Illustrative image (Source: VNA)A Vietnam – France high-level economic dialogue took place in Hanoi on January 24 under the chair of Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen The Phuong and French Minister of State Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne.
At the event, Phuong said France is Vietnam’s top partner in EU, with Vietnamese and French businesses gaining footholds in each other’s markets, particularly concerning agricultural products.
Vietnam is willing to facilitate the import of French goods and work with the EU country in handling trade barriers, Phuong stated.
Highlighting the importance of bilateral cooperation to date, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne pointed to new investment and business opportunities to be brought about when the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement comes into force.
He said France wants to share experience with Vietnamese partners in the sectors of transport, environment food, and banking.
The dialogue reviewed a number of French projects in Vietnam, including the Hanoi urban railway No. 3, and put forth cooperative orientations for the future.
The sides encouraged their business community to study the feasibility of investment in areas that see high demand in Vietnam, such as climate change adaptation, agricultural-rural development, and sustainable use of natural resources, smart city building, and oil refinery.
In 2017, bilateral trade between Vietnam and France reached 5.6 billion USD, up 11.6 percent from 2016, with Vietnam recording a trade surplus. In the past 10 years, France has sponsored many ODA projects, with total disbursed capital amounting to about 2 billion EUR./.