Footwear and leather products are among key Vietnamese exports to the Czech Republic.  VNA/VNS Photo Trần Việt

PRAGUE — Measures to boost two-way co-operation in economics, trade and investment were discussed at a meeting between officials from Việt Nam and the Czech Republic on Wednesday.

The two sides discussed ways to improve bilateral trade and economics relations after the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) was signed on June 30.

The EVFTA, which is pending for approval of the European Parliament, would help develop trade and investment relations between Việt Nam and the EU, including the Czech Republic, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Hồ Minh Tuấn said.

The pact would also help the European nation intensify commodities exports to Việt Nam and improve trade balance, he added.

Tuấn said he hoped that President of the Czech Chamber of Commerce (CCC) Vladimír Dlouhý would lobby the Czech Parliament and Czech parliamentarians in the European Parliament to ratify the pact.

Dlouhý said the Czech Republic wanted to improve bilateral exchange in automobile manufacturing, food industry, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, electronics and tourism.

The CCC was willing to work with the Vietnamese embassy to hold seminars, meetings and forums to help local firms study the Vietnamese market, he added.

According to the CCC, bilateral trade in 2018 reached nearly US$1.2 billion. Việt Nam enjoyed a trade surplus of $900 million.

Việt Nam’s main exports to the Czech Republic included electronic equipment, footwear and leather products, rubber, seafood and farm produce. Meanwhile, Vietnamese firms imported energy equipment, boilers, mechanical tools, TV screens, surgical instruments, and glass and crystal products from Czech suppliers.

Next year, the two sides will celebrate the 70^th anniversary of their diplomatic ties. — VNS