Prime Minister meets with Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

On September 15, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with Mr. Leung Chun-ying, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc meets with Mr. Leung Chun-ying, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. Photo: VGP/Quang Hieu

At the meeting, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying warmly welcomed Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to visit the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; emphasizing that the visit demonstrates the Vietnamese Government's interest and importance in the Vietnam-Hong Kong cooperative relationship, creating a strong driving force to promote cooperation between the two sides in the coming time.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc congratulated the great achievements in socio-economic development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; highly appreciated the rapid and stable development of economic, trade and investment cooperation between Vietnam and Hong Kong in recent times; expressed his delight that in 2015, the two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and Hong Kong reached nearly 8.3 billion USD, the total FDI capital of Hong Kong enterprises in Vietnam accumulated to over 16.6 billion USD, Hong Kong became the 9th largest trade partner and the 6th largest FDI partner of Vietnam; Vietnam became the 3rd largest trade partner of Hong Kong in ASEAN.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc pointed out that the potential and opportunities for cooperation between Vietnam and Hong Kong are still very large, especially in the context that Vietnam is promoting innovation and deepening international integration, and ASEAN and Hong Kong are preparing to complete negotiations on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasized that in order to make good use of opportunities and further promote cooperation between the two sides, he suggested that government agencies, associations, industries and businesses of both sides increase exchanges and contacts, exploit potentials, expand economic, trade, investment, financial and monetary cooperation; actively research and apply open policies, creating favorable conditions for expanding exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture, education, tourism and labor.

On this occasion, the Prime Minister welcomed the Hong Kong government’s lifting of the travel warning for Vietnam; affirmed that the Vietnamese Government welcomes and is ready to create favorable conditions for capable Hong Kong businesses to expand investment in Vietnam, especially in the service and industrial sectors in line with Vietnam’s sustainable development strategy.

Photo: VGP/Quang Hieu

At the same time, the Hong Kong government is requested to encourage businesses to import Vietnamese products with strengths such as agricultural, forestry, aquatic products, rice, dairy products and fruits; facilitate Vietnamese businesses to conduct trade and investment promotion activities in Hong Kong; continue to facilitate the increase of flight frequency as well as the operations of Vietnamese airlines to better serve the travel, sightseeing and tourism needs of the people.

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Leung Chun-ying introduced the socio-economic development situation and strengths of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; affirmed that Hong Kong attaches importance to developing mutually beneficial cooperation with Vietnam, contributing to promoting the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China to deepen; expressed gratitude and welcomed Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's proposals to strengthen economic, trade, investment, finance, banking, cultural, educational, and tourism cooperation, and is ready to act as a bridge to support Vietnamese enterprises and localities to expand their market and international capital sources.

On this occasion, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying thanked the Vietnamese Government for its active support for the negotiation process of the Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, believing that once completed, the Agreement will open a new phase for mutually beneficial cooperation between Hong Kong and ASEAN countries in general and with Vietnam in particular.

Earlier, on the morning of September 15, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc received Ms. Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.

At the meeting, Ms. Lam Trinh Nguyet Nga announced some key points about the economic-trade, investment and tourism cooperation between Hong Kong and Vietnam in recent times, saying that the number of Hong Kong tourists to Vietnam increased by 130% compared to the same period last year; bilateral trade maintained rapid growth, in which the amount of rice imported from Vietnam accounted for about 35% of Hong Kong's total rice imports.

Photo: VGP/Quang Hieu

Immediately after the recent visit to Vietnam by Ms. Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the Hong Kong government has implemented a number of measures to expand cooperation and exchanges with Vietnam, such as lifting the travel warning to Vietnam and agreeing to let Vietjet Air open a flight route from Ho Chi Minh City to Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Tourism Board also plans to increase sea tourism routes from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Da Nang, and Hai Phong in the near future.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc welcomed the positive measures implemented by the Hong Kong government, as well as the contributions of Ms. Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in developing bilateral relations; affirmed that Vietnam is ready to strengthen economic, trade and tourism cooperation with Hong Kong; requested that the management agencies of the two sides actively discuss and remove difficulties and obstacles in granting entry and exit visas, facilitating cooperation in tourism, education and labor; and consider signing an agreement on rice trade to ensure stable and long-term supply of this commodity to Hong Kong.

On the same afternoon, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation left Hong Kong to return home, successfully concluding their official visit to the People's Republic of China, attending the 13th China-ASEAN Trade and Investment Summit and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

On his way back to Vietnam, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc sent a message of thanks to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and senior Chinese leaders for their warm, friendly and warm welcome to the Prime Minister and the Vietnamese delegation. The Prime Minister expressed his belief that the success of this visit will contribute to promoting the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to develop steadily and in depth.

According to Chinhphu.vn