 |
| Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son paid a courtesy call on German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during his visit to Germany in September 2022. |
Today, January 23rd, President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier begins his State visit to Vietnam. Ambassador, could you please explain the significance and key focuses of this visit?
The visit of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the Federal Republic of Germany and his wife is of great significance as bilateral relations continue to deepen and become more substantive in many areas. Through several direct interactions with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, I have sensed the genuine and warm feelings he has always had for Vietnam.
This is President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's first foreign visit in 2024 and also the first high-level exchange between the two countries in the new year. Even more noteworthy is that this is the second visit by a German President to Vietnam since German reunification, following President Horst Kohler's visit in 2007.
 |
| Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh. (Photo: Vietnamese Embassy in Germany) |
For Frank-Walter Steinmeier personally, this is his third visit to Vietnam, having previously visited as Deputy Prime Minister (October 2016) and Foreign Minister (March 2008). This will be an opportunity for President Steinmeier to witness firsthand Germany's "lighthouse" projects in Vietnam, projects that were signed during his 2008 visit as German Foreign Minister and are gradually bearing fruit.
The main focus of the visit is to further promote bilateral cooperation in various fields, as well as to exchange views on international issues of mutual interest. The central focus will be on economic and trade cooperation, given that Vietnam has become a leading attractive destination for German businesses. A roundtable discussion is expected between the large business delegation accompanying the President and German businesses and business organizations operating in Vietnam.
One area of great interest to both sides is cooperation in vocational training and sending skilled Vietnamese workers to Germany, given Germany's serious shortage of this workforce. It is expected that the two sides will sign their first Letter of Intent on bilateral labor cooperation. In addition, the President and his delegation will visit and survey several of Germany's flagship projects in Ho Chi Minh City and the surrounding area, such as the German House, the Vietnamese-German University, and Metro Line 2.
Another key focus was a number of distinctive cultural and people-to-people diplomatic activities throughout the visit. Accompanying the President to Vietnam this time were several outstanding representatives of the successful Vietnamese community in Germany, a very new addition to visits by high-ranking German leaders to Vietnam, demonstrating the high regard and importance placed on the Vietnamese community in the Federal Republic of Germany.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's visit to Vietnam ( November 2022) was the first high-level visit between the two countries in five years, and just over a year later, the German President visited Vietnam. Furthermore, following the adoption of the Action Plan for 2023-2024 in November 2022, the Action Plan for 2023-2025 was also approved at the 7th Vietnam-Germany Strategic Dialogue in April 2023. Moreover, exchanges of local and business delegations between the two countries have been quite active. How does the Ambassador assess the increasing pace of exchanges of delegations from high-level to lower levels between the two countries in recent times, as well as the determination to effectively and substantively promote the Strategic Partnership?
Following Minister Bui Thanh Son's visit to Germany (September 2022) and Prime Minister Olaf Scholz's visit to Vietnam (November 2022), both sides continued to strongly promote a visit by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and high-ranking Vietnamese leaders. I am very pleased that the visit will take place at the beginning of 2024 after being postponed early last year due to objective reasons on our part.
Furthermore, exchanges between ministries, departments, localities, and businesses of the two countries have been very active and frequent recently, demonstrating that bilateral relations continue to deepen in many areas. In 2023 alone, over 40 delegations at the Deputy Minister/Deputy Head/Deputy Chairman level of the People's Committee of Vietnam visited and worked in Germany, a significant increase after a long period of interruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
| "Accompanying the President on this trip to Vietnam are several outstanding representatives of the successful Vietnamese community in Germany, a very new feature for a visit by a high-ranking German leader to Vietnam, demonstrating the high regard and respect for the Vietnamese community in the Federal Republic of Germany." |
From the German side, 2022-2023 also saw a significant increase in visits to Vietnam by many German state leaders and businesses, most recently the delegation of the Minister President of Lower Saxony and Thuringia, with a record number of accompanying businesses, up to 50-70 companies per delegation.
Beyond just the number of delegations, it's clear that German delegations visiting Vietnam are very substantive, with a large number of business groups. This reflects the growing need for more substantial cooperation with concrete results.
Recognizing 2024 as a pivotal year leading up to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2025, we are determined to boldly innovate our approach to promote a more effective and substantive strategic partnership between the two countries. In particular, we hope that Vietnam will gradually reduce the number of purely courtesy visits, increase the number of delegations accompanied by business representatives, and that both sides will have prior discussions to achieve concrete results after each visit.
The ratification of the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) is a proposal that Vietnam has repeatedly expressed its desire for Germany to promote. Ambassador, could you please share the prospects of these efforts?
