Belgian firms keen to explore investment opportunities in Binh Dinh
VOV.VN - The Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium is willing to promote cooperation between Vietnamese localities, including Binh Dinh, and those from Belgium as well as the EU, and help Belgian firms to gain greater insights into investment policies in Vietnam.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium Nguyen Van Thao made the statement at a seminar held on March 24 to boost trade and investment promotion activities in Binh Dinh, a southern central province of Vietnam.
Thao emphasised that Belgium is Vietnam’s important trading partner in the EU, especially in areas of agriculture, energy, logistics, port infrastructure, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals manufacturing.
Vietnam also makes up a major trading partner for Belgium and Europe in Asia, he said, adding that products of Vietnam and Belgium can be viewed as complementary as opposed to competitive.
Thanks to the enforcement of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) in August, 2020, the two-way trade turnover reached EUR3.9 billion in 2021 and exceeded EUR6 billion last year, despite the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical fluctuations.
The Vietnamese diplomat went on to highlight Binh Dinh’s advantages such as favourable location and complete infrastructure, including Quy Nhon seaport, saying the locality holds great potential for tourism development and renewable energy development.
Andries Gryffroy, first vice president of the Belgian Senate, for his part emphasised that Binh Dinh is considered as an ideal gateway to Vietnam, noting that the seminar has helped to strengthen connectivity among businesses, and offer more insights into the untapped potential of Binh Dinh province.
Gryffroy revealed that a delegation made up of firms from the Flanders of Belgium would visit Vietnam this September to seek investment opportunities.
He stressed that the EVFTA has created a wealth of opportunities to boost exports between the two sides, and that the Belgian Vietnamese Alliance will continue to serve as a bridge for the two markets and support companies seeking to develop their businesses.
Meanwhile, Emiel Neyrinck, representative of the Belgian Association of Entrepreneurs and Small and Medium Enterprises (UNIZO), said that Binh Dinh has a great potential for economic and tourism development, and he would move to introduce these opportunities to UNIZO businesses.
Isabelle Pollet, senior area manager of the Wallonia Export & Investment Agency, introduced some fields for bilateral cooperation and said John Cockerill Company recently signed a co-operation agreement with Vietnam to deploy a renewable energy project in the coming months.
