Prime Minister: Vietnam welcomes ASEAN and international businesses

The Prime Minister affirmed that the Vietnamese Government is making efforts to improve the investment and business environment and welcomes all ASEAN and international enterprises.

On the morning of December 8, in Hanoi, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the 2016 Business Summit, organized by Bloomberg News Agency. This is the third time this Conference has been held. After the Conference in 2015 in Thailand, this year, the Conference was held in Vietnam with the participation of many ASEAN leaders in the fields of business, finance and representatives of a number of Vietnamese agencies.

This conference will discuss current regional policies, the next stage of development of Vietnam and ASEAN, cross-border trade and investment; and discuss in detail growth areas such as consumer goods, infrastructure, commodities and energy, banking and finance, etc.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the Conference (Photo: Quang Hieu)

Speaking at the conference, the Prime Minister said that ASEAN countries are making efforts to realize development commitments with a space for extensive cooperation and connectivity, across all three pillars of politics-security, economics and socio-culture.

Implementing the 2025 vision, Vietnam and other ASEAN countries are determined to continue to consolidate and deepen ASEAN connectivity, build an ASEAN community that operates according to the rules, is truly people-oriented, and best ensures the rights and interests of the people; has open relations with partners, and has an increasingly important role and position both regionally and globally.

With a market of more than 600 million people and a region with a dynamic and creative business community, the Prime Minister said that ASEAN's central role in the region, especially in economic, trade and investment cooperation, has received the support of the international business community, including the world's leading corporations.

The Prime Minister emphasized that since joining ASEAN in 1995, Vietnam has always been a responsible member, actively participating in building a strong and cohesive ASEAN.

The Prime Minister also informed businessmen about the dynamism and investment attractiveness of Vietnam, with average income, high economic growth rate, participation in many open and high-standard trade agreements, and large space for cooperation and development with 55 countries and partners.

Vietnam currently has 22,000 foreign direct investment projects with a total capital of 300 billion USD. Vietnam currently has 600,000 enterprises and is aiming to have more than 1 million enterprises by 2020.

The Prime Minister also pointed out that the world and the ASEAN region are facing enormous challenges in many areas of security, economy, food, currency, climate change, and protectionism is at risk of returning. However, there are still many favorable opportunities for development from the 4th industrial revolution, from the formation of the ASEAN Community, and large-scale, high-standard free trade blocs.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and delegates attending the Conference (Photo: Quang Hieu)

“In that context, ASEAN countries unite to promote economic connectivity, develop transport infrastructure and soft links to facilitate the flow of trade, investment and services across borders; build a unified and effective ASEAN market. Each ASEAN member cannot develop by relying only on resource exploitation and simple labor, but needs to innovate, improve competitiveness, participate more deeply in the global supply chain and strive for higher added values. Accordingly, the ASEAN business community plays the role of the subject and the driving force of the economic integration process and plays the role of initiating creative start-up ideas, creating new momentum in trade and investment development,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

The Prime Minister expressed his belief that the delegates attending the Conference will openly discuss and share the orientations and opportunities to promote investment and business cooperation in the ASEAN region. He hoped that businesses and investors outside the region will find mutually beneficial cooperation opportunities with ASEAN partners. The Prime Minister also affirmed that the Vietnamese Government is making efforts to improve the investment and business environment and welcomes all ASEAN and international businesses that have chosen Vietnam as a reliable and attractive investment destination.

The main topics of discussion at the conference will focus on the assessment of policies in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), current regional policies, the next stage of development of Vietnam and ASEAN, cross-border trade and investment in the region. In particular, detailed discussions will focus on growth areas such as consumer goods, infrastructure, commodities and energy, banking and finance, media and technology./.

According to VOV