“The Czech business community highly values the Vietnamese market with a big population, rich resources, stable political regime, and sizeable economy. It is a most prosperous land with both opportunities and challenges for Czech businesses to invest and do business in Vietnam” said Czech Senate President Milan Stech at the Vietnam-Czech Business Forum sponsored by Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ho Chi Minh City Branch (VCCI-HCM) and Czech Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Speaking at the forum, Mr Vo Tan Thanh, VCCI Vice President and Director of VCCI-HCM, said that in the past 65 years, the traditional Vietnam-Czech friendship has always been developing. The friendship has developed in all fields, especially in economic cooperation, trade and investment. Czech Republic is presently in the list of Vietnamese strategic export markets with stable growth in recent years. The bilateral trade value in 2014 stood at US$294 million, up 24 percent compared to 2013, and US$165 million in the first 8 months of 2015.
In investment, the Czech Republic ranks 44th among 105 countries and territories with 37 projects and registered capital of over US$92 million focusing on energy, communication, machinery and equipment. Mr Thanh emphasized: “With the present growth and joint efforts of the governments and business communities of the two countries, Vietnam-Czech trade value of US$1 billion is surely within reach. For its part, VCCI-HCM will help Czech business community find partners and develop business cooperation.”
Highly valuing the impressive development of the Vietnamese economy in recent years, Czech Senate President Milan Stech said that the Czech Republic always regards Vietnam as a traditional strategic partner in 2015-2020, and one among 12 key markets of the Czech Republic trade and investment promotion plan. The Czech Republic, as a member of the larger EU market with over 500 million people, will be a golden opportunity for Vietnamese businesses. Meanwhile, as Vietnamese economy integrating more deeply in the world economy will need high technology and new equipment. Czech Republic with developed economy is a right destination for Vietnamese businesses to find what it needs for advanced technology in machinery, energy, communication and transport.
Czech Senate President Milan Stech also said that so far Vietnam and the Czech Republic have signed 50 agreements of State level and the central point will be the signing of Vietnam-EU FTA and TPP. It will be most favourable to upgrade Vietnam-Czech bilateral economic cooperation. “As an important gate for Vietnamese exports to EU, the Czech Republic also wants Vietnam to be bridgehead for Czech businesses to integrate into ASEAN, China and Mekong Sub-regional markets. I do hope that Vietnamese and Czech business communities will make the best use of the opportunities to promote bilateral trade and investment cooperation compatible with existing potential,” Mr Milan Stech reaffirmed.
My Chau
Vietnamese
