Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam is always a leading partner ofthe Netherlands in Asia, said the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sigrid Kaag, at anonline meeting with Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh onJanuary 14.
The minister, who attended the meeting with the CEOs of 13 majorDutch companies, said the EVFTA is expected to open up big opportunities forbusinesses of the two countries and now is a suitable time for the two sides todeepen their cooperation.
She noted that the two countries have worked closely together invarious fields, particularly industry, clean energy, renewable energy, circulareconomy and emissions reduction towards sustainable development.
Minister Tuan Anh welcomed the Dutch government and businesses’interest in collaboration with Vietnam in trade, industry and energy.
He took the occasion to explain issues of interests of eachparticipating Dutch business and clarify contents related to the enforcement ofthe EVFTA including taxation, intellectual property, trade in services andGovernment procurement. He also made clear what Vietnam can do to help Dutchinvestors implement a strategy to turn Vietnam into a production andconsumption hub in the ASEAN.
The minister emphasized that Vietnam has been, and is still a reliabledestination for Dutch investors, urging the business communities of the twocountries to work harder to seek newbusiness and investment opportunities and optimize the benefits brought about bythe EVFTA.
Speaking on behalf of the participating Dutch businesses, IngridThijssen, chair of the Confederation ofNetherlands Industry and Employers, said Vietnam is a strategic market inAsia for Dutch businesses, which are willing to invest more in the country.
Concluding the meeting, the two ministers affirmed that theywill create favourable conditions for the two countries’ businesses to makefull use of opportunities brought about by the EVFTA.
Statistics of the Ministry of Industry and Trade show theNetherlands is the biggest export market in the EU for Vietnamese goods, andalso the biggest EU investor in Vietnam.
Bilateral trade has been growing at an average 11.78 percent a year in the pastfive years. In 2020, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam’sexports to the Netherlands in the January-November period still rose 0.22percent year on year to 6.26 billion USD. Its imports from the European countryin the period decreased by 4.13 percent to 582.4 million USD.
As of the end of November 2020, total Dutch investment inVietnam reached 10.4 billion USD in 375 projects./.
