Prime Minister’s upcoming trip fosters Viet Nam-Europe partnerships
VGP - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s upcoming tour to Europe aims to deepen ASEAN-EU Strategic Partnership, and consolidate the relations between Viet Nam and Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will attend a summit commemorating the 45th anniversary of the ASEAN-EU relations in Brussels, Belgium, on December 14 and pay official visits to Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium from December 9 to 15.
Viet Nam-responsible member of ASEAN and int'l community
ASEAN and the EU established relations in 1977 and upgraded their ties to Strategic Partnership in 2020.
In its Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific released in April 2021, the EU has affirmed the central role of ASEAN and expected to intensify cooperation with ASEAN.
The two-way trade value hit US$268.92 billion in 2021, making the EU the third largest trade partner of ASEAN.
Businesses from the EU has poured US$26.5 billion in ASEAN Member States, ranking second among foreign investors in the region.
Regarding economic cooperation, the EU has supported ASEAN via the ASEAN Regional Integration Support by the EU (ARISE) and the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI), which aim to promote comprehensive economic growth and economic integration for ASEAN.
The EU was among first partners assisting ASEAN in the COVID-19 fight and post-COVID-19 recovery with the 'Team Europe' package worth €800 million and a supporting program response to COVID-19 for the Southeast Asian nations valued at €20 million.
Regarding Viet Nam-EU relations, Viet Nam is the first nation in ASEAN setting up cooperation frameworks in politics, economics, defense, and security with the EU.
The EU is the third largest export market, the fifth largest import market and the sixth largest investor of Viet Nam.
After two-year implementation of the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the bilateral trade value hit over US$52 billion over the first 10 months of 2022, making Viet Nam among the top 14 largest trade partners of the EU.
Both sides are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Partnership Agreement and comprehensive cooperation (2012 - 2022).
Promoting collaboration between Viet Nam and Luxemburg, the Netherlands and Belgium
Viet Nam will celebrate the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties with Luxemburg, the Netherlands and Belgium in 2023.
* Luxemburg has been the third largest investor among EU nations in Viet Nam with the total investment capital worth US$2.6 billion.
Luxemburg has been among the first nations in the EU approving the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), regards Viet Nam as one of the priority countries for development assistance, giving a total aid of €129 million so far.
* Viet Nam-Netherlands relations have witnessed fruitful achievements across all sectors, particularly in spheres of investment, trade, agriculture and climate change.
The Netherlands is currently the largest trade partner of Viet Nam in Europe. The bilateral trade turnover reached US$8.37 billion in 2021 and US$8.2 billion over the first nine months of 2022, or year-on-year growth of 10 percent and 36 percent respectively.
The Netherlands has led countries in the EU in investing in Viet Nam with US$13.5 billion in 380 projects.
Viet Nam received 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses and medical equipment worth VND43 million (US$1.8 million) donated by the Netherlands.
* Viet Nam and Belgium have carried out a number of cooperation programs within the framework of the Strategic Partnership on agriculture and expanded collaboration in other sectors such as security-defense including human trafficking-child abuse prevention, medical training and peace-keeping.
Trade between Viet Nam and Belgium was estimated at US$4.3 billion in 2021, up 54 percent against the previous year.
Belgium has poured US$1.1 billion in 82 projects in the Southeast Asian nation, provided development aid worth US$300 million for Viet Nam, and donated 100,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Viet Nam in 2021.
Through the three official visits, Viet Nam looks to bolster cooperation in pharmacy and logistics with Luxemburg, circular economy and renewable energy with the Netherlands, and maritime economy and ecological agriculture with Belgium.
The visits also aim to invite the three nations in particular and the EU in general to invest in strategic infrastructure in Viet Nam in such areas as digital transformation, logistics, seaports, climate change adaption as well as call on the countries to voice their strong support for Viet Nam's principled stance on the East Sea issue.
The Prime Minister tour will convey a message that Viet Nam is experiencing strong recovery and standing ready to join hands with other nations to build regions of peace and stability as well as highlighting the role of multilateralism./.
