Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong attended the Mumbai business forum on November 22, joining representatives from leading Indian corporations and firms operating in industry, technology, pharmaceuticals, trade, and services.As India’s largest financial hub, the city of Mumbai is considered a national economic engine and numbers among the world’s ten most important centres for international trade. Party Leader Trong told foreign attendees of the fruitful trade and investment cooperation between the Vietnam and India and highlighted the huge potential for broader cooperation in the near future.India is one of Vietnam’s 10 biggest trade partners. Bilateral trade is increasing at an annual rate of 10 percent.Indian businesses have already invested US$250 million in 74 Vietnam-based projects.Party Leader Trong and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met for talks before announcing their mutual ambition to raise trade turnover to US$15 billion by 2020.Trong said the dynamic Asian economies of Vietnam and India boast complementary strengths and affirmed his country’s willingness to serve as a bridge linking Indian businesses to the wider ASEAN market.Representatives from the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) reported the Indian business community recognizes the wealth of opportunity Vietnam’s markets present.Indian enterprises are keen to cooperate in oil and gas, hydropower, steel, mechanical manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, food processing, information technology, railways, road transport, and human resources.Indian business representatives believe investment, trade, and tourism cooperation could be greatly assisted by opening direct Vietnamese air routes to Dehli, Mumbai, and Kolkata; granting longer term visas; and building a Vietnamese industrial park dedicated to Indian investors.Earlier, Party Central Committee’s External Relations Commission Head Hoang Binh Quan had a meeting with K.L Malhotra, Chairman of the India-Vietnam Friendship Association, and G. Sharma, President of the India-Vietnam Solidarity Committee in West Bengal.He said Vietnam appreciates Indian people’s support to Vietnam in the past struggles for national independence and the current renewal process.Quan said he is happy that the Vietnam-India ties have grown considerably in politics, economics, defence and security, while people-to-people exchanges have been broadened with various forms.Quan also highlighted the active and effective cooperation of the India-Vietnam Friendship Association and the India-Vietnam Solidarity Committee in West Bengal, saying that he believes in the future the two organisations will continue working closely with the Vietnamese Embassy in India and the Vietnam-India Friendship Association to conduct more activities to further boost solidarity, friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples, contributing to beefing up the strategic partnership between Vietnam and India.Both Malhotra and Sharma emphasised the significance of General Secretary Trong’s visit to India.They pledged continuous contributions to reinforcing the solidarity and friendship between the two nations.VOV