HCM City, Argentinian provinces boast much potential for stronger ties: official
Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai received visiting officials from three central provinces of Argentina on November 16, saying that the two sides hold much potential for enhancing cooperation.
The host noted one task of his city is to serve as the focal locality in promoting Vietnam’s relations with Argentina, especially in trade and investment.
Highlighting many similarities between HCM City and the central Argentinian provinces of Cordoba, Santa Fe and Entre Rios, he said the city wishes to work with the Argentinian side to set up a working group for building detailed cooperation programmes in the fields matching their attention and strength, including promoting partnerships between enterprises of HCM City and the Argentinian provinces.
He urged the two sides to consider and sign a cooperation agreement to effectively step up ties in trade, investment, technology, and tourism.
As an economic and trading hub of Vietnam and the region, HCM City is keen on cooperating with Argentinian localities to develop seaports and open direct air routes, thus helping facilitate bilateral business and trading activities, Mai added.
For his part, Governor of Entre Rios province Gustavo Eduardo Bordet said the Argentinian delegation comes to HCM City to boost cooperation between the two sides, which was established in 2018 but suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Enterprises from the three provinces are attending the Vietnam FoodExpo 2022, which is taking place in HCM City, to seek opportunities for partnering Vietnamese firms in export and import – a strength of the Argentinian localities, he went on.
The official affirmed the viewpoint of considering HCM City as important to reinforcing the two countries’ comprehensive partnership.
He recommended the city and the three Argentinian provinces set up friendship and cooperative ties in trade, culture, and tourism, calling on them to finalise preparations so that the agreement can be signed in 2023 when Argentina and Vietnam will mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.
Apart from seaport development, Bordet suggested partnerships in farm produce and farming machinery production which the central Argentinian provinces are also strong at.