Deputy PM upbeat about sound bilateral ties with Sweden
VOV.VN - During the past half century, Vietnam and Sweden have actively cultivated a sustainable and in-depth bilateral relationship and achieved fruitful results in all-around cooperation.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha made the remark at a reception for Swedish Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Andreas Carlson in Hanoi on May 14.
The cooperative relationship between the two nations has shifted to an equal, mutually beneficial partnership, with Sweden among Vietnam's 10 major trading partners in the European Union.
The bilateral trade turnover in the first quarter of this year exceeded US$360 million, representing a year-on-year rise of 9.4%. In terms of investment, Sweden ranks 29th out of 140 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 109 valid projects totally capitalized at US$ 733 million.
The Deputy PM suggested that Sweden further improve its position in terms of investment and trade in Vietnam through transportation, seaport, digital transformation, telecommunications, aviation, and energy transition projects.
There is plenty of room for bilateral cooperation, and Swedish businesses can find suitable Vietnamese partners in the fields of telecommunications, information technology, smart infrastructure, green energy conversion and human resource training for the semiconductor chip industry, Ha told his guest.
He proposed that the two governments outlined a specific cooperation plan and assign responsibilities to each ministry, agency and locality for practical and effective implementation.
In response, Carlson said that Swedish firms are interested in exploring investment and business opportunities in the field of smart transportation and smart city in Vietnam, adding that more and more Swedish people are travelling to the Southeast Asian nation.
The Swedish official said he hopes that the time-honoured friendship between the two countries will continue to be enhanced through cooperation projects between the two governments and businesses as well as people-to-people cultural exchanges.
