More than 150 Vietnamese and Mozambican companies attended Vietnam-Mozambique Business Forum, which was jointly organised by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Mozambican Embassy and Mozambique Investment Promotion Centre in Hanoi on January 17.
Since Vietnam and Mozambique set up the diplomatic ties in 1975, the two countries always showed mutual supports to the fights for independence as well economic development. The two countries signed a commercial agreement to create an important legal corridor to facilitate the mutual trade. However, the economic and commercial ties do not come up with expectations and potentialities of the two nations.
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Trade Do Nhu Dinh said Vietnam earned US$32.55 million from exports to Mozambique while spending US$3.24 million to import commodities from this country in 2005. In the first nine months of 2006, the respective figures were only US$9.03 million and US$2.03 million, a sharp fall compared with a year earlier. Vietnam mainly exported rice and apparels to Mozambique while importing cotton, timber, wooden products, cashew nuts, raw cloth and tobacco materials. Dinh said the poor business relation of the two countries was attributable to the shortage of market information. Neither Vietnam nor Mozambique locates their representative agencies in the partner country.
Apart from commercial activities, the two countries also cooperate in agriculture. Mozambique needs Vietnamese assistance to reclaim its Zambeze area, develop wet rice cultivation, build irrigation system and form fish-farming areas.
“Mozambique is creating favourable conditions for foreign investors to do business, including Vietnam. At present, the difficulty of Mozambique is to increase the value for wooden furniture, tanned leather, canned food, vegetables and fruits. Vietnamese and Mozambican businesses should intensify the exploitation of advantages and potentialities of their partners and build up a closer cooperative relationship,” Mozambique President Armando Emílio Guebuza said.
To enhance their economic and commercial relationships, Vietnam and Mozambique must reinforce shuttle delegation exchange at all levels, Dinh said. Besides, they should also set up information channels to provide timely information to businesses of the two countries. Although the Vietnam-Africa E-Portal is being operated in good conditions, more information about Mozambique should be updated. Especially, Vietnamese and Mozambican companies need to take part in trade fairs and exhibitions in corresponding countries more actively. In the near future, Mozambican companies should showcase their products at the Vietnam Expo 2007, which will be opened in Hanoi and attract the attendance of many foreign companies, Dinh said.
Lan Anh
Vietnamese
