A Vietnamese trade delegation led by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Huu Hao toured Brazil and Argentina from November 17-26 to seek more opportunities to boost trade and investment with the Latin American countries, Vietnam News Agency reported.
The mission included executives from several national industrial giants, such as the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), the Vietnam Electricity Group and the Vietnam Coal - Mineral Industries Group.
In Brazil, the delegation met with Deputy Foreign Minister Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes Neto, who is also Chairman of the Brazilian arm of the Vietnam-Brazil Joint Committee, to consider the timing of the committee’s first meeting. Their discussions focused on projects of great mutual interest to the two nations.
A number of Vietnamese businesspeople also attended an international conference on bio-energy, and business forums in Goinas and Sao Paulo.
Representatives of PetroVietnam also worked with the Brazilian state-run oil and gas group Petrobras to discuss measures to deploy a protocol on the production and use of ethanol.
In Argentina, the Vietnamese delegation met with the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Economics, the ENARSA Energy Company and the Metallurgy Engineering Group IMPSA where host and guest reached a consensus on restoring the Inter-Governmental Committee sometime in the near future.
In Latin America, Argentina, Cuba, Chile, Brazil and Mexico are now major trade partners of Vietnam.
Two-way trade between Vietnam and Brazil stood at US$323.3 million in 2007 and the figure climbed to US$468 million in the first ten months of this year, including Vietnam’s exports of US$172 million, up 98 per cent on-year and imports of US$295.7 million, up 73 per cent.
Bilateral trade between Vietnam and Argentina reached an all-time high of US$387.6 million in 2007.
In the first ten months of 2008, the figure stood at US$350.1 million, including Vietnam’s exports of US$56.8 million, up 202 per cent on-year and imports of US$293.3 million, down 4.5 per cent.
(Vietnam & World Economy, VNA)
Vietnamese
