Solutions proposed to boost Vietnam – Poland economic cooperation

During the meeting, Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and Polish Minister of Economic Development and Technology Krzysztof Paszyk emphasized the importance of bilateral cooperation in the context that the two countries are celebrating the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

They reviewed bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade, industry, digital transformation, innovation, semiconductor industry development, agriculture and pharmaceuticals manufacturing. They exchanged information on the latest trends in bilateral trade and solutions to facilitate trade and investment, while stressing the need to further strengthen business-to-business contacts and participate in each other’s fairs, exhibitions and trade promotion events.

The ministers placed emphasis on leveraging the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to facilitate market access for goods from both countries.

Paszyk noted that Poland views Vietnam as its most significant trading partner in ASEAN and a top investment destination in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2023, two-way trade reached over US$5.5 billion, up 12% from 2022. However, Poland experienced a significant trade deficit of US$4.4 billion with Vietnam in 2024.

Following Vietnam’s approval of market access for Polish blueberries, the Polish minister hoped Vietnam would expedite approvals for more Polish agricultural products. He suggested enhancing dialogue between veterinary and plant quarantine organizations to boost agricultural trade.

Dien welcomed Paszyk’s proposals which he said would help strongly promote cooperation between Vietnam and Poland. In his views, there is still a lot of room for trade and investment development between the two countries.

He emphasized that the two countries have the potential to better utilize the EVFTA so that Poland can become a bridge for Vietnamese goods to penetrate and develop in the EU market, as well as for Polish goods through the Vietnamese market to access other ASEAN countries and countries with which Vietnam has signed free trade agreements.

He proposed stronger cooperation in semiconductors, mining, renewable energy, water management, and sustainable solutions for the circular economy. He encouraged Polish investment in vaccine and drug production, technology transfer, and research in Vietnam, alongside developing digital platforms, AI innovation, cybersecurity, and smart agriculture.

The two countries need to increase exchanges and support each other in adapting to climate change and achieving the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, he suggested. To this end, he said, Vietnam, a signatory to the COP26 pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, seeks Poland’s expertise in energy transition and technology for efficient energy use.

Dien also proposed that Poland support Vietnam in lobbying the European Commission to lift the yellow card against Vietnamese seafood exported into the bloc. He expected that Poland would soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Promotion Agreement (EVIPA) and at the same time strengthen cooperation in trade promotion to facilitate market access for their products.

To promote economic and trade cooperation, Dien suggested that the two sides closely support businesses in expanding their distribution networks through supermarket and retail systems in both Poland and Vietnam.

He encouraged Polish and EU multinational distribution corporations to cooperate with manufacturing facilities and enterprises in Vietnam to develop goods sources for the global distribution network, and to boost exports based on cross-border e-commerce platforms of Vietnam and foreign countries.

In the context of global fluctuations and uncertainties, he said, Vietnam and Poland need to cooperate closely and effectively, especially in trade, industry and energy transition to respond and enhance the resilience of each side.

Strengthening bilateral economic and trade cooperation as well as within the multilateral framework between ASEAN and the EU will bring great benefits to the two countries, he concluded.

The two ministers agreed to host the third bilateral economic consultation in Hanoi in 2027.