Vietnam seeks to boost ties with Brazil
SAO PAULO - Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong arrived in Brazil on Tuesday, seeking to strengthen his country's commercial ties with South America's biggest economy. Luong, who is passing through Brazil on his way to a meeting of Pacific Rim leaders in Santiago, Chile, made his first stop in Sao Paulo where he met with Governor Geraldo Alckmin. He also inaugurated a Brazil-Vietnam business forum and toured the facilities of aircraft manufacturer Embraer, a world leader in the regional jet market.
"Vietnam could serve as a platform from which products made in Sao Paulo can be introduced into Southeast Asia," Alckmin told reporters after his meeting with Luong. He said Luong and his delegation showed interest in establishing contacts with Sao Paulo's sugar-and-alcohol and paper-and-pulp industries. The delegation accompanying Luong is made up by leaders of that country's civil construction, oil, telecommunications, textile and footwear industries, among others.
Before heading to Embraer some 90 kilometers (56 miles) northeast of Sao Paulo, Luong told reporters Vietnam may eventually purchase Brazilian-made aircraft.
"We need to buy short-range planes for our domestic airlines, but we will only make our final decision when we know what the final price is," he said. In the first nine months, Brazilian exports to Vietnam totaled US$27 million (euro20.8 million), while Vietnam shipped to Brazil US$26 million (euro20 million) worth of products. Rice, footwear and natural rubber are the main Vietnamese products imported by Brazil. Car engines, cotton and leather are among Brazil's principal exports to Vietnam.
After his visit to Embraer, Luong flew to Brasilia where on Wednesday he will meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The Associated Press - November 16, 2004
|