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Vietnam, France sign 18 cooperative agreements
Vietnam and France signed 18 cooperative agreements with a total value of 9.5 billion USD at a forum of businesses leaders from the two countries on November 13.
Projects inked at the forum, entitled “Vietnam-France, Europe-Asia partnership”, focused mainly on the fields of energy, post and telecommunications, aerospace industry, and banking and finance.
Entrepreneurs from the two sides conducted an in-depth discussion on measures to ensure sustainable growth and on tools to enhance new partnership between the two countries.
They also agreed on efforts to increase the role and voice of enterprise in the government-level Vietnam-France Business Council, which is expected to be set up in the coming time, in a bid to bring bilateral relations to a new height.
Speaking at the forum, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon praised Vietnam ’s progress in economics and trade and said he considered Vietnam a model for the development of the relations between Asia and Europe .
PM Fillon also revealed that top priority in bilateral cooperation in the coming time will be given to turning the relations between Vietnam and France into a strategic partnership and boosting cooperation for sustainable development.
Vietnamese permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung pledged that Vietnam will create the most favourable conditions to help French entrepreneurs deploy their investments in Vietnam .
France is Vietnam ’s third largest European trade partner. Vietnam ’s export earnings to France were estimated at 786 million USD in 2008 and 108 million USD in the first eight months of this year.
France is the largest European investor in Vietnam , and ranks 13th among all 89 countries and territories that invest in the country, with 267 projects, representing a combined capital of over 3 billion USD.
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