Vietnam, as a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, is pursuing an impressive foreign policy for economic development, since the country’s economic growth has been largely supported by small- and medium-sized enterprises, said Professor Guillermo Perez Cena from Faculty of Foreign Affairs, Argentina’s 21st Century University.

Professor Guillermo Perez Cena from Faculty of Foreign Affairs, Argentina’s 21st Century University.

In an interview with a Buenos Aires-based Vietnam News Agency correspondent after his 10-day visit to Vietnam, Cena said that hosting APEC this year is a tough challenge for Vietnam as the bloc is facing difficulties in promoting connections between its member economies. 

This is the right time for Vietnam to push a foreign policy towards complete internationalisation, he noticed.

This is the second time in 11 years that Vietnam was chosen to host the APEC events, he underlined, stressing that with its meticulous preparations, the event will be a success.

Regarding potential to develop Vietnam-Argentina ties, the Argentinian professor said that as a member of Mercosur, an economic organisation in South America, Argentina has paid attention to Southeast Asian markets. Mercosur members will carry out numerous cooperative deals with the region’s enterprises, including those from Vietnam.

Argentina wants to join the Pacific Alliance, a grouping in which three of four countries in the bloc are APEC member economies, he said, affirming that Argentina’s foreign policies have looked towards Southeast Asia in the past two years.

Mentioning the prospect of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal after the US’s withdrawal, he said that the remaining countries are working to negotiate the pact.

The US is bolstering ties with Vietnam and a bilateral agreement with the US will be much more important for Vietnam outside the TPP framework, he added.-VNA