Executives from Argentinian and Vietnamese firms exchange information at a business meeting in HCM CIty on November 15. — VNS Photo

HCM CITY — A visiting delegation of Argentinian business executives representing more than 30 companies from the dairy, coffee, meat, fruit, juice, bean, and other sectors met with their Vietnamese counterparts at the Việt Nam-Argentina business meeting in HCM City on November 15.

Luis Pablo Maria Beltramino, the Argentinian ambassador to Việt Nam, said in the last decade his country grew its exports to Việt Nam by 600 per cent and imports by 700 per cent.

Việt Nam is Argentina’s sixth largest trading partner in the world while his country is Việt Nam’s third biggest in Latin America.

“Việt Nam has been presented as a great commercial opportunity for the world … driven by the intensification of the flow of trade and direct investment from more than 140 countries.”

"The two nations have complementary economies in terms of sectors, counter-seasonal production and agricultural produce," he said.

Võ Tân Thành, director of the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s HCM City branch, said bilateral trade exceeded US$4.5 billion last year, up 14 per cent from 2020, and was worth $2.8 billion in the first seven months of this year.

Việt Nam’s key export items to Argentina include mobile phones and components; computers, electronic products and components; footwear; machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts; and raw materials for textiles, leather and footwear.

It imports mainly corn, animal feed and raw materials, cotton, soybean, and vegetable oil.

“Việt Nam wants Argentina to create more favourable conditions for its businesses to access the market, especially … agricultural products, textile, furniture, and handicrafts,” Thành said

“Việt Nam and Argentina need to strengthen co-ordination in implementing trade promotion and providing information to the business communities about each other's market and helping their businesses attend specialised fairs and trade connection activities by the two countries.”

The two sides have agreed to consider co-operation in new and promising fields such as energy, high-tech agriculture, food processing, bio-technology, and digital transformation to deepen their economic-trade relations.

Organised by VCCI and the Argentine Federal Investment Council, the event was an opportunity for businesses from the two countries to hold direct exchanges on issues of mutual interest and seek co-operation. — VNS