Geneva (VNA) –🌳 Vietnamese trade counsellors andheads of trade offices in Europe met in Geneva on June 14 – 15 todiscuss ways to beef up trade and investment promotion with countries in theregion and other parts of the world.

Held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), themeeting aimed to enhance coordination among the trade offices and strengthenthe delivery of support for Vietnamese enterprises in trade promotion overseas,thus boosting exportation. In his opening remarks, Minister of Industry and TradeNguyen Hong Dien highly spoke of the performance of Vietnamese trade offices inEurope, a major market of Vietnam which has become Vietnam’s top priority toexpand cooperation in all areas, particularly politics, diplomacy, trade andeconomy. Given that the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the Vietnam– Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) FTA and the UK-Vietnam FTA (UKVFTA) haveentered into force, it is crucial for the MoIT and trade offices to come upwith proper policies and mechanisms to make the most of opportunities brought about by international integration, help Vietnamese firms join global and regional valuechains, and develop new ones, he said. The minister outlined five major tasks for trade offices inthe coming time, notably among which are advising the MoIT in foreign markets’ trendsand demand; stepping up business matching in the industry sector; seeking new foreign sources of input supply to facilitate domesticproduction; and attracting foreign investment in manufacturing of inputs,materials and equipment for the development of renewable energy. Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Permanent Representative ofVietnam to the UN, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and internationalorganisations in Geneva, said global trade is under pressure as a result ofuncertainties in the geopolitical situation. This brings both opportunities andchallenges for Vietnam as a player in global trade, she noted, adding that itis important for Vietnamese missions overseas to accelerate informationexchange and coordination, so as to contribute to trade policy making. Data shows that, Vietnam’s trade with European countriesexceeded 72.5 billion USD last year, up 15.2 percent against 2020. The countryenjoyed a trade surplus worth 28.88 billion USD with Europe, with exportsreaching 50.7 billion USD and imports valuing 21.8 billion USD, up 14.7 percentand 16.4 percent, respectively, year-on-year./.