Scene at the conference (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – A workshop was held in Hanoi on September 11 to further promoteVietnam-South Africa trade, investment and tourism cooperative relations.
In his opening speech,Doan Duy Khuong, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry(VCCI), said Vietnam is now a leading partner of South Africa in SoutheastAsia, with bilateral trade increasing fivefold in the past decade from 192million USD in 2007 to 1.03 billion USD in 2016.
Vietnam has mainlyshipped phones and components, computers, electronic products, footwear, rice,cashew nuts, coffee and wooden products to South Africa, while imported plastics,garment-textile and footwear materials, chemical products, metals and steelfrom the African country, he said.
Vietnam andSouth Africa still have potentials for stronger cooperation in such industrialsectors as mining, steel manufacturing, logging, and pulp producing. Vietnam isconsidering the possibility of partnership with South Africa in thermal power,auto production and assembly, foodstuff processing and beverages, among othersectors.
Helen Zille, Premierof Western Cape province, who is leading a business delegation to Vietnam,expressed her delight at the fruits of Vietnam-South Africa trade ties, butsaying that economic ties have yet to be on par with potentials and expectationsof both nations.
Zille suggestedVietnamese and South African enterprises work together to tackle difficultiesin transport costs and regional economic downturn, and urged them to take theinitiative in seeking partners.
She said the twogovernments have encouraged cooperation between marine shipping and logisticsfirms to facilitate import and export activities.
The officialsaid in the past five years, South Africa has invested more than 100 billion USDin infrastructure development and planned to pour an additional 400 billion USDinto this field in the next 15 years. This will open up an opportunity for Vietnamesebusinesses to boost export of products such as cement, she added.-VNA
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