Vietnam reinforces ties with Canadian province

The Consul General of Vietnam in Vancouver, Canada, Nguyen Quang Trung joined a working session with the Premier of British Columbia John Horgan on April 30.

The Consul General of Vietnam in Vancouver, Canada, Nguyen Quang Trung (L) and  Premier of British Columbia John Horgan during the working session

At the meeting, the two sides discussed potential and opportunities of cooperation between businesses of Vietnam and British Columbia, especially in education, tourism, people-to-people exchange and labour. They agreed that the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has opened up chances in economy, trade and investment for them.

Despite the adverse impacts of COVID-19, trade between Vietnam and the Canadian province neared 2 billion CAD (about 1.6 billion USD) last year.

Horgan congratulated Vietnam on its successful COVID-19 prevention and control, voicing a hope to deepen the relationship between British Columbia and Vietnam in a pragmatic manner, towards the 50th founding anniversary of Canada-Vietnam diplomatic ties in 2023.

The Canadian province is zeroing in on plans on post-pandemic economic recovery and expansion of international cooperation, especially with the Asia-Pacific region.

Since 2017, Vietnam has maintained its position as the largest trade partner of Canada in ASEAN, with bilateral trade hitting 5.1 billion USD in 2020.

In April, Trung also held working sessions with Minister of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources of British Columbia Bruce Ralston and Deputy Minister of the Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat Silas Brownsey, during which they compared note on specific plans for cooperation between Vietnam and the Canadian locality, particularly in economy./.

VNA