Dutch PM visit enhances Vietnam-Netherlands hi-tech, green growth cooperation

A two-day visit by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to Hanoi has helped strengthen bilateral cooperation in a wide range of issues, particular high technology, green growth, and climate change adaptation.

During the Vietnam-Netherlands High-tech Business Forum on Thursday, Rutte noted that he was being accompanied by nearly 30 leading hi-tech Dutch firms, with many of them having started investment projects in Vietnam while several others were exploring opportunities here.

Addressing the event, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh noted that the two countries still had great potential to expand their cooperation in science-technology and innovation. He hailed the Netherlands as an innovative country while Vietnam was striving to make a breakthrough in education and science-technology.

He urged Dutch firms to connect with Vietnamese enterprises in hi-tech agriculture, new and renewable energies, semiconductors, climate change mitigation, shipbuilding via hi-tech projects that offer high added value and are capable to join the global value chain.

Chinh also encouraged Dutch businesses and research institutes to cooperate with and invest in Vietnam through the National Innovation Center (NIC) and hi-tech zones. The recently-launched NIC is expected to become a venue for cooperation between the Southeast Asian country with tech companies around the world.

At the event, the two PMs witnessed the exchange of cooperation agreement documents between Vietnamese and Dutch agencies and enterprises in the fields of innovation and finance.

The same day, they attended the 2023 Green Economy Forum (GEF) where Rutte pointed out that both the Netherlands and Vietnam are facing environmental challenges, requiring the joint efforts of all stakeholders, and first of all the business community.

Both producers and suppliers are required to comply with new regulations on sustainability set by the European Union, he said, and suggested Dutch firms assist their Vietnamese partners in this field.

For his part, PM Chinh pledged that the Vietnamese government would always protect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors in any circumstance.

He reiterated Vietnam’s policies in pursuing rapid yet sustainable, inclusive development rather than economic growth at the expense of progress, social equity, and environmental protection.

He asserted that Vietnam strongly supports the EU's strategies, initiatives, and policies for green development, and would seriously follow regulations related to green production.

Vietnam expects the EU to continue assisting Vietnam in building mechanisms, policies, technology transfer, financing, high-quality workforce training, and enhancing managerial capabilities to promote green development, Chinh said.

He also called on partners and investors to continue to invest in the Mekong Delta, which is being severely hit by climate change, in dealing with the phenomenon’s effects, developing strategic infrastructure, and carrying out a one million hectare quality rice cultivation project.

This is the third visit by Mark Rutte to Vietnam as Dutch prime minister. The two previous visits took place in 2014 and 2019.

The Netherlands is the biggest EU investor in Vietnam and the second biggest European trade partner of Vietnam.

During official talks on Thursday, the Vietnamese PM urged the Netherlands to support the European Commission in expeditiously removing the IUU “yellow card” for Vietnam’s seafood exports.

He encouraged Dutch businesses to explore investment opportunities in Vietnam’s key sectors, such as high technology, seaports and strategic infrastructure.

At Chinh’s request, Rutte committed to actively expediting the ratification process of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

Rutte also expressed his interest in supporting the Mekong Delta