Staff members of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in France welcome Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm at Paris-Orly Airport on late Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Capitalising on the great potential for economic cooperation with countries of the Francophone community is one of the top Francophone cooperation priorities of Vietnam in the years to come, according to Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm.

He made the statement in an article published on the Influences magazine on the occasion of the 19th Francophonie Summit, held in France on October 4 - 5.

In the writing, Lâm noted that the idea of a Francophone economic space came into being at the 7th Francophonie Summit in Hà Nội on November 14 - 16, 1997, the first organised in Asia-Pacific. Together with adopting the Charter of the Francophonie, the event marked an important turning point of the French speaking community from a framework of cultural cooperation through the French language to that of comprehensive cooperation, including politics and economy.

He said the Francophone community, home to a combined population of about 1.2 billion, 16 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product and 20 per cent of global trade, is a highly potential land for economic partnerships. As an active and responsible member of this community, Việt Nam strongly supports and actively engages in the community’s efforts to enhance economic cooperation for member countries’ prosperity and sustainable development.

In 2023, with GDP of about US$430 billion, Việt Nam became of the 34th largest economy in the world. The country, which used to suffer from food shortages, is now a leading rice and farm produce exporter. It is also one of the most open economies, posting foreign trade turnover of over $735 billion and participating in 16 free trade agreements (FTAs) with most of major partners around the globe.

However, he pointed out, trade between Việt Nam and other members of the Francophone community remains modest, accounting for some 5 per cent of its total foreign trade. Investment from French speaking countries to Việt Nam and from the Southeast Asian nation to those countries has yet to live up to potential. Meanwhile, the economies are completely complementary to one another in global supply chains.

Given this, capitalising on the great potential for economic cooperation with countries of the Francophone community is one of the top Francophone cooperation priorities of Việt Nam in the years to come, the leader wrote.

He went on to say that having secured positive agricultural achievements, Việt Nam is working with some Francophone members in Africa to carry out South - South and trilateral cooperation fruitfully. Collaboration in agriculture should be further promoted, especially with the participation of developed countries in the Francophone community, helping eliminate poverty, guarantee food security, and realise the Sustainable Development Goals in the community.

In addition, it is necessary to further tap into the potential of science, technology, and innovation partnerships, Lâm noted, considering the organisation of the FrancoTech forum on the sidelines of this year’s summit as a practical and useful initiative.

Facing the vigorous growth of science and technology, the Francophone community should create opportunities for countries, enterprises, and research centres to share information and foster ties in new and pioneering technologies, including artificial intelligence and automation.

He called on developed members to help others to improve the quality of human resources, particularly in emerging technology industries.

To bolster economic links, the International Organisation of La Francophonie needs to better bring into play its role in connecting economic cooperation strategies, projects, and programmes in the community. Besides, the Francophone business forum is also a driver for cooperation and business activities among enterprises, contributing to trade and investment connections among French speaking members.

Those tasks should be carried out in tandem with the continued promotion of French language use and teaching, Lâm opined, perceiving that French should become a language of business, creativity, knowledge, innovation, and entrepreneurship, which ensures the vitality and cohesion of this language.

Việt Nam hopes to strengthen Francophone economic cooperation and contribute to common efforts by the French speaking community for peace, cooperation, solidarity, and sustainable development in the Francophone space, according to the Vietnamese leader. — VNS