Brazil and Vietnam sign deals on aviation and agriculture
After a meeting with President Michel Temer at the Planalto presidential palace, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue and his entourage signed international deals with the Brazilian government in a ceremony presided over by Brazil’s Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes Ferreira on Monday (Jul. 2).
Among the bilateral measures agreed on is an understanding in the sector of civil aviation, which should facilitate air connections between the two countries, “with a positive impact on tourism and business visits,” the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations declared. For instance, the agreement allows carriers from both nations to fly over both territories and land for passenger boarding and alighting.
In agribusiness, a memorandum was signed on the exchange of seeds and animals, technical information and documents between the two countries, as well as the joint creation of technical seminars, workshops, conferences, and sector-specific exhibits with specialists and scientists from both nations, who will be given the opportunity to devise and implement research projects on agriculture.
“Trade must be bolstered between the two parties, as it makes progress when the political authorities decide it should make progress. From now on, the staff with the Agriculture Ministry, along with the [Vietnamese] staff, will seek to further harmonize the legislation of our phytosanitary certificates and allow business to be made through the hands of businessmen, as it should be,” said Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi after a private meeting with Vietnam’s Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Ha Kong Tuan.
According to the Brazilian government, one of Vietnam’s plan is to establish a partnership with Brazil in the fields of ethanol production and trade.
Bilateral trade
Over the last 16 years, the volume of trade between the two countries surged from $29 million in 2001 to $3.9 billion in 2017.
From 2016 to 2017 alone, Deputy Prime Minister Voung Dinh Hue reported, bilateral trade grew more than 20%, with potential for further growth. “Brazil will make more room for Vietnamese products, and Vietnam will be even more open to import goods from Brazil,” he noted in an address at the Foreign Ministry building.
Home to over 90 million people, Vietnam has grown at a yearly average of seven percent since 1990 and has established itself as one of the largest consumer markets in Southeast Asia. Minister Nunes noted that the country is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), whose total wealth would represent the globe’s fifth biggest economy.
“This meeting provided us with the opportunity to celebrate increasingly solid ties, more encompassing when it comes to cooperation, friendship, and political understanding, as Vietnam and Brazil share a common vision on the main topics on the global agenda,” the Brazilian chancellor said in a statement to the press next to the Voung Dinh Hue.
Schedule
On Tuesday (3), Voung Dinh Hue will be in São Paulo to take part in the Brazil–Vietnam Trade and Investment Forum and a meeting with representatives from the São Paulo State Federation of Industries (Fiesp), Brazilian executives, and representatives from Brazil’s private enterprise.
Next year, the two countries celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
