Industrial machine production at the France
invested STOLZ MIRAS Viet Nam Company at Binh Chieu Industrial Zone in HCM
City. — Photo: VNA/VNS
Deputy PM
Vu Duc Dam told conference attendees at the 10th Viet Nam – France cooperation
conference held yesterday (Sept 14) in Can Tho that Viet Nam would create more
favourable conditions for French businesses to invest in the country.
Speaking
at the opening session, Dam said: “Viet Nam and France have experienced many
ups and downs over the years but have together overcome challenges and have
become trusted partners.”
More than
1,000 delegates from local governments, organisations, businesses and
scientists from Viet Nam and France are attending the three-day conference. Participants
include representatives of 30 enterprises from 20 French localities.
Dam said
the two countries had spared no efforts to enhance ties since the establishment
of diplomatic relations in April 1973. More importantly, diplomatic relations
have been tightened at both the central and local government levels.
“France
has been one of Viet Nam’s most important partners in the international arena
and was one of the first foreign countries to assist Viet Nam in healing from
the war and normalise relations with the world,” he said.
The
partnership has resulted in a number of projects with promising results in the
fields of urban management, environment, health and education, according to
Dam.
He said
the conference was taking place in a special context, following the French
President Francois Hollande’s State visit to Viet Nam early this month, which
was “testimony to the great potential for cooperative development between the
two countries’ localities”.
During
the visit, the two countries signed a number of new co-operation agreements in
politics, economy, science-technology, agriculture and judicial affairs, and
discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern.
Local
authorities in association with the Cités Unies France (CUF), a federation of
French local and regional governments involved in international relations,
organised the conference, which aims to improve cooperation between Vietnamese
and French localities in sustainable development, driving the two countries
partnership forward.
Participants
will discuss a number of topics such as promotion of bilateral trade and
support of local authorities in regional and international integration,
improvement of wastewater treatment, and application of UN sustainable
development goals on urban planning and development.
The
conference will include five symposiums: economic and tourism cooperation,
health and education, environment and climate change, urban development, and
culture-heritage.
Sideline
activities include the Viet Nam – France Investment and Trade Promotion Seminar
on cooperation in sustainable agriculture and tourism, and Vietnamese-France
Cultural Days.
Also
included will be the International Viet Nam-France Fair 2016, with the theme
Viet Nam – France economic development cooperation.
Speaking
at the conference, Martine Pinville, France’s Secretary of State for Trade,
Crafts and Consumer, said: “After nearly 30 years of cooperation I noticed
there have been fruitful improvements in socio-economic development in Viet
Nam. Climate change is a major issue in the Mekong Delta and we need to
continue to cooperate to address the issue in a more urgent and serious
manner.”
Bui Thanh
Son, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the ministry would serve as a
bridge to link Vietnamese and French enterprises by providing them with
accurate market information.
Around 19
French localities are implementing cooperation projects in 17 localities in
Viet Nam, focusing on the areas of health, education, French language, cultural
- heritage, urban transport infrastructure construction, rural development,
science and technology, environment, clean water and sanitation, according to
the organisers.
The Can
Tho Department of Foreign Affairs said that France ranked 16th among 114
countries and territories investing in Viet Nam, with more than 460 projects
with a combined investment of $3.42 billion (as of late April).
There are
seven projects carried out under business cooperation contracts worth $618
million, and one under Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model worth $480 million.
To date,
Vietnamese firms have invested $2.48 million in France.
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