Vietnam Asks for More French Investment
HANOI - General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Le Kha Phieu on May 24 availed himself
of the "Vietnam Day" held in Paris by the French Senate to introduce Vietnam's policies and achievements in economic
development to France.
After expressing thanks to the French Senate for holding this special day as well as the warm welcome given to his delegation
by the French President and the French Government, the visiting Party leader said Vietnam had managed to post an annual
Gross Domestic Product growth of 6.7 percent since 1991.
"The country (last year) produced 34.3 million tonnes of food, of which 4.5 million tonnes were exported, and so far has taken
a firm step in changing the economic structure, which has helped strengthen the State sector while tapping the potential of
others," Phieu stressed.
He highlighted amendments and supplements to a number of policies, which, he said, have helped remove obstacles and
promote business.
"The revised Foreign Investment Law has made procedure simpler," stressed Phieu.
Expanding economic co-operation has made the Vietnamese economy more receptive to the achievements of the global
science and technology, Phieu said.
He added that the expansion helps Vietnam quickly remove backward production methods and absorb advanced techniques.
He noted that Vietnam had set up diplomatic ties with 167 countries and commercial relations with 154 countries.
Businesses from 70 foreign countries have invested in Vietnam with a total registered capital of over US$36 billion, he said,
stressing that France is a very important partner of Vietnam.
Through seven consultative meetings with donors, the international community has pledged to provide over US$15 billion in
official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam, Phieu said.
Vietnam became a member of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, was
admitted to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the
ASEAN Free Trade Area, and the ASEAN Regional Forum, and is a founding member of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).
The country also signed trade agreements with a number of countries and the European Union, and is in the negotiation process
for World Trade Organisation (WTO) membership and a bilateral trade agreement with the United States, the Vietnamese
leader said.
He affirmed France is now an important European partner for Vietnam.
Vietnam always attaches importance to further strengthening and continuing the development of the bilateral friendship and
cooperation with France. Phieu said he hoped to see increasing Vietnam-France co-operation and French-invested projects
covering the economic, commercial, scientific and technological, transport and communications, education and training, sports
and physical training, and tourism fields in Vietnam.
Together with France, Vietnam will exert greater efforts for the further development of the French-speaking community with an
aim of promoting France's cultural elites, which has become cultural elites of the world, for the happiness of humankind and
nations, Phieu asserted.
He said "Vietnam Day" was the day for co-operation and friendship between Vietnam and France and the day of peace.
Phieu expressed his belief that during "Vietnam Day", representatives of Vietnam and France would find their common voice
and lay the foundations for feasible co-operation projects that have a high efficiency, and that many business contracts between
the two countries will be signed for both the short and long terms, thus taking bilateral economic, trade, investment,
scientific-technological, educational-training, and tourism co-operation to new heights.
Vietnam News Agency - May 25, 2000.
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French senators and Vietnamese senior delegates had an opportunity to exchange
ideas frankly and openly with a view to strengthening relations and raising the
efficiency of co-operation between Vietnam and France.
Mr Poncelet spoke highly of the address by General Secretary Le Kha Phieu and
thanked the general secretary for his sentiment and high appreciation of the French
people and land.
In a meeting with Mr Poncelet later, General Secretary Le Kha Phieu confirmed
that in spite of the up and down in the history of relations between the two
countries, the Vietnamese people do not now have any complex with France and
believe that better relations will quickly boost effective co-operation the two
countries.
Addressing at the reception extended to Mr Phieu and his entourage, Mr
Jean-Pierre Raffarin, senator and chairman of the Poitou Charentes Regional
Council expressed admiration at the bravery of the Vietnamese people in
overcoming all difficulties and praised the dynamism of the Vietnamese people.
Mr Raffarin also pledged that Poitou Charentes, as a special partner of Vietnam,
will, together with France, promote and strengthen co-operation in many fields with
sectors and localities in Vietnam.
Mr Phieu thanked Mr Raffarin for his beautiful words and goodwill to the land and
people of Vietnam as well as for the warm welcome Mr Raffarin and the people of
Poitou Charentes extended to the Vietnamese delegation.
Earlier, Vietnamese deputy minister of planning and investment, Vo Hong Phuc and
French secretary of state for foreign trade, Francois Huwart, signed a ‘Protocol on
the Rural Telephone System’ and an ‘Agreement on Establishing a Vietnam-France
Forum on Economy and Finance.’
After the signing ceremony of the agreement on maritime transport, Mr Gassot, on
behalf of the French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, hosted a banquet in honour
of Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu and his entourage.
France warmly welcomed Vietnam gaining full membership to the Association of
South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Vietnam, in turn, praised France's efforts to
strengthen its bilateral relations with Vietnam as a step towards strengthening its
position in Vietnam and in south-east Asia as a whole.
France is a big investor in Vietnam with more than 100 projects involving around
US $2 billion in capital investment and ranks first among European trading partners
with its two-way trade turnover with Vietnam registered at US $850 million
annually in recent years. France has also become Vietnam's second largest donor
since 1990. Still more, France is actively supporting Vietnam for improving
relations with the European Union and gaining membership of the World Trade
Organisation.