| Danial Norjidi |
THE business communities of Brunei Darussalam and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam can play greater roles in elevating the two countries’ trade and investment cooperation to new heights.
Tran Dai Quang, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam said this while delivering a keynote address at the Brunei Darussalam-Vietnam Business Forum, which took place at The Empire Hotel & Country Club yesterday.
In his speech, he noted that Vietnam and Brunei are both members of Asean and members of many important FTAs.
“I am happy to inform you that His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and I had a very fruitful talk today,” he said. “We reached a number of important agreements in many areas. We agreed to further advance our trade and investment relations, promote development cooperation in quality agriculture, oil and gas, and traffic infrastructure development under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP).”
“This will provide a fundamental basis and new opportunities for Vietnamese and Bruneian businesses to invest, do business and grow sustainably together, thus further increasing bilateral trade and investment.”
The president also highlighted, “To enable trade and investment between Vietnam and Brunei to live up to expectation and potential for our cooperation, I would like to propose that our business communities play greater roles in elevating our cooperation to a new height.”
Tran Dai Quang, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, during his keynote address. – DEAN KASSIM
“Regarding investment, we encourage Bruneian enterprises to invest in areas that you have advantage and that Vietnam is in need of,” he said. “These areas such as energy, petroleum, finance, real estate, tourism, and infrastructure development, will leave Bruneian enterprises plenty of room for cooperation with Vietnamese partners for mutual development.”
“There is huge potential for trade relations,” he continued. “We look forward to growing export to Brunei of agro and fishery products, electronics and consumer goods and import of Brunei’s petrochemical products that are vital to the economic development of Vietnam.”
The president then touched on tourism, saying that the areas in the south of Vietnam resemble Brunei geographically more than some air transit centres of Asean.
“The opening of direct flights between Vietnam and Brunei Darussalam will allow Brunei to have better connection with other destinations in the world and attract more international tourists to your country as well.”
Moving on, the president said, “We attach much importance to Brunei’s business projects in Vietnam.
“Vietnamese central and local authorities will create enabling conditions for Bruneian and foreign investors and is committed to ensuring their successful, sustainable and long-term business in Vietnam. It is our view that your success is also ours.
“Given macro-economic stability, Vietnam’s extensive integration into the world economy, the positive outcomes of investment environment improvement, especially the trust and efficiency of our cooperation over the past 24 years, I am convinced that the economic, investment and trade relations between Vietnam and Brunei will continue to grow stronger in the time to come,” he added.
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