Strengthening external relation activities of localities, improving efficiency of trade promotion - Strengthening external relation activities of localities, improving efficiency of trade promotion - Website Ho Chi Minh City
On January 27, Ministry of Foreign Affairs held an online meeting with 63 cities and provinces of the whole country on external relation activities at localities in the period of 2014-2015, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ho Xuan Son chaired the meeting. In HCMC, Vice Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem and HCMC Department of External Relations Nguyen Hong Linh attended the meeting.
2014 is considered as a successful year of external affairs of the Party and the State. Provinces and cities in the whole country have held 335 missions overseas; establishing co-operation relationships, investment and tourism promotion, receiving 8,500 foreign missions to Vietnam, up 20% compared to 2013. Localities have held 765 conferences and seminars attracting 7,000 international visitors; hosting many meetings with Vietnamese overseas to attract a large amount of overseas national currency exchange.
International co-operation activities at locality levels continued to be paid special attention to by cities and provinces. In 2014, 53 co-operation agreements was signed. Apart from agreements at locality levels, cities and provinces have signed 150 MOUs with foreign enterprises and organizations to make use of resources for socio-economic development. External economic relations continued to be strengthened. Export value of Vietnam reached over US$ 150 billion, total ODA and preferential loans reached over US$ 4 billion, total value of foreign direct investment capital at localities reached US$ 30 billion, etc. “These figures showed that Vietnam has paid a special attention to international co-operation”, said Mr. Ho Xuan Son.
In 2015, localities have focused on constructing, reinforcing unity and co-operation within ASEAN; effectively exploiting signed co-operation agreements, actively participating into negotiations, signings of new agreements; strengthening trade promotion activities to attract external resources for socio-economic development; pushing comprehensive and deep external relation activities, enhancing efficiency of trade promotion; strengthening two way information mechanism, innovating fostering activities for cadres and civil servants.
In HCMC, Director of HCMC Department External Relations Nguyen Hong Linh said that given a deep and wide international co-operation relationships, in 2014, HCMC focused on carrying out external relation activities, creating positive effects in international integration, enhancing brands, evoking potentials and strengths of HCMC. HCMC has been very active in signing many agreements of investment and international co-operation with foreign localities an partners; successfully organizing intentional seminars and conferences, trade and investment promotion activities abroad.
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ho Xuan Son, highly appreciated external relation activities of localities in 2014. These activities have met demands of external relations and international integration; making positive contributions to the development of Vietnam and affirming position of Vietnam in the region and the world.
Mr. Ho Xuan Son stressed that in 2015 Vietnam will host many big celebrations, then, external relation activities need to be positively and effectively carried out in all aspects : action plans of localities on international integration, foreign investment attraction and promotion, consolidation of apparatus of external relation activities; supporting localities in international integration; enhancement of co-operation efficiency between Ministry of Foreign Affairs and localities, etc.
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