PM Dung’s activities at Asia-Europe Meeting

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung attended a special meeting of leaders of ASEAN member countries, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) on October 24 as part of his activities at the seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Beijing.

The focus of the meeting was the discussion of a range of measures to increase regional coordination in coping with the impacts of the current global financial crisis. The ASEAN leaders had earlier held a separate meeting on the issue.

During the meeting, PM Dung shared information regarding a number of active measures taken by the Vietnamese Government to cope with the effects of the crisis, affirming that Vietnam has put the situation under control, maintained macro-economic stability and ensured social welfare and the country will be able to record further economic growth.

The PM agreed upon the determination to strengthen regional coordination and emphasised a number of key solutions in dealing with the crisis, saying that along with appropriate financial-economic measures, it is necessary to win over public support of the government’s policies and measures and to reassure the public in order to prevent the panic from spreading.

The ASEAN+3 meeting agreed that member countries will work closely on introducing policies and measures to win back investors’ confidence, accelerate economic, trade and investment cooperation in the region and to establish a free trade area in Eastern Asia.

On the same day, PM Dung met with Lao PM Bouasone Bouphavanh, Bulgarian President Georghi Parvanov, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, RoK President Lee Myungbak and Indian PM Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the ASEM.

During the PM’s meeting with his Lao counterpart, the two sides expressed their pleasure at the rapid and efficient development of their economic, trade and investment ties over recent years.

They agreed to raise two-way trade to US$1 billion by 2010, US$2 billion by 2015 and US$5 billion by 2020.

At another meeting, PM Dung told the Bulgarian President that he was delighted at the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Bulgaria, which have developed steadily and yielded encouraging results, with bilateral trade increasing by 45 percent compared with 2007.

PM Dung hailed the official visit to Vietnam by the Bulgarian President early next year and said the visit will contribute to furthering Vietnam-Bulgaria relations.

The Bulgarian President said traditional friendship is a precious asset for the two nations, which serves as a firm foundation for the two sides to develop ties in the future.

He went on to say that more than 30,000 Vietnamese who used to work and study in Bulgaria, and thousands of others currently residing in the country will act as a link between the two nations.

The two leaders agreed to step up cooperation and assistance at international forums.

PM Dung told his guest that the European Parliament’s recent approval of a resolution on human rights in Vietnam which contrasts strongly with actual conditions in the country would have an adverse impact on the development of cooperative ties between Vietnam and the European Union (EU).

While meeting the EC President, PM Dung and his guest expressed their pleasure at the development of Vietnam-EU ties and appreciated the two sides’ efforts to continue with high-ranking meetings to increase mutual understanding and boost multifaceted cooperation.

The PM said he was pleased at the progress made in negotiations over the Vietnam-EU partnership and cooperation agreement (PCA).

PM Dung, however, expressed his regret at the EU’s recent decisions to remove some Vietnamese products from the list of Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) beneficiaries and to review the imposition of anti-dumping tax on Vietnam’s leather-capped shoe exports, saying that these decisions negatively affected bilateral ties.

The PM proposed that the EC put an end to the checking process, saying that the past and current imposition of taxes and reviews which to be conducted in the future have driven almost 1 million Vietnamese workers, mainly women and low-income earners, into financial difficulties, hindering Vietnam’s efforts in poverty reduction.

According to the PM, the European Parliament’s new resolution on human rights in Vietnam is incompatible with reality in the country, interfering in its internal affairs and adversely impacting upon Vietnam-EU relations.

The EC President, Jose Manuel Barroso said that, at a time when many economies have been affected by the global financial crisis, Vietnam’s economic foundation remains stable and strong.

Economic growth in Vietnam and other regional countries will help to spur economic growth in other regions, he said.

President Barroso said he believed that progress will be made in the negotiation of the PCA and spoke highly of Vietnam’s role as a coordinator in the negotiation of an agreement on free trade between ASEAN members and the EU.

Meeting with the RoK President, PM Dung lauded the RoK’s decision to provide Vietnam with US$1 billion in preferential loans during the 2008-2011 period. He added that Vietnam welcomes RoK investors, particularly those with huge potential capital and technology.

The RoK President affirmed his country’s ODA commitments to help Vietnam increase its economic competitiveness. He also said the RoK wishes to boost cooperation with Vietnam across all sectors.

The Indian PM in his meeting with PM Dung affirmed his determination to develop his nation’s strategic partnership with Vietnam, adding that India considers Vietnam to be a market economy and will officially recognise Vietnam as a market economy at the upcoming ASEAN summit.

PM Dung proposed that India create favourable conditions for Vietnamese products, particularly farm produce, to enter its market, to help balance bilateral trade.

Two-way trade between Vietnam and India reached US$1.7 billion in the first seven months of this year, with Vietnam registering a huge trade deficit.

The two sides stressed the need to enhance cooperation at regional and international forums. Vietnam also affirmed its support for India’s bid to become a permanent member of the expanded UN Security Council.