"Vietnam-Cuba businesses should become strategic partners"

This is the confirmation of Dr. Vu Tien Loc, President of Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), at a virtual meeting with Mr. Antonio L. Carricarte Corona, President of Cuban Chamber of Commerce, held on the evening of July 22 in Hanoi.

Attending the online meeting were Ms. Lianys Torres Rivera, Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam, Ms. Irmina Perojo, Trade Counselor of Cuba in Vietnam, and representatives of some leading Cuban businesses.

According to Dr. Vu Tien Loc, with the current trend of market diversification, businesses of the two countries need to work together more closely and strengthen connectivity through online trading approaches and via websites. Currently, potential cooperation areas are digital technology, health care, apparel, footwear and electronics.

President of VCCI suggested the two sides should have a joint council so trade promotion activities will be more effective.

“I welcome Cuban businesses who have always wanted to select Vietnamese businesses as their partners. During the war, Vietnam and Cuba were comrades and in peacetime they are strategic partners. In the context of unpredictable fluctuations in the world, only by promoting friendship and comradeship can Vietnam and Cuba overcome difficulties and obtain achievements for the future,” Dr. Vu Tien Loc affirmed.

By the end of 2020, Vietnam will organize many activities under ASEAN 2020. Dr. Vu Tien Loc desired the participation and cooperation of Cuban Chamber of Commerce and businesses in these activities, especially those in the framework of the ASEAN Business Summit.

According to Ms. Lianys Torres Rivera, Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam, it is necessary to further strengthen business and investment relations, especially when the two countries have just reinforced the bilateral trade agreement. The agreement is expected to gradually raise economic and trade cooperation between the two countries on par with the good bilateral political relations.

At the meeting, Mr. Antonio L. Carricarte Corona, on behalf of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce, thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for sending aid to Cuba in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and hoped that after the meeting, the two sides will find new solutions to overcome the global economic downturn.

Mr. Antonio L. Carricarte Corona emphasized that the highest priority will be given to enterprises trading goods in areas of mutual interest. Recently, more and more Vietnamese goods have been imported into Cuba. Businesses of the two sides have cooperated in developing the infrastructure of an industrial park in Mariel, Cuba, as well as implementing several food processing, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals projects.

"We not only target the Vietnamese market, but we also want to access the ASEAN market through Vietnam, as the country has an increasingly important position in ASEAN," said Mr. Antonio L. Carricarte Corona.

At the event, representatives of Cuban businesses in the fields of agriculture, tourism, art, construction, transportation, e-commerce technology and 4.0 technology, expressed their wish to initiate long-term cooperation with Vietnamese partners.

Dr. Loc affirmed that Vietnam is not only a market, but also a gateway for Cuba to access the ASEAN market. VCCI will coordinate with the Cuban Embassy in Vietnam to introduce Vietnamese businesses that are suitable for Cuban partners and ready to support Cuban businesses having difficulties operating in the Vietnam market.

By Huong Ly, Vietnam Business Forum