After briefing Việt Nam’s socio-economic achievements, some difficulties faced by the country in 2008 and some main potentialities and strengths of the Vietnamese market, PM Dũng asserted that economic and trade cooperation between Việt Nam and China over the past time has gained positive results. The two-way trade turnover has sharply increased. At present, China is carrying out more than 600 investment projects in Việt Nam, totaling over US $2 billion. The Vietnamese PM attributed these to the “important contributions made by investors and enterprises from Hainan”.

Valuing the forum as a practical and meaningful activity for businesses of the two countries to share information and seek for chances of cooperation, the PM stressed, “With directions and strong supports from the two parties and states, Chinese enterprises, including those from Hainan, will surely acquire many successful economic, trade and investment contracts in Việt Nam”. He said that he hoped the two-way trade turnover between Việt Nam and Hainan to reach US $1 billion by 2010.

Hainan Governor Luo Baoming stated that the cooperation between Hainan and many localities of Việt Nam is very effective. Hainan is twinned with Quảng Ninh Province. In 2007, the total trade turnover between Việt Nam and Hainan was US $260 million. Many Hainan businesses to the forum showed their desire to do investment in Việt Nam in mining, agriculture, fishery, and industry. Governor Luo Baoming underlined that Hainan wants to enhance economic relations with Việt Nam, especially in sea transport and tourism. He also hoped that an air route from Hainan to Việt Nam will be opened soon.

At the forum, PM Dũng witnessed the signing ceremony of the cooperation document between the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and Hainan.

By Xuân Hồng