Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Phan Văn Mãi (right) greets the Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel during the latter's visit to HCM City on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Khu

HCM CITY — HCM City wishes to learn from Luxembourg’s experience and cooperate with the European country in science-technology and green finance, towards building a financial centre in the time ahead, a municipal official said on Friday.

At a reception for Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel, Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Phan Văn Mãi stressed that PM Bettel’s visit would contribute to boosting cooperation activities between the city and the European nation.

The official noted that HCM City stood ready to cooperate with Luxembourg partners in the fields of high-tech, digital transformation, renewable energy and green energy.

Mãi used this occasion to thank Luxembourg for its financial support to HCM City in the rollout of climate adaptation projects, and called on the PM to continue connecting the city with Luxembourg partners.

HCM City always welcomed foreign partners and enterprises, including those from Luxembourg, to operate in the city, he affirmed, adding that HCM City wanted to strengthen cooperation with businesses of Luxembourg in the areas in which the southern largest economic hub has potential and demand such as agricultural product processing, high-tech agriculture and manufacturing.

For his part, PM Bettel held that HCM City and Luxembourg held substantial cooperation opportunities, and that Luxembourg’s enterprises would be sustainable, reliable partners of local firms, helping them expand connections with the European market.

The two countries should create more favourable conditions for their businesses to operate in the respective markets, he continued.

Sharing Mãi's view, the PM said finance, especially green finance, would offer good cooperation opportunities to Luxembourg and HCM City, stressing that Luxembourg would be committed to assisting Việt Nam and HCM City in particular in this field, as well as sustainable development.

He said cooperation in traditional spheres such as education, environmental protection, climate change response, renewable energy and green energy would be maintained.

While in HCM City, PM Bettel attended and delivered a speech at a Việt Nam - Luxembourg business forum, visited the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange, and the War Remnants Museum, and found out about climate change impacts in the area along Sài Gòn River. — VNS