VN, South Africa eye US$ 2 billion trade turnover

Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh (R) and South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana Mashabane, Ha Noi, September 7, 2017 - Photo; VGP/Hai Minh

The two leaders held talks and reached the agreement on the issue on September 7 in Ha Noi.

The Deputy PM warmly welcomed the visit, affirming that Viet Nam always attaches importance to the traditional ties with South Africa, the only partnership for cooperation and development in Africa set up by Viet Nam.

Minister Maite Nkoana Mashabane expressed the pleasure to visit Viet Nam for the first time.

Both Minh and Maite Nkoana Mashabane expressed their satisfaction at the new developments in the bilateral ties especially in politics-diplomacy, trade, national defense, and mining.

In politics,  the two sides were unanimous in exchanging delegations at all levels; encouraging people-to-people diplomacy; and consolidating mutual understanding.

They agreed to maintain and raise the efficiency of the fourth Inter-governmental partnership forum which will take place in Q1, 2018.

Viet Nam hopes to welcome South African President Jacob Zuma to pay an official visit to Viet Nam in 2018 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties (December 22, 1993-December 22, 2018).

They underlined a determination to lift the bilateral trade turnover to US$ 2 billion and approved ways to fulfill the goal via exchanging information on policy, market, and trade facilitation.

Deputy PM Minh recommended South Africa consider facilitating Vietnamese exports, namely agriculture, processing food, footwear, garments and textiles, and furniture to South African retail sale market via supermarkets such as Makro, Metro, Woolworth, Spar, and Checker. 

The Deputy PM also suggested the two countries early ink a memorandum of understanding on mining cooperation which would pay the way for coal export to Viet Nam in favor of thermal power plants.

Regarding the agricultural sector, the two sides applauded to expand the modal of triangle cooperation on paddy and vegetable cultivation which was implemented in the Republic of Guinea.

The two leaders took the occasion to discuss ways to cement and deepen cooperation in national defence, security, justice, education-training, science-technology and agreed to sign legal documents in anti-crime, extradition, as well as criminal legal assistance.

Both sides vowed to work with each other at multilateral forums. Deputy PM Minh thanked South African for supporting Viet Nam’s bid for a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council in the 2020-2021 term. In addition, Viet Nam hoped that South African would back Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Sanh Chau to run for the post of UNESCO General-Director in the 2017-2020 tenure./.

By Khanh Phuong