PM speaks with WEF chair, seeks further economic cooperation

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính speaks with Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum in an online meeting on Wednesday. VNA/VnExpress News Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Wednesday said Việt Nam looked forward to more collaboration opportunities with the World Economic Forum (WEF) and its members.

He was speaking at an online meeting with WEF’s founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab.

Chính said he highly appreciated the role of the WEF as a leading economic forum and expressed his hopes to further promote effective cooperation between the forum and Việt Nam.

The PM spoke about a number of major development orientations of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and emphasised that the country will continue to build a socialist democracy, a socialist market economy and a socialist rule-of-law State.

He also said Việt Nam will focus on building an independent and self-reliant economy, while continuing to promote extensive, comprehensive and effective international integration.

He asked the WEF to continue to support the country, especially by providing policy advice to help Việt Nam improve its economic mechanisms, transform its growth model, and restructure its economy in an environmentally friendly, sustainable and practical direction.

The Government’s leader also asked WEF to help Việt Nam implement a digital transformation, apply science and technology and improve the quality of human resources.

He also expects WEF will connect the country with prestigious global corporations and investment funds and help it to attract investment and finance from WEF member groups, especially in the fields of high technology, energy transformation quality, digital transformation, infrastructure development, Chính said.

Professor Schwab said he was impressed with Việt Nam’s efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and recovering the economy, and congratulated the country on the significant results it had achieved.

Việt Nam has many great opportunities to develop and become a constructive partner of the international community, and at the same time, a destination highly appreciated by global businesses, especially members of the WEF, Schwab said.

Schwab emphasised that WEF, and himself personally, has a deep interest in Việt Nam and is committed to continuing to cooperate with the country to realise its socio-economic development goals.

He proposed that the two sides sign a Partnership Agreement to create a cooperation framework for the future.

The WEF is preparing for its annual meeting, which will take place in-person on May 22-26 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, with the theme ‘History at a Turning Point: Government Policies and Business Strategies’, Schwab added.

He cordially invited PM Chính to attend and speak at the meeting, saying he believes that with its role and credibility, Việt Nam’s participation will greatly contribute to the formation of strategic ideas, policies and strategies of the global community in these critical times.

PM Chính said he highly appreciated the significance of the upcoming WEF annual meeting. He thanked Professor Schwab for his invitation and confirmed that Việt Nam will take part in the conference.

He invited Schwab to soon lead a delegation of WEF’s member firms to visit Việt Nam.

Schwab accepted the invitation and said he looked forward to coming to Việt Nam to see the country’s impressive development achievements and to further promote the Việt Nam-WEF relationship. VnExpress News