The ratification process for bilateral investment protection agreements between the EU and its partners is a lengthy one, often taking 4-5 years. To date, 16 out of 27 EU member states have ratified the EVIPA, and this process is ongoing.
In 2023 alone, four member states – Bulgaria, Portugal, Slovakia, and Finland – ratified the Agreement. Currently, 11 more EU member states are in the process of considering ratification, including major partners such as Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands. As Europe's largest economy, Germany's early ratification of the Agreement would have a strong ripple effect on the remaining EU members.
| "Not only in terms of numbers, it's clear that the trend is for German delegations visiting Vietnam to be very substantive, with large business delegations." |
Currently, the Embassy is actively working with relevant German authorities and German business associations to lobby for the best possible ratification of the Agreement by the German Parliament. However, we must also acknowledge the reality that the German Parliament has to prioritize several other issues, which is why the Agreement has not been discussed recently.
During a meeting with Stephan Weil, Minister President of Lower Saxony, Germany, in October 2023, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed his readiness to create favorable conditions for German businesses to increase their operations and investments in Vietnam. According to the Ambassador, what are the "advantages" of the Vietnamese market in the eyes of German investors?
Through my visits and working sessions with local authorities, business associations, and German businesses, I've noticed that the Vietnamese market is becoming increasingly attractive to German investors. Even the German government is advocating for businesses to diversify their markets, expand investments, and establish sustainable supply chains outside of China, including Vietnam.
In fact, in 2023 alone, the investment capital of German businesses in the Vietnamese market increased by an additional $340 million, a 14.1% increase in the total registered FDI capital of German investors, bringing the total registered capital to $2.74 billion at the end of 2023 (with a total of 464 active projects).
I believe that Vietnam has become a top attractive destination for German businesses with many advantages. The Vietnam-Germany relationship is close, trustworthy, and is increasingly strengthened and developing. Furthermore, the large German-speaking Vietnamese community of over 100,000 people has made significant contributions to the cultural diversity and prosperity of the Federal Republic of Germany, and serves as a bridge for bilateral relations in general and the close friendship between the people of the two countries in particular.
In addition, other attractions include: Vietnam's relatively high and stable economic growth compared to the average growth rate of the world's economies; stable political and social conditions and a strategic location with good global connectivity; a young, dynamic, diligent, and creative workforce; a favorable business environment that creates many opportunities for investors with various investment incentives; and Vietnam's economic development policies geared towards green growth, the use of high technology and renewable energy, the digital economy, and innovation – sectors that are strengths for German businesses.
 |
| Ambassador Vu Quang Minh, along with a delegation from the Embassy and the Association of Vietnamese People in Cottbus, met with the Mayor of Cottbus (Brandenburg state), Mr. Tobias Schick, on June 1, 2023. (Source: VNA) |
The Ambassador spends a lot of time traveling to local areas in Germany to learn about and explore cooperation opportunities, acting as a bridge for businesses… So, how does the Ambassador assess the potential for local cooperation between the two countries and the bridging role of the Diplomatic Mission?
Through my local visits to Germany, I see that the potential for local cooperation between the two countries remains very large. Many German local leaders are very interested in substantive cooperation with Vietnam in many fields, from economics, investment, and trade to culture and education, especially in vocational training, bringing skilled Vietnamese workers to work in Germany, and renewable energy, green transition, and sustainable development.
Beyond economic cooperation, cultural collaboration and people-to-people diplomacy between localities of the two countries also have significant potential. Successful projects in the past, such as the celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Wernigerode and Hoi An; the official groundbreaking ceremony marking the sister city relationship between Leipzig and Ho Chi Minh City; the cooperation between Leipzig Zoo and Cuc Phuong National Park; and activities promoting Vietnamese elephants in Leipzig and other German localities, will continue to be expanded to other parts of Germany.
Vietnamese representative offices in the Federal Republic of Germany will continue to play a bridging role in supporting and promoting local cooperation between the two countries. We will continue to provide information and support to localities in connecting with state governments, business associations, and German businesses, helping local leaders and Vietnamese businesses understand the local market, regulations, and investment opportunities.
In addition, we also assist in organizing meetings, business events, exhibitions, seminars, and forums to create opportunities for businesses to meet with potential German partners in trade and investment cooperation, as well as vocational training. We hope to further promote the establishment of more substantive and effective relationships between localities in the two countries in the future.
Thank you, Ambassador!
 |
| Biography of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. (Design: Hong Nga) |
Source
Comment (0)