Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính (right) and Jose Serrador, Global Vice President of Embraer, the world’s third-largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft, had talks in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

RIO DE JANEIRO — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính received leaders of four Brazilian corporations in Rio de Janeiro on November 17 (local time) as part of his trip to Brazil for participation in the G20 Summit and bilateral activities.

The firms are aerospace company Embraer, meat producer JBS, Oceanside One Trading, and smart card solution supplier Alterosa.

At the meetings, Chính highlighted the strong and growing Việt Nam-Brazil relationship, underscored by mutual political trust and complementary economic strengths.

Bilateral trade reached over US$7.1 billion in 2023 and $6.58 billion in the first 10 months of 2024, he noted.

The Vietnamese leader highlighted Việt Nam and Brazil's similarities and shared aspirations for peace and development, as well as great potential for cooperation.

He called on Brazilian firms to promote investment in Việt Nam, and pledged that the Vietnamese Government will continue improving the country's business and investment environment, speeding up administrative reform and providing optimal conditions for Brazilian investors to effectively and sustainably operate in Việt Nam.

Jose Serrador, Global Vice President of Embraer, the world’s third-largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft, affirmed the company's wish to continue promoting comprehensive collaboration with Việt Nam.

He committed to expanding cooperation with Vietnam, particularly in exploiting routes such as Hà Nội - HCM City and Hà Nội - Côn Đảo, and in defence trade.

Chính said Việt Nam is focusing on developing maritime space, underground space, and aerospace, and that the country aims to establish an aviation transit centre. 

Pointing to Việt Nam's potential in aviation development and rising demands, he encouraged Embraer to support Việt Nam's ambition to become a global aviation hub through sustainable fleet development, pilot training, technology transfer, and airport construction, while cooperating with Việt Nam in other fields such as defence trade, search and rescue.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính (right) and Celso Nunes, Innovation Director at Alterosa. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

Meanwhile, Celso Nunes, Innovation Director at Alterosa, presented plans to enhance partnership with Việt Nam in smart card solutions.

Chính welcomed Alterosa's activities in Việt Nam and urged the firm to expand its partnerships in Việt Nam, both in scope and scale, particularly in digital security authentication solutions and smart card technology, helping to build the country’s digital infrastructure, digital economy, and digital society, digital government, and citizenship.

He welcomed the firm to explore opportunities in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things. The PM encouraged Alterosa to collaborate with Việt Nam's National Innovation Centre to drive innovation and develop financial hubs, advancing the country’s technological and economic transformation.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính (right) and Marcio Rodrigues, CEO of JBS. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

Marcio Rodrigues, CEO of JBS, the world’s largest meat producer, proposed making Việt Nam a strategic hub for the Asian market. PM Chính welcomed this idea and invited JBS to expand investments in Việt Nam, including facilities for livestock processing, food security, and leather production. He also encouraged the further integration of Vietnamese agricultural products into global supply chains.

Last year, the firm earned $8.3 billion in revenue with more than 65,000 labourers worldwide. 

Chính expressed his hope for JBS to establish a greater, deeper, and broader presence in Việt Nam in the coming years. He encouraged the company's leaders to visit Việt Nam soon to explore further cooperation opportunities, enhance supply chain expansion, and bring Việt Nam's diverse agricultural products to Brazil and global markets. Additionally, he urged JBS to invest in factories in Việt Nam, focusing on leather production, manufacturing, processing, and exporting livestock and poultry meat.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính (right) and Roger Zen, Chairman and CEO of Oceanside One Trading. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

At the meeting with the Vietnamese leader, Roger Zen, Chairman and CEO of Oceanside One Trading, briefed him on the group’s operations and touched upon opportunities to expand business and investment collaboration with Việt Nam.

Oceanside One Trading is a leading American trading conglomerate headquartered in the US, with subsidiaries in Brazil. The group specialises in trading commodities such as chemicals, oil and gas, tires, fertilizers, and urea. In 2023, its revenue exceeded $500 million, with a commercial presence in over 50 countries and territories.

In Việt Nam, the group has signed an export agreement for automotive tire products with a subsidiary of the State-managed Việt Nam National Chemical Group (Vinachem) for the Brazilian market, valued at $120 million. Oceanside One Trading aims to increase its export volume to the US and Brazilian markets from $70 million to $150 million annually in the near future.

Roger Zen praised the potential for collaboration with Việt Nam, highlighting the strong friendship between the two countries, their cultural similarities, and the complementary strengths of their economies. He noted the group’s desire to continue purchasing goods from Việt Nam and increasing exports to the country, targeting annual trade growth of 15–20 per cent.

Welcoming Oceanside One Trading’s ideas and plans for cooperation, the PM encouraged the group to provide input to help Việt Nam improve its institutional framework.

He suggested the group enhance trade collaboration, explore investment opportunities, introduce more Vietnamese products to global consumers, and help the country integrate more deeply into the global supply chain.

Highlighting Việt Nam as a promising consumer market with over 100 million people and a growing middle class, the leader said the country has signed 17 free trade agreements (FTAs) with over 60 major economies. He called on Oceanside One Trading and JBS to support negotiations for a new-generation FTA between Việt Nam and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), as well as Brazil, and to advocate for investment protection agreements. — VNA/VNS