Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue attends 48th WEF meeting

Hue attended the plenary opening session of the event and delivered a speech at a meeting of the ASEAN Regional Strategic Group, where he urged the group to cooperate with the Governments of the ASEAN member countries to take solutions to promoting regional prosperity in the context of challenges and changes facing the region and the world at large.

He said the group should focus discussions on strategic issues such as maintaining dynamic development, competitiveness and self-improvement of the ten-member group, promoting the equal development of the ASEAN Community, raising the central role played by ASEAN in cooperation mechanisms and regional security, and boosting intra-bloc cooperation and connectivity.

Vietnam always stands ready to hold dialogues and closely coordinate with other ASEAN nations, its partners and businesses, he said, noting that the country is closely coordinating with the WEF in preparations for the WEF-ASEAN conference scheduled for September 2018 in Hanoi.

On this occasion, Deputy PM Hue met with Johann Schneider-Ammann, a member of the Switzerland Federal Council.

Both sides shared the views that the Vietnam-Switzerland relationship is developing fruitfully, with economic cooperation having encouraging outcomes.

They agreed to step up the bilateral coordination at multilateral forums while pushing negotiations of the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association to which Switzerland is a member.

Deputy PM Hue highly valued the Swiss Government’s commitment to maintaining its official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam during 2017-2020 and called on the country to continue its support to the country in developing a high-quality education system and combining scientific and technological research with education, and increase scholarships for Vietnamese students.

He also had a meeting with the Qualcomm Vice President, suggesting the group cooperate with Vietnam in innovative start-ups in information-technology, share its experience in innovation, and boost collaboration in human resources development in the telecommunications sector, thus meeting requirements of the fourth industrial revolution and the digital economy in Vietnam.

Within the framework of the WEF, the Deputy PM on January 22 had a working session with Zurich Airport, the world’s leading group in investment and aviation management in Zurich.

The group is now interested in partnering with Vietnam in airport projects, including the Long Thanh International Airport, as well as in training and the transfer of managerial technologies.

The same day, the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Vietnamese Embassy in Berne and Bell Capital co-organised the Vietnam Investment Forum in Zurich.

Themed “Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World,” this year’s WEF Davos attracts more than 3,000 delegates, who are leaders of many countries, major international organisations, the world’s leading groups and non-governmental organisations.