HÀ NỘI — The Australian government will continue supporting Việt Nam in growing and exporting Vietnamese agricultural products to Australia, the Australian ambassador has said.

At a conference on strengthening partnership between the two countries in Hà Nội yesterday, Craig Chittick, Australian ambassador in Việt Nam, said the two countries have been collaborating well in terms of marketing agricultural products and increasing the contribution of farmers to the economies.

“During the recent four-day visit to northern Tuyên Quang, Yên Bái and Sơn La provinces, I saw that farmers in Việt Nam have taken advantage of research from Australia in the cultivation of several plants, including coffee and safe vegetables,” he said. “The research has helped increase the productivity, quality and profitability of Việt Nam’s agricultural products.”

Emphasizing on his commitment to the Australia partnership with Việt Nam, the ambassador said he planned to visit all 63 provinces in the country and had already visited 16 in the last four months.

He proposed that representatives from 63 provinces be invited to the next meeting with Australian enterprises, which will take place in May next year.

A high-level meeting between the agricultural ministries of the two countries will take place next month, during which the ministries will discuss quarantine regulations and market accessibilities for export products from both countries, he said. 

Speaking at the conference, Permanent Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn said the two countries’ economies “complement each other.”

He also said the regional economic integration process developed huge collaboration potential for the two countries, as they are both members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area, the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. 

The conference was followed by a signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of cooperation between the provincial departments of foreign affairs and the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Việt Nam. 

The memorandum will grant access to Australian enterprises to invest in Việt Nam’s 63 provinces and allow Việt Nam’s localities to access the Australian market via AusCham.

At the conference, representatives from seven provinces of Hà Nam, Lai Châu, Sơn La and Nghệ An, as well as Ninh Thuận, Đồng Tháp and Thừa Thiên-Huế presented the provinces potential for investment in terms of agriculture, aquaculture, energy and natural resources, as well as education, tourism and services.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, by September 20, Australia had 378 investment projects in Việt Nam with total investment cost of US$1.7 billion, making it the seventh largest commercial partner of Việt Nam. 

Two-way trade turnover between the two countries increased by 10 per cent in 10 consecutive years, reaching over $7 billion last year. — VNS