Attending the event were representatives of more than 80 agencies and enterprises, including 40 enterprises, associations, chambers of commerce and banks from the above countries, along with 40 Vietnamese enterprises operating in the fields of production, business, import and export of agricultural products - food, seafood, industrial products and logistics.
Speaking at the workshop, Vietnamese Trade Counselor in Algeria and Tunisia - Mr. Hoang Duc Nhuan introduced the economic and foreign trade situation of Vietnam to the delegates. Regarding Vietnam-Algeria cooperation, the two countries established diplomatic relations on October 28, 1962. Bilateral cooperation has continued to develop in recent years. According to statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs, bilateral trade reached 250 million USD in 2023, an increase of more than 60% compared to 2022. The structure of import and export products between the two countries is not competitive but complementary. Vietnam's export products include raw coffee, pepper, cashew nuts, seafood, chemicals, iron and steel products, etc. Vietnam imports from Algeria carob powder, pharmaceuticals, ores, recycled paper, rubber products, animal feed, chicken feet, etc.
In the field of investment cooperation, the joint venture between the Vietnam Oil and Gas Exploration Production Corporation (PVEP), the Thai Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (PTTEP) and the Sonatrach Group is a symbol of successful cooperation between Vietnam and Algeria. 12 years after its implementation (2003), the Bir Seba mining project produced its first barrel of oil in August 2015 with a current capacity of about 18,000 barrels/day.
Regarding Vietnam-Tunisia cooperation, the two countries established diplomatic relations on December 15, 1972. The two countries have also held three meetings of the Intergovernmental Committee, the most recent of which took place in the capital Tunis in April 2018.
According to Tunisian Customs data, in 2023, bilateral trade will reach about 100 million USD, an increase of 51% compared to 2022, of which Vietnam exports raw coffee, pepper, cashew nuts, seafood, machinery and equipment, razors, fabrics... and imports from Tunisia seafood, dates, chemicals, plastic products, clothing and raw materials for animal feed.
On this occasion, Mr. Karim. Aisaoui, representative of Natixis Bank of France in Algeria and BPCE Bank in Vietnam, briefly introduced the Algerian market, the main payment methods in the local market such as L/C, D/P, etc.
At the workshop, Algerian businesses expressed their interest in finding Vietnamese partners in the import and export of agricultural products (coffee, spices, dates, olive oil), industrial products such as textiles, footwear, agricultural machinery and equipment, motorbikes, electric bicycles, plastic materials, cosmetic materials, chemicals, etc.
Some Algerian businesses want to learn about the procedures for establishing a business in Vietnam in the field of import and export of agricultural products and footwear, the import and export tax system between the two countries, etc.
Representatives of several Tunisian businesses are interested in cooperating with Vietnam in the field of footwear production as well as equipment for the production of this product group. Libyan businesses attending the workshop also expressed their need to seek Vietnamese investors in many manufacturing fields to contribute to the reconstruction of the country, including projects to restart factories assembling trailers, trucks, assembling agricultural tractors, producing oil pipelines, water pipes, electric cables, etc.
At the event, Ms. Ester Misheng Mbidi, President of Credassus Group based in Belgium, introduced the Forum connecting businesses of developed and developing countries, promoting and expanding South-South cooperation. Credassur plans to organize a delegation of European and African businesses to Vietnam in early 2025 to learn about the investment and business environment, promising fields and hopes that businesses attending the workshop will join the delegation.
On this occasion, Mr. Ngo Khac Le, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Logistics Services Association (VLA), said that VLA has 150 members and wishes to connect with freight forwarding associations in Africa as well as import-export businesses in this region.
At the workshop, delegates also pointed out a number of obstacles that have prevented businesses from having many cooperative relationships, such as the great geographical distance, language barriers (Algerian and Tunisian businesses mainly use French), and a lack of proper attention to each other's markets, especially in the investment field.
Commercial Counselor Hoang Duc Nhuan proposed that, in order to promote economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and these countries, the two sides should increase the exchange of business delegations and encourage businesses to participate in international fairs and exhibitions held in each country (such as Vietnam Expo, Vietnam Food Expo, Algiers International Fair, Coffee Festival in Tunisia, etc.); increase the exchange of market information and business and investment opportunities; coordinate in verifying business partners and supporting the resolution of disputes that may arise between companies of the two sides.
At the networking session, Vietnamese businesses found customers to import items such as raw coffee, seafood, plastic materials, cooking oil, agricultural machinery, components, auto parts, motorbikes, electric bicycles, etc. and suppliers of dates and olive oil from Algeria and Tunisia. On this occasion, Algerian delegates attending the event directly enjoyed and highly appreciated Vietnamese coffee products.
Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/thi-truong-nuoc-ngoai/tang-cuong-hop-tac-thuong-mai-giua-viet-nam-va-algeria-tunisia.html
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