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| President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Chilean Ambassador Patricio Becker. Photo: VNA |
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received outgoing Chilean Ambassador Patricio Becker in Hanoi on November 28. President Phuc praised the diplomat’s contributions to the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Chile, according to VNA.
President Phuc commended their phone talks in March 2021 with then Chilean President Sebastian Piñera on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Chile.
He agreed with the Chilean ambassador’s proposal to increase the exchange of delegations and promote economic and trade cooperation.
President Phuc and his Chilean counterpart Gabriel Boric discussed strengthening bilateral trade ties during their meeting at the APEC Leaders’ Week 2022 in Thailand. They also discussed the implementation of the Vietnam-Chile Free Trade Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Vietnam looks forward to welcoming the Chilean President soon, President Phuc added.
Chile is currently Vietnam’s fourth largest trade partner in the Latin American region, while Vietnam is Chile’s largest partner among ASEAN countries. President Phuc expressed the hope to further strengthen trade ties, especially in the import and export of agricultural products such as cherries, salmon, and wine.
President Phuc expressed his confidence in the ambassador’s commitment to strengthening ties between the two countries in any position.
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| President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (fourth, right) and Chilean Ambassador Patricio Becker (fourth, left) take a photo with participants at the meeting. Photo: VNA |
Ambassador Becker mentioned that despite the impact of Covid-19, two-way trade between Vietnam and Chile reached USD 1.6 billion in the first nine months of this year.
Recently, many Chilean firms have visited Vietnam to explore partnership opportunities in the agricultural product trade. Ambassador Becker expressed the hope for more activities to introduce Vietnamese products to the Latin American market.
Both sides will work together to increase the export of Vietnamese fruits to Chile, import Chilean goods into Vietnam, and sell Vietnamese mangos in Chile, he added.
Ambassador Becker proposed further promotion of the CPTPP, which presents many cooperation opportunities for businesses.
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Chile is Vietnam’s first South American country that signed a free trade agreement (FTA). Before the FTA, two-way trade turnover was around USD 500 million per year with Vietnam running a trade deficit. Since the FTA took effect in January 2014, Vietnam has had a trade surplus with Chile and is now the largest exporter to Chile among ASEAN members. Two-way trade in the first nine months of this year reached USD 1.72 million with Vietnam’s exports standing at USD 1.38 million, up 11.8% year-on-year. Chile has a high demand for essential products, and the country’s living standards have improved significantly, leading to high purchasing power. This presents a huge opportunity for Vietnamese consumer goods to enter the Chilean market. The Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile, Pham Truong Giang, stated that the embassy will work to promote Vietnamese brands through its website and organize a Vietnam Products Week at retail systems and large supermarkets in Chile. The embassy will also explore the two free trade zones in Chile to take advantage of the country’s logistics capabilities and promote investment cooperation in renewable energy, a field of strength for Chile. |
