Vietnam has boosted its relations with the ASEM nations after signing a series of cooperation agreements with France, China, Germany and the Republic of Korea on the occasion of official Vietnam visits by leaders of these countries.
* The agreements with France were signed during French President Jacques Chirac’s October 6-7 visit.
These include two projects on a control system for public lighting in Ho Chi Minh City and on the Hanoi-Vinh railway maintenance, worth 4.5 million euros and 9 million euros respectively.
The French Government will provide 40 million euros in soft loans for a project to modernize the Hanoi-Vinh railway signaling system, under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed by Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc and French Minister in charge of Foreign Trade, Francois Loos.
The French Minister also signed with acting Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat a MoU on veterinary cooperation to control diseases transmitted through animals and animal-bound food.
Other cooperation agreements signed between the two countries included a tripartite framework agreement between Viet Nam, France and Burkina Faso on technology exchange between Viet Nam and Burkina Faso; a tripartite framework agreement between Viet Nam, France and Burkina Faso on the transfer of food technology to fight malnutrition for children in Burkina Faso; a memorandum of understanding on visa exemption for short-term diplomatic passports; a protocol on the establishment of French language tertiary centers in Viet Nam; an agreement financing Ha Noi’s subway project; an administration agreement on training between the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the National Education, Tertiary Training and Research of France; a memorandum of understan-ding on purchasing 10 new Airbus planes; and a protocol on leasing planes
During his stay in Vietnam, the French President was received by Vietnamese Party, State and Government leaders.
He said he was satisfied with the outcomes of talks, and pledged to further strengthen relations between France and Vietnam and support Vietnam’s bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).
* A Vietnam-China Joint Communique was released following the signing of eight important pacts between the two nations on the occasion of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s official visit on October 6-7.
The pacts included an agreement on economic and technical cooperation between the two governments; a MoU on the establishment of the Vietnam-China expert group for economic and commercial cooperation; a note of exchange on Vietnam’s inapplication of three disadvantageous terms that China accepted for its WTO entry.
The two countries also signed an agreement on cooperation in the inspection, quarantine and hygienic supervision of imported maritime products; a protocol on quarantine of Vietnamese rice exported to China, and another on amendments and supplements to the agreement on border medical checks; a MoU on joint construction of a plant to produce nitrogenous fertilizer from coal in northern Ninh Binh province of Vietnam; and a cooperation agreement on the construction of a pilot urban railway route from Hanoi to Ha Dong town of neighboring Ha Tay province.
According to the joint communique, Vietnam and China highly valued the recent signing of the Land Border Treaty and the Agreement on the Delimitation of the Tonkin Gulf, affirming that they would coordinate and work together to execute well these agreements and the decisions of a special meeting between the two countries’ deputy foreign ministers on August 8, 2004.
The two sides committed to implement other relevant agreements in an effort to transform the Vietnam-China Border into one of peace, friendship, long-lasting and mutual development.
They also emphasized the importance of forming an ASEAN-China free trade area, the communique said.
While in Vietnam, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao held talks with his counterpart, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, and was received on separate occasions by Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, State President Tran Duc Luong and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An.
* Germany will encourage its businesses to invest in Vietnam and support Vietnam’s bid to become a non-permanent member of UN Securities Council for the 2008-2009 term, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told Vietnamese leaders on October 9 while on an official visit to Vietnam.
On this occasion, the two sides signed five important documents on financial, technical and business cooperation. These included a 25.5 million-euro financial cooperation agreement for 2003-2004; a 20.3 million-euro financial cooperation agreement for 2004-2005; a 110 million-euro equipment deal between Vietnam’s Thang Long Cement Joint-Stock Company and Germany’s Plysius AG, and a 46 million-euro deal between Vietnam Railway Corporation and Germany’s Siemens & Vossloh.
The German Chancellor also attended the opening ceremony for the construction of German company Van Laack’s US$ 2 million garment plant in Hanoi.
* The Republic of Korea’s (RoK) President Roh Moo-hyun has pledged RoK’s continuing contribution to Vietnam’s economic growth through development aid, and promotion of commercial, investment, scientific and technological, cultural, educational and health care links.
The pledge was made during his talk with Vietnamese State President Tran Duc Luong on October 10, where the two leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in construction, post and telecommunications, natural resource exploitation and energy development.
They also agreed to increase bilateral cooperation at international forums such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the United Nations.
On this occasion, Vietnam and RoK signed two aid project-agreements on building an information technology college in Da Nang and a solid waste treatment plant in the northern province of Ninh Binh, which are worth US$ 10 million and US$ 21 million respectively.
Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien and his Korean counterpart, Ban Ki-Moon also signed a deal on links between the foreign ministries’ research institutes.
* Also on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe meeting, Vietnam signed an agreement on a US$ 4 million-project for journalist training for the second phase of 2004-2007 with Sweden; two agreements on teacher training for northern mountainous provinces and dairy production development with Belgium; and two agreements on private sector development and targeted Vietnam-EU assistance with the European Union.-