On the morning of September 21 local time (night of September 21 Hanoi time), within the framework of bilateral activities in Seattle, Politburo member and President Luong Cuong received Ms. Stephanie Pope, Chairman and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes Group.
According to Ms. Stephanie Pope, Vietnam currently has 17 Boeing aircraft that Vietnam Airlines is operating, and Vietjet has signed a contract to buy more than 200 aircraft. This is proof that the Southeast Asian market plays a very important role for Boeing.
President Luong Cuong affirmed that with a dynamically developing economy, Vietnam will become one of the potential markets for Boeing's modern aircraft lines.
Regarding Boeing's commitments to accompanying Vietnam in development, the President suggested that Boeing soon research and deploy investment in component manufacturing plants, as well as build a regional-scale Equipment, Machinery and Aircraft Maintenance Center associated with major airports, thereby not only serving the Vietnamese market, but also the entire Southeast Asian region; at the same time, creating conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to gradually participate in Boeing's global supply chain, consolidating a sustainable and long-term cooperation platform between the two sides.
The President affirmed that Vietnam creates all favorable conditions, in accordance with the provisions of law, for US investors in general and Boeing Group in particular to invest and do business effectively and sustainably in Vietnam.
Also on the morning of September 21, President Luong Cuong witnessed the handover ceremony of the first Boeing 737 Max aircraft between Boeing Group and Vietjet Air.
On the same day, President Luong Cuong received Chairman and CEO of Costco Ron Vachris Group. Costco is one of the largest retail groups in the US, operating more than 870 supermarkets worldwide, focusing on diversifying goods sources and expanding international supply networks.
Mr. Ron Vachris expressed his desire to continue to cooperate closely with major suppliers of Vietnam to bring products suitable for the market, thereby maintaining long-term cooperation with Vietnamese partners.
It is estimated that the import value of Vietnamese goods in Costco's supply chain can reach over 1 billion USD per year with key items such as textiles, footwear, wooden furniture, seafood, cashews and coffee, etc.
The President emphasized Costco Group's initiative in building a strategic cooperation framework to develop production capacity and supply chains as an orientation in line with Vietnam's strategic priority in participating more deeply in the global value chain, especially for industries with strengths such as agricultural products, seafood, textiles, footwear and light industry.
The President said that Vietnam is ready to cooperate in green technology transfer, support Vietnamese enterprises to improve production processes, reduce emissions and use of renewable energy; enhance competitiveness of goods.
The President emphasized that with a scale of nearly 100 million people and constantly expanding consumer demand, Vietnam will be a destination with great potential; and welcomed Costco's proposal to have an official presence and long-term investment in Vietnam.
