Ho Chi Minh City continues to be a dynamic, open and sincere partner with localities around the world.

On the morning of September 24, the Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue (FD) 2024 officially opened in Ho Chi Minh City. This year's FD is organized under the theme "Industrial Transformation: Experience and Priorities in Development Cooperation".

Overview of the Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue on Industrial Transformation: Experience and priorities in development cooperation. (Photo: Hoang Nam)

The event was attended by Politburo member, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen; Party Central Committee member, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang; City Party Committee member, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Vo Van Hoan and 35 delegations of leaders from international localities having friendly cooperative relations with the City.

Speaking at the opening of the Friendship Dialogue, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai said that the theme of this year's Friendship Dialogue: "Industrial transformation: Development experience and cooperation priorities" is an essential and urgent issue for us.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), industrial transformation has become a global trend, with investment in high technology and digital expected to reach around $1.5 trillion by 2030.

"We are living in a period of profound industrial transformation, where innovation and sustainable development become decisive factors for success," said the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee.

The journey cannot be done alone

For Ho Chi Minh City, industrial transformation is not only an option but also an urgent requirement. Faced with the dual pressures of maintaining economic growth while meeting increasingly stringent environmental and social responsibility standards, the City is forced to innovate and adapt.

Mr. Phan Van Mai realized that the City's industrial transformation journey is driven by both internal dynamics and global trends.

In terms of internal aspects , to maintain competitiveness and sustainable development, Ho Chi Minh City needs to transform from traditional industries to high-tech and high value-added industries.

Overview of the Dialogue. (Photo: Xuan Son)

According to statistics, the proportion of high-tech industries currently accounts for only about 23% of the City's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Ho Chi Minh City's goal is to increase this proportion to 40% by 2030, thereby not only maintaining the City's contribution to the national economy but also consolidating its leading position in the country and the region.

In terms of global trends, the country is witnessing a strong shift in the international market towards more sustainable and responsible production methods.

According to a report by McKinsey & Company, about 70% of multinational companies have committed to cutting their carbon emissions by at least 25% by 2030.

New generation free trade agreements have set higher standards, linking trade with sustainable development. Therefore, to maintain a strong presence in the global market, the City needs to meet these standards.

Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai emphasized that industrial transformation is a journey that cannot be done alone.

To cope with the above challenges, the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee said that the City has applied a dual strategy, combining green transformation and digital transformation. A report by the Ministry of Science and Technology shows that investing in digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data can help save production costs by up to 20% and reduce carbon emissions by up to 15% per unit of product.

He emphasized: "The City's goal is to build a sustainable, inclusive and resilient economy, becoming a reference model for localities."

In addition, Ho Chi Minh City is also focusing on developing high-tech industries, investing in automation, smart factories, and advanced manufacturing technology to upgrade the value chain.

Citing research from the World Economic Forum (WEF), about 60% of successful industrial transformation initiatives are the result of cooperation between governments, businesses and people, both domestically and internationally, Mr. Phan Van Mai said that industrial transformation is a journey that cannot be done alone.

“That is why this year’s FD is particularly important. It is an opportunity for Ho Chi Minh City to learn from each other, share best practices and explore new cooperation opportunities. I believe that through joint efforts, we can develop innovative solutions to the challenges of industrial transformation.

Whether it is technology transfer, investment in green and digital infrastructure, or promoting linkages and joint ventures in high-tech industries, we have many opportunities to cooperate and promote sustainable development," affirmed the Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City.

Looking to the future, Ho Chi Minh City is committed to continuing to be a dynamic, open and sincere partner with localities around the world. The city believes that by promoting the spirit of friendship and cooperation, we will not only achieve common goals but also build a better future for humanity.

Precious opportunity of Ho Chi Minh City

Speaking at the opening session of the Dialogue, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang affirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs highly appreciates and values ​​Ho Chi Minh City's initiative to maintain this meaningful Dialogue, demonstrating the City's positivity, proactiveness, and creativity in implementing foreign affairs.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang speaks at the Dialogue.

The Deputy Minister said: "We especially appreciate the theme 'Industrial Transformation: Experience and Priorities in Development Cooperation' which demonstrates sharp thinking, accurately grasping the development trends of the times, the requirements for Ho Chi Minh City as well as major cities and economic centers of countries around the world.

This theme will create a valuable opportunity for the City and its sister cities to discuss and enhance cooperation, for the development of each locality, each country and the world community in the coming decades".

According to Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Hang, this Friendship Dialogue needs to discuss: What are the opportunities and challenges for localities in the context of industrial transformation towards smart and sustainable direction today? How to truly turn human resources and science and technology into breakthroughs in industrial transformation?

"What models and cooperation methods do we need to build to jointly create an industrial transformation ecosystem? At the same time, we hope that through the Conference, partner cities will share practical experiences and promote new cooperation ideas with Ho Chi Minh City to make industrial transformation a growth driver for the City in the coming period," the Deputy Minister emphasized.

Referring to President Ho Chi Minh’s words, “Unity is invincible strength”, the Deputy Minister affirmed that it is impossible to achieve the lofty goals of global development and common prosperity without clear international solidarity. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance mutual understanding between localities, promote cultural exchanges and share development experiences. The Deputy Minister believes that all parties will together overcome all challenges and achieve great achievements in the process of smart and sustainable industrial transformation.

After the opening session, FD 2024 continued with the Mayors' Conference program. Here, international delegates from localities twinned with Ho Chi Minh City shared their strengths, priority areas, and international cooperation potentials of localities towards sustainable development goals; at the same time, proposed local cooperation initiatives in promoting industrial transformation...

On this occasion, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai approved the statement of the Mayors' Conference.

Mr. Phan Van Mai believes that thanks to FD 2024, not only Ho Chi Minh City but all participating localities have better understood each other's transformation journey and gained valuable lessons in industrial transformation.

From there, nurture bilateral and multilateral cooperation initiatives in related fields, contributing to tightening and fostering friendship between localities.

FD 2024 takes place on September 23-24 to promote relations between Ho Chi Minh City and its sister cities around the world; at the same time, it is an opportunity to promote the country and people of Vietnam to international friends.

This is the second time FD is held.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs, the event is an important foundation in effectively implementing the "Strategy to enhance the foreign affairs of Ho Chi Minh City to 2030, vision 2045" and the project "Promoting relations with key localities of countries that are strategic partners of Vietnam to serve the goal of rapid and sustainable development of Ho Chi Minh City in the period of 2020-2025".

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tp-ho-chi-minh-tiep-tuc-la-doi-tac-nang-dong-coi-mo-va-chan-thanh-voi-cac-dia-phuong-tren-the-gioi-287391.html