HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and Thailand should seek measures to raise two-way trade to US$15 billion before 2020 as the two nations still hold great potential for trade and investment co-operation, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc told his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-ocha in Hà Nội on March 30.

Welcoming the Thai leader’s attendance at the sixth Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Summit, PM Phúc said that this reflected Thailand’s positive role in GMS co-operation.

He agreed on the need for greater transport connectivity between Thailand, Laos and Việt Nam, and affirmed to create all favourable conditions to speed up the work.

PM Phúc said he had assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade and other ministries and sectors to remove difficulties in automobile imports from Thailand.

He suggested the two countries maintain close ties in addressing illegal fishing, including the establishment of a hotline between marine law enforcement agencies of Việt Nam and Thailand.

The Vietnamese leader also asked Thailand to solve bottlenecks in labour co-operation, while urging the two foreign ministries to establish a hotline between the two PMs.

For his part, PM Chan-ocha said that he always reminded Thai enterprises to abide by the host country’s law, pay attention to employees’ living conditions and protect the environment when investing in Việt Nam.

He expressed his hope that the Vietnamese Government would tackle difficulties in transport connectivity among Laos, Việt Nam and Thailand to facilitate trade between the three nations.

The Thai PM proposed Việt Nam help Thai investors invest in a wind power plant project in Bạc Liêu Province and to support Thai banks’ expansion in Việt Nam.

The Thai leader agreed to step up the implementation of bilateral co-operation mechanisms in 2018, including the fourth Joint Cabinet Meeting, the third meeting of the Joint Committee on Bilateral Cooperation and the third meeting of the Joint Trade Committee. — VNS