Vietnam, important Southeast Asian partner of Peru

At the working session between Vietnamese and Peruvian officials (Photo: thoidai.com.vn)

Hanoi (VNA) – Peru considers Vietnam an important partner in Southeast Asia, officials from Peruvian ministries and sectors told Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil and Peru Pham Thi Kim Hoa during recent meetings with the diplomat.

During her trip to Peru from April 4-9, the Vietnamese diplomat paid a courtesy visit to Foreign Minister César Landa Arroyo, and had working sessions with Deputy Minister of Education Walter Hernandez Alcántara, Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism Ana Cecilia Gervasi, and advisors to the Ministers of Health, and Transport and Communications.

Peruvian officials showed interest in strengthening relations with Vietnam, saying they hoped for active cooperation from Vietnam’s ministries and sectors in updating market information and creating favourable conditions for the two countries’ business community to effectively tap all economic potential.

Peru is trying to become a globalised economy with priority given to access to big markets in the world through trade agreements, they said, noting that the country gives priority to calling for investment and expanding trade cooperation in potential fields such as agriculture, textile industry, chemicals, and mining.

Ambassador Hoa briefed Peruvian officials on the fruitful development of the bilateral relations over the last 28 years. She also mentioned potential and challenges facing the cooperation between the two countries.

She said Vietnam wants to further deepen the friendship and cooperation with Peru, especially in economics, trade and investment in the context of both countries having joined several major international cooperation mechanisms and institutions the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The two-way trade between Vietnam and Peru hit 633 million USD in 2021 despite severe impacts caused by the COVID-19. Vietnam mainly exports footwear, clinker and cement, computers, electronics and components, plastic, fiber, rubber, aquatic products and furniture to Peru, and imports fish oil, acrylic fiber, materials for processing from the South American country.

There are two Vietnamese large energy and communication corporations operating in Peru - the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel).

The Vietnamese diplomat called for the Peruvian government’s continued facilitation and support of investment projects of Viettel and PetroVietnam in the coming time.

Officials of the two countries also discussed measures to further promote the bilateral relationship in the coming time, especially in new areas of cooperation such as tourism, education, and technology./.