A delegation of representatives from 30 Vietnamese enterprises led by Director of the Trade Promotion Agency under Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) Vu Ba Phu attended the event.
In his opening speech, Andries Gryffroy, First Vice President of the Belgian Senate, said the event offers a good chance for Vietnamese and Belgian businesses to further strengthen cooperation in the field of food and beverages, among others.
The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has created great opportunities to push import-export activities between Vietnam and Belgium, Gryffroy said.
With benefits brought by the trade deal, Belgian businesses have recorded stable and friendly trade activities with Vietnamese partners. Meanwhile, Vietnamese firms has diversified their export products, especially farm produce and goods with comparative advantage, in foreign markets, he noted.
According to Phu, the Vietnamese business delegation includes firms specialising in exporting processed foods and farm produce, textiles, footwear and furniture, which are competitive products in the EU market.
Within the framework of the programme, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the EU Nguyen Van Thao talked with the participants.
According to the diplomat, with a population of 450 million people, and the GDP of over 16 trillion EUR (15.75 billion USD), the EU is a potential market for Vietnamese exporters. The strategic partnership agreement on agriculture between Vietnam and Belgium signed in 2018 is the catalyst for Vietnamese agricultural products to make inroads into the Belgian market.
