Switzerland offers US$80mln grant to improve Vietnam’s business climate
VOV.VN - The Swiss government has decided to grant CHF70 million (nearly US$80 million) to help Vietnam improve its business and enhance the competitiveness of the private sector.
The figure was revealed at a ceremony virtually held on August 6 to announce a cooperation programme for 2021-2024 between Vietnam and Switzerland.
The ceremony was co-chaired by Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung and Swiss Vice President and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis.
Both sides charted a new course for bilateral cooperation in the 2021-2024 period, focusing on economic development closely linked to environmental protection and social issues, administrative reforms, building capacity for sound financial management, urban development planning, and business support in market management and access.
Switzerland will help Vietnam implement a project on digital transformation for businesses, while considering cooperation in innovation, meeting Vietnam’s development requirements in the coming time.
The two sides also agreed to promote cooperation in investment and trade, by encouraging more leading Swiss enterprises to invest in Vietnam, especially in fields with high technology content.
Switzerland has been a donor of official development assistance (ODA), mostly in the form of non-refundable aid, to Vietnam since 1992. As of 2020, it had granted the Southeast Asian nation with nearly CHF500 million to implement poverty reduction projects.
