PM Phuc voiced his hope that with his experience, the new RoK Ambassador will make many contributions to promoting the strategic partnership between the two countries in a more practical and effective manner.
PM Phuc noted that two-way trade increased by more than 15% in the first quarter of 2018. The RoK is currently the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam and the second largest provider of official development assistance (ODA) for the country.
Emphasising the importance of setting the target of US$100 billion in bilateral trade by 2020, he said the two sides need to take measures to ensure a more balanced trade in the coming time.
Vietnam has been stepping up the equitisation of State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in many important sectors, the PM said, expressing his wish that RoK firms will become strategic investors of these SOEs, as well as transfer advanced technology to Vietnamese companies.
For his part, Ambassador Kim said Vietnam holds great potential to become an economic hub in Southeast Asia as the country has emerged as one of the world’s major manufacturing centres.
He highly evaluated the Vietnamese government’s efforts to promote the country’s socio-economic development, which brought in important achievements.
Agreeing with the PM’s proposals, the ambassador expressed his hope that more Vietnamese businesses could participate in the global production chains of RoK firms. He also pledged to contribute to the development of Vietnamese start-ups.
