On the afternoon of November 11, in the capital Santiago de Chile, within the framework of his official visit to Chile, President Luong Cuong met with leaders of typical enterprises of the Chilean Production Promotion Association (SOFOFA).
According to VNA, speaking at the meeting, President Luong Cuong highly appreciated the Ministry of Planning and Investment for proactively coordinating with SOFOFA and the Vietnamese Embassy in Chile to organize an important event within the framework of the President's official visit to Chile and towards the 10th anniversary of the implementation of the Vietnam - Chile bilateral free trade agreement (2014-2024).
The President emphasized that the Chilean government has always attached importance to and wished to strengthen relations with Vietnam in its overall policy towards the Asia-Pacific region; while Vietnam considers Chile a partner of strategic importance and wishes to deepen relations in many fields.
The President said that over the past 50 years of construction and development, economic - investment - trade cooperation has always held an important position in the relationship between the two countries and has made many significant strides. Bilateral trade turnover as of September 2024 reached 1.57 billion USD, of which Vietnam exported 1.2 billion USD to Chile; thereby consolidating Chile's position as Vietnam's fourth largest trading partner in Latin America and Vietnam continues to be Chile's largest trading partner in ASEAN.
Regarding investment, Chile has four projects with a total registered capital of 0.3 million USD in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
The President suggested several directions for cooperation between businesses of both sides, whereby both sides effectively implement and make the most of incentives from the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Vietnam-Chile Free Trade Agreement (VCFTA), not only contributing to the economic growth of both countries but also strengthening diplomatic, cultural and social relations, creating a solid foundation for future cooperation.
The President also asked Chilean investors to study and expand investment cooperation in the fields of trade, renewable energy, agriculture, mining and deep mineral processing; and promote potential cooperation areas such as high-tech agriculture, climate change response, digital transformation, and high technology.
According to the President, business associations, especially SOFOFA, continue to closely coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Vietnamese Embassy in Chile, connecting the business community and relevant agencies of the two sides, promoting their role as an important bridge between businesses and international partners, helping to promote bilateral economic relations.
The President affirmed that Vietnam always cares about and accompanies the business community both domestically and internationally, respects and protects the legitimate and legal rights and interests of investors, as well as ensures the harmony of interests between the State, investors and the people; and commits to creating a favorable business and investment environment for foreign enterprises in general and Chile in particular.
