President Truong Tan Sang attended the APEC Business Summit in Honolulu, Hawaii on Nov. 11 (Hawaii time).
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State President Truong Tan Sang at the East-West Centre
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This is the first event with the participation of APEC economies’ leaders and the most important meeting of the Asia-Pacific business community held annually within the framework of the APEC Summit week.
Addressing a special luncheon, President Sang said that APEC is exerting efforts to enhance cooperation and regional economic connectivity, promoting economic recovery and sustainable development.
He stressed the necessity and importance of maintaining macro-economic stability and improving economic competitiveness for those countries that are seeking wide and deep integration, including Vietnam.
He highlighted the role of the Asia-Pacific region and APEC to Vietnam’s development.
APEC is the region that provides the largest amount of official development assistance to Vietnam and accounts for 65 percent of the total foreign investment, 60 percent and 80 percent of export and import values, and 75 percent of international tourists to the country, the President said.
Vietnam will continue making contributions to promoting cooperation and regional economic connectivity, creating a more favourable business and investment climate for foreign firms in Vietnam, he affirmed.
APEC businesses highly valued Vietnam’s important achievements in its renewal process and efforts of international integration.
They affirmed their support and willingness to cooperate with Vietnam to push up reform, complete the market economic institution, develop human resources and infrastructure.
Also the same day, President Sang attended the Vietnam-US business talks, received the Chairman of the US Chamber of Commerce and met with leaders of APEC member economies’ major groups.
At the talks, the President answered many questions relating to Vietnam ’s policies on trade, investment, tax, intellectual property, and asked the businesses to increase investment in fields that Vietnam gives priority.
On the same day, President Sang visited and delivered a keynote speech on Vietnam ’s external policy and the Vietnam-US relations at the East-West Centre.
This was the first speech delivered by a Vietnamese top leader at the US leading research centre. More than 200 representatives who were leaders from 11 islands countries in the Pacific and Hawaii and Honolulu leaders, as well as scholars, were presented on the occasion.
Earlier, President Sang had meetings with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Peruvian President Ollanta Humala and leaders of 11 Pacific islands countries.
At the meetings, the countries’ leaders spoke highly of fine relations with Vietnam , discussed measures to step up bilateral ties, especially in the economic-trade area.
President Sang and Chilean President Sebastian Pinera witnessed the signing of the free trade agreement between the two countries.
The Presidents of Vietnam and Peru witnessed the signing of an agreement between the Vietnam Finance Ministry and the Peruvian Economic and Financial Ministry on cooperation and mutual assistance between customs agencies./.