Vietnam, France strengthen economic ties
Vietnam and France will work closely together to elevate their economic and trade ties to a new level.
The agreement was reached by Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh and French Minister of Foreign Trade Nicole Bricq who co-chaired an annual high-level economic dialogue in Hanoi on April 9.
The two sides spoke highly of the dialogue’s motivations, describing it as an important contributor to tightening economic ties with a view towards an official bilateral strategic partnership.
They noted that the trade and economic ties between Vietnam and France are yet to match their potential and both countries should take advantage of their fine political relations to strengthen the ties.
To this end, the ministers pledged to facilitate the two countries’ business operations by removing market access barriers detrimental to trade exchanges.
Minister Nicole Bricq gave in principle agreement to allocating additional development aid for helping Vietnam build urban railway routes in Hanoi.
She also decided on granting financial support to Vietnam’s healthcare sector. The first beneficiary will be the Mekong Delta’s Can Tho Hospital, scheduled to receive assistance for medical equipment purchases.
The ministers also discussed issues related to intellectual property, infrastructure project financial management, and private-public partnership (PPP) models.
They noted the successful organisation of a three-day forum between Vietnamese and French businesses in Ho Chi Minh City.