Madame Cornelia Pieper, Minister of State at Germany's Federal Foreign Office, recently arrived in Vietnam to make preparation for the state visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Vietnam on October 11 and 12. At a press briefing, Cornelia Pieper spoke high of promising and good trade relations between Vietnam and Germany. Huong Ly reports.
Could you please tell your opinions about trade potential between Vietnam and Germany?
This is my second visit to Vietnam and I see that trade relations between Vietnam and Germany are expanding year after year. Germany is now the largest EU trading partner of Vietnam with an annual two-way trade growth of 15 percent, reaching over US$4.1 billion in 2010.
Germany’s total capital investment in Vietnam approximated 400 million euro. Its projects are very important for both countries. Its largest project in Vietnam is the subway No. 2 (Ben Thanh - Tham Luong) in Ho Chi Minh City. Another big project is Vietnam - Germany University in Ho Chi Minh City where about 400 students are studying. The university is expected to train some 5,000 students in 2020. Recently, a German corporation invested US$20 million in Binh Dinh province, the largest project of Germany in central Vietnam.
To date, 150 German firms are doing business in Vietnam. However, the current number is below our cooperation potentials. German Federal Foreign Office will always support Germany businesses investing in Vietnam in the coming time.
Would you be kind enough to tell us the purpose and significance of the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel?
German Chancellor Angela Merkel accompanied by Vice Chancellor and Health Minister Philipp Roesler and a business delegation visited Vietnam on October 11- 12. As far as I am concerned, Mr Philipp Roesler is favoured and admired in Vietnam. I would like to emphasise that German and Vietnamese Governments will elevate cooperation relationship to strategic partnership.
Not only the Government of Vietnam wants to have more German investment in Vietnam but the Government of Germany also wants to. Therefore, solutions to attract German investment capital in Vietnam are an important content of the Chancellor’s visit.
What is Germany’s investment policy in Vietnam in the coming time?
On his recent visit to Vietnam, German Foreign Minister also stressed that the German Government always attached importance to investment activities in Vietnam. In addition, we encourage not only big corporations but also small ones to invest in Vietnam. I think businesses in Eastern Germany will have more interest because they used to do business with Vietnam.
Federal Foreign Office wants to coordinate with concerned companies to hold economic conferences for companies of the two countries to discuss cooperation plans, solve difficulties and obstacles in business, etc.
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