3:26:38 PM | 7/8/2005
The Prime Minister of Vietnam, Phan Van Khai, arrived in Christchurch on May 7, beginning his first five-day visit to New Zealand.
New Zealand is the second leg of Khai who visited Australia from May 4-7.
After arriving, the Vietnamese top leader visited Lincoln University and was the guest of honor at a civic dinner at Christchurch Town Hall on Sunday. He is scheduled to meet his New Zealand counterpart Helen Clark today.
Before flying to New Zealand, Khai went to the Australian State of Queensland on May 7. He visited the high-yield shrimp-breeding farm in Rock Point and Gold Coast City, which has the fastest economic growth rate in Australia. He also toured Griffith and Queensland Universities.
Currently, New Zealand ranks 33rd among foreign trade partners of Vietnam while Vietnam is placed the 31st among countries conducting trade ties with New Zealand.
Their two-way trade rose to US$156.13 million last year from US$114 million in 2003 and US$94 million in 2002.
Of last year's figure, Vietnam exported US$47 million with main products of seafood, coffee, garments, footwear, woodwork, porcelain, handicrafts while imported US$109 million of milk and butter, leather, fleece, pulp, chemicals, and animal feeds from New Zealand.
New Zealand has 11 projects totaling around US$44.37 million in Vietnam, ranking the 29th among more than 64 countries and territories investing in the country, according to statistics from the Vietnam Ministry of Planning and Investment.
New Zealand-invested projects are often small in scale and specialized in construction material production, wood processing, nickel ore mining, telecommunications, handicrafts, hotel development, and milk and beverage production.
Vietnam and New Zealand are preparing to mark the 30-year anniversary of their diplomatic relations, which was established in 1975. The two countries signed an economic and commercial co-operation agreement on July 18, 1994.
On official development assistance (ODA), by June 2004, New Zealand had granted NZD18.4 million (US$9.2 million) to Vietnam. New Zealand's aid to Vietnam rose from NZD2.7 million in the 2002-03 fiscal year to NZD3.06 million in the 2003-04 fiscal year. It has also granted Vietnam NZD2 million in humanitarian aid through multilateral mechanisms.
New Zealand's aid has been channeled into projects on education and training, agriculture, health care, and State management.
A number of New Zealand contractors have also been involved in a number of projects in Vietnam, including the construction of the Franco-Vietnam hospital, the Espace Bourbon An Lac supermarket, the Nam Con Son gas processing plant, and a water park in Ho Chi Minh City.
The New Zealand government has helped the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction to train urban planners and managers.
Education and training cooperation between Vietnam and New Zealand has been thriving. Currently, around 1,000 Vietnamese students are studying in New Zealand with almost all of them studying at their own expense.
Last year, 10,500 New Zealand tourists visited Vietnam, a rise of 28.1 per cent over 2003.
The two countries have started bilateral cooperation in the areas of security and defense. New Zealand assigned a military attaché to cover both Thailand and Vietnam in February 2001.
A New Zealand naval ship docked at the Saigon port in Ho Chi Minh City and a delegation from the Artillery Command of the Vietnam People's Army paid a working visit to New Zealand in 2003.
VNA
Vietnamese
