A number of German politicians, experts and papers have hailed Vietnam for raising important voices in trade liberalisation and climate change response. 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel 

The Neues Deutscheland (New Germany), one of the major German papers, ran an article by Dr. Detlef Pries who said Vietnam’s presence at the G20 Summit as Chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2017 reflects the country’s improving prestige on international arena. 

Reviewing Vietnam’s economic progresses over the past three decades since the renovation in 1986, the author said its economic growth could be comparable to any economies’. In the past decade, income per capita surged from 730 USD in 2007 to 2,445 USD in 2016, which is set to soar to 3,200 USD in 2020 by the 12th National Party Congress. 

Pries said he is impressed by Vietnam’s economic growth target of 6.7 percent this year, and said in order to achieve such ambitious goal, the Southeast Asian country needs to have fine economic and trade relations, with a focus on attraction of foreign direct investment and free trade agreements. 

According to the article, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s recent visits to the US and Japan aimed to boost mutually-beneficial ties. Apart from coming to Germany for the G20 Summit, the PM paid a working trip to Berlin to step up negotiations on the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and increase all-around collaboration with Germany in various areas, including vocational training to improve competitiveness. 

“Vietnam wants to strengthen relations with Germany” is the title of an article run by the German Press Agency (DPA), which said PM Phuc held working sessions with Hessen and Rheinland-Pfalz states to reinforce ties across economy, education and culture. 

It added that over the past years, Vietnam has worked closely with Germany to build a law-governed State, thus laying foundation for sustainable socio-economic development.

VNA