Vietnam and the Netherlands eye further cooperation in sustainable development. (Photo: tapchitaichinh.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – Sharing natural similarities, the two countries havebeefed up their sustainable development partnership in sustainableagriculture, water management, and climate change adaptation, said DutchAmbassador to Vietnam Kees van Baar.
Agriculture plays a pivotalrole in the economies of Vietnam and the Netherlands and is deeplyimprinted in the culture and people of the two countries, the diplomattold Dau tu (Vietnam Investment Review).
According to him, closecooperation between the two sides has resulted in new visions, as wellas the blooming of business cooperation, with a growing number of Dutchcompanies doing business and investing in Vietnam.
Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the economies of Vietnam and the Netherlands and is deeply imprinted in the culture and people of the two countries. (Photo:nongnghiep.vn) TheNetherlands is the largest European investor in Vietnam. Dutchbusinesses, with their investments and their innovative and sustainableoperations, actively contribute to Vietnam’s progress, he said.
“But even more significant, Vietnamese companies setting up businesses in the Netherlands as well,” he said.
Regardingthe two countries’ cooperation in green trade, Kees van Baar said thatboth Vietnam and the Netherlands are delta countries and thereforevulnerable to rising sea levels resulting from climate change.
The countries also share the same ambition to become climate neutral in 2050 by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
Currently,the EU is developing and implementing new rules and regulations tosupport its climate ambitions, like the Carbon Border AdjustmentMechanism and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.
Thesenew mechanisms will become effective in the coming years and willmodernise and strengthen the rules for imports to the EU marketsregarding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, he said.
For companies exporting from Vietnam to the EU or being in thesupply chain of an EU company, this means that there will be strongincentives to invest in ESG reporting to enjoy low tariffs and easyaccess to EU markets, he added.
Therefore, the Netherlandsinvests in ESG capacity building for Vietnamese companies. In theframework of the GEFE 2022 event in Ho Chi Minh City, the embassyoffered workshops and will continue to do so in the context of the‘Ready to Export’ programme, which is being implemented by the DutchBusiness Association in Vietnam together with Vietrade.
Regardingthe two countries’ hi-tech cooperation, the Ambassador said that theNetherlands is a small country in terms of area, but it is the 15thlargest economy in the world.
The Netherlands has a rich historyof entrepreneurial innovation with world-famous inventions, rangingfrom microscopes and telescopes to CDs and DVDs, as well as Bluetoothand Wi-Fi.
During his visit to the Netherlands last December,Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited the world-leadingproduction and knowledge economy of the province of North Brabant andthe Brainport region in and around the city of Eindhoven.
Inresponse to PM Chinh’s wish to strengthen the bilateral cooperation ininnovation and creativity, the Netherlands is ready to share withVietnam the knowledge and experience of our transition from atraditional agricultural and manufacturing industry into a world-leadinghigh-tech hotspot, the Ambassador said.
“We plan to organise in2023 a mission of Dutch businesses, knowledge institutes, and otherstakeholders from the Dutch innovation ecosystem to Vietnam to exchangeideas and discuss cooperation possibilities,” he said./.
