Vietnamese PM begins official visit to Brazil
VOV.VN - Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh left New York on September 23 (local time) for Sao Paolo, beginning an official visit to Brazil at the invitation of President Lula da Silva.
The Sept. 23-25 trip is of great significance in promoting Vietnam – Brazil cooperation in the future.
Vietnam and Brazil established diplomatic relations in 1989. The two countries lifted their ties to a comprehensive partnership in May 2007 during a Brazil visit by Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh.
Brazil is Vietnam’s largest trading partner in Latin America and the second largest in the Americas after the United States. Law year saw two-way trade turnover record a year-on-year rise of 6.6% to US$6.78 billion.
Major Vietnamese export items are phones and components, computers, electronic products and components, machinery, equipment, other tools and spare parts, means of transport and spare parts, iron and steel, shoes, textile fibers, and aquatic products.
The main import items are ores and other minerals, cotton of all kinds, animal feed and raw materials, soybeans, corn, wood and wood products.
Vietnam is lobbying Brazil to speed up negotiations of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) that is comprised of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Brazil is the incumbent president of MERCOSUR.
Brazil currently has six investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of US$3.83 million, mainly in the fields of processing and manufacturing, retail services.
Vietnam has two investment projects in Brazil valued at US$300,000.
