Vietnam wishes to further trade ties with Paraguay

Buenos Aires (VNA) – Vietnam wants to promote relations with Paraguay in various fields, particularly trade and culture, based on the sound political relations between the two countries.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina and Paraguay Dang Xuan Dung made the confirmation while meeting with Paraguayan Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Terumi Matsuo De Claverol on July 24 after presenting a copy of President Tran Dai Quang’s letter of credentials.

The ambassador conveyed an invitation to visit Vietnam from President Tran Dai Quang to Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes.

Lauding Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements in the past years, De Claverol stressed that Vietnam and the South American country pose huge potentials for cooperation in multi-faceted fields, especially trade.

She shared concern over food security in the context of climate change and expressed the wish to work with Vietnam in the field.

The acting minister also reaffirmed Paraguay’s support for Vietnam’s stance on addressing disputes at sea by peaceful means in line with international laws and the United Nations Charter.

On the occasion, Ambassador Dung led a Vietnamese business delegation on a trade promotion trip in Paraguay. The move marks a new step forward in the two countries’ trade relations and investment.

Vietnam has exported shoes, sport equipment, electronics, rubber, garment, machinery and engineering tools to Paraguay while purchasing soybean powder, beef, cereal, tanned leather and steel from the South American country.

More than 20 years since establishing diplomatic relations, the two countries have enjoyed robust bilateral cooperation. In the past seven years, two-way trade has averaged at 70 million USD per year. Bilateral trade revenue stood at over 75 percent in 2016, a year-on-year increase of 24.9 percent.

Last year, Vietnam was the fourth largest importer of Paraguayan beef, following Chile, Russia and Brazil.-VNA