Lam made the statement during a meeting with Geoffroy Roux De Bezieux, Honorary President of the MEDEF, who is also President of the Alliance of Francophone Employers (APF), and Founder and Chairman of Notus Technologies, in Paris on October 4, as part of his trip for attendance at the 19th Francophonie Summit and an official visit to France from October 3-7.
He emphasised the long-standing history of exchanges and the increasingly expanding cooperation between the two countries across fields of politics, economy, culture, and defence, stating that economic cooperation is always one of the important pillars in the bilateral relations.
He urged the MEDEF to continue supporting and acting as a channel for business and investment connections between the two countries' business communities in the coming time, stressing that the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will create a favourable legal framework for investment and business activities between the two sides.
According to Lam, Vietnam aims to attract selective investment, prioritising quality, efficiency, technology, and environmental protection as the main evaluation criteria.
The Southeast Asian nation gives priority to projects in such sectors as high technology, innovation, and research and development; and those that foster collaboration and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to participate in the value chain, promote the digital economy, and contribute positively to the sustainable socio-economic development of Vietnam, he stated.
He suggested the MEDEF and the APF to strengthen investment connection and business cooperation in potential areas where enterprises of the both sides have strengths, such as renewable energy, wastewater treatment and waste recycling, infrastructure development and logistics, technology and innovation, digital transformation, and health care and pharmaceuticals.
Geoffroy Roux De Bezieux and representatives of MEDEF member businesses appreciated Vietnam's interest in the Francophone community and introduced the strengths of their companies as well as their desire to cooperate with Vietnam.
They praised Vietnam's efforts in maintaining its economic growth despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, affirming their willingness to support, share experience and cooperate with Vietnamese businesses in the coming time.
They proposed cooperation with Vietnam in various areas, including infrastructure development, transportation, renewable energy, and support for connecting power grids between countries, especially in designing mechanisms for cooperation among nations in electricity coordination.
The MEDEF is willing to collaborate with Vietnam to develop the highly competitive agricultural processing and food sectors, they stressed.
