At a working session with Permanent Secretary at Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises of Berlin, Michael Biel, and representatives of city departments on November 28, Tuyen affirmed that the Vietnam-Germany relationship is developing across spheres.
Germany is Vietnam’s biggest trade partner in the EU, while Vietnam is the largest trade partner of Germany in Southeast Asia, and the sixth biggest in Asia, she said, recalling the official visit to Vietnam by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier this month.
Regarding cooperation between the two capital cities, the official said Berlin enterprises are running 79 projects worth 253.3 million USD in Hanoi, mainly in science-technology, retail, processing and manufacturing, and information and telecommunications.
Meanwhile, Hanoi businesses export different staples to Berlin and Germany as well, including rice and fishery products.
Districts of Hanoi and Berlin have also established cooperation such as Hoang Mai - Marzahn and Hoan Kiem – Lichtenberg in the fields of education-training, trade and especially tourism, according to the official.
The two sides agreed to step up exchanges and bolster collaboration in the areas in which both are interested and have strengths like economy-trade, education-training, health care and tourism.
Tuyen expressed her hope for further cooperation from Berlin to enhance investment promotion and business connectivity, saying the two sides should launch more cooperation programmes in education.
In the field of commerce, she suggested Berlin support Hanoi small and medium-sized enterprises in utilising the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to access the EU and Germany, while importing more Hanoi products like rice, garments-textiles and footwear.
For his part, Biel affirmed that Berlin always attaches importance to maintaining and expanding its friendship and cooperation with Hanoi across spheres, and noted his hope that the Hanoi delegation’s visit will open up new cooperation opportunities and contribute to strengthening the friendship between their authorities and people and deepening the Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership.
During their stay in Germany, the delegation met Andreas Jahn, member of the Federal Executive Board of the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (BVMW).
Tuyen stressed that economic cooperation has been an important pillar of the Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership, and called on the German side to help with business connectivity to accelerate Hanoi exports to the EU.
Jahn said with 960,000 member businesses in Germany and 75 representative offices worldwide, including Hanoi, the BVMW is very interested in the Southeast Asian market, including Vietnam.
He suggested Tuyen propose the Vietnamese Government open a direct air route between Hanoi and Berlin.
