France pledges help for Vietnam's WTO bid
HANOI - France is committed to helping Vietnam join the World Trade
Organization (WTO) and will continue with its assistance programs, says
Antoine Pouillieute, France's new ambassador to Vietnam.
"Through international organizations and diplomatic activities, France will
continue to support Vietnam's bid for WTO membership," said the
ambassador. "We have proposed special programs related to training,
statistics, and institutional support, as well as intellectual property, the
certification of Vietnamese products, and the fight against fake goods."
The ambassador said that much would be done to enhance economic and
cultural co-operation between the two countries. France is Vietnam's No 1
non-Asian donor of official development assistance. The US$95 million it
has pledged to donate Vietnam this year represents a 30 percent
year-on-year increase.
France is also Vietnam's No 1 non-Asian partner in foreign direct
investment (FDI). With a combined investment of more than $2 billion,
France accounts for 5.6 percent of investment licenses granted by the
Vietnamese government to foreign investors since 1998. France now ranks
sixth in Vietnam's FDI list.
Vietnam will receive help from France in setting up projects in education,
health care, and urban, rural and infrastructure development, as well as the
development of Francophone cultural activities. Among French-backed
projects are the 2002 Hue Festival and a plan for a French University. "I
do hope, if regulations on fair competition are fully respected, many
projects initiated by French and European companies will be invested in
Vietnam's telecommunications, transport, energy, and services industry,"
said Pouillieute.
Asia Times - February 12, 2002.
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