Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng (right) meets German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during the latter's visit to Vietnam in November 2022. – VNA/VNS Photo

BERLIN – The German Government has stated that it highly values development cooperation with Việt Nam, highlighting the efficiency and quality of bilateral coordination.

In reply to German lawmakers’ questions about bilateral development cooperation, the German Government said it has chosen Việt Nam as one of the eight global partners, along with Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru and South Africa, which accounts for 45 per cent of the global population.

The partnerships are significant to find common solutions to global issues in the future for sustainable and inclusive development with carbon neutrality and resilience, it noted.

In development cooperation, Germany is also stepping up the use of “triangular cooperation” model, known as trilateral cooperation, in order to boost joint work more strategically toward protecting global public goods such as climate or tropical forests. 

The German Government highly evaluated Việt Nam's strong economic development over the past three decades. If in 1993, 80 per cent of the country’s population lived in poverty, this figure was reduced to 5 per cent in 2020. This positive outcome was attributed to the reform and opening of the market to foreign investors and the adoption of private property rights.

With its outstanding economic development and its role as an influential member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the German Government considers Việt Nam to have global and regional importance.

It is necessary to cooperate with Việt Nam to provide goods and solve future global problems, such as combating climate change, protecting forests, conserving biodiversity, and maintaining sustainable supply chains and economic development.

Regarding cooperation with Việt Nam, the German government said that it has provided over 1.5 billion euro (US$1.6 billion) in Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Việt Nam under the "triangular cooperation” since 2018. In 2021, the German Government committed to providing 152 million euro in development and technical cooperation aid to Việt Nam.

Seven bilateral projects within the framework of the International Climate Initiative are being implemented with a total value of about 25.4 million euro, focusing on climate-related policy consultancy on greenhouse gas reduction, adapting to the impacts of climate change and conserving biodiversity.

The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety is funding a 11-million-europroject on combating marine waste in Việt Nam. In addition to three bilateral projects with a total planned capital of 39 million euro under preparation, Việt Nam will receive a total funding of about 64 million euro from Germany for three regional projects and two global projects. 

Overall, the German Government regarded development cooperation with Việt Nam as "successful", and the quality of cooperation and the effectiveness of the "triangular cooperation" with Việt Nam as "very good".

The German development policies play an important role in strengthening political ties with ASEAN in areas including environment-climate-and-energy policy, good governance, vocational training, connectivity, international law, rules-based international order, and human rights.

Germany also advocates further promoting economic cooperation with Việt Nam, through existing mechanisms such as the Việt Nam-Germany Joint Committee for Economic Cooperation, especially since the EU- Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) took effect in 2020.

Việt Nam is also a key destination when Germany seeks to diversify its supply chain. Việt Nam's energy transition is supported in a socially equitable manner.

The German Government also assessed that Germany's development cooperation has contributed to supporting Việt Nam's economy opening over the years, helping the country with sustainable development, sustainable energy transition, resilience to climate change and disease prevention and control.

During his Việt Nam visit in mid-November 2022, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hailed Việt Nam’s role and position in Germany’s strategy on Indo-Pacific.

He also wished to help Việt Nam achieve net zero emissions, adding that Germany also supports Việt Nam in ASEAN’s activities, thus further propelling the cooperative partnership between Germany and the bloc. – VNS