A book introducing Vietnam ’s cooperation index during the 1995-2009 period public at a ceremony held by the National Committee for International Economic Cooperation in Hanoi on March 31.

The book, titled “Vietnam’s Cooperation Index, 1995-2009”, is the outcome of a project aiming to improve management capacity and international economic within the framework of the Post-WTO Technical Support Programme carried out by the Australian Agency for International Development and UK Department for International Development.

The authors studied statistics in trade, investment, education, tourism and development assistance to construct indexes evaluating orientations and levels of cooperation between Vietnam with its nine partners, including ASEAN, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the European Union, the US and Canada.

The book shows that two-way trade turnover between Vietnam with the nine partners accounts for 80 percent of the total trade revenue between the country and other nations. However, cooperation in investment has not yet matched the two sides’ potentials.

The book provides reference material for policymakers, investors, businesses, students and researchers, said Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Le Danh Vinh. He added that index is not a new subject but a concern in daily socio-economic life.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Allaster Cox highlighted Vietnam ’s successes in the process of international economic integration, noting that the country is facing new challenges to become an industrialised country by 2020 and shift from an average-income country into a high-income one.

The index is expected to help policymakers and investors both in and outside the country to gain access to information on Vietnam ’s integration process in the region and the world as well, the diplomat said.

The Australian government is ready to support Vietnam in the second phase of its post-World Trade Organisation (WTO) access, he said./.