19. However, the EVFTA will be a springboard for economic, trade and investment cooperation between Vietnam and Germany in the coming time.

Vietnam’s becoming the ASEAN Chair 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021, and Germany’s role as the rotary head of the EU for the second half of 2020 offer the two countries opportunities to further expand their cooperation, bringing practical interests to Vietnamese and German businesses, they noted.

A seminar on promoting practical partnership between the two nations for mutual development was arranged as part of the workshop, during which issues related to opportunities and challenges of Vietnamese and German businesses amid the COVID-pandemic and those brought by the EVFTA, as well as prospects for economic cooperation among EVFTA member countries in general and the Germany- Vietnam partnership in particular were put on the table.

Currently, Germany is home to over 8,000 Vietnamese enterprises, and there are more than 300 German enterprises operating in many fields such as mechanics, machine manufacturing, and logistics in Vietnam./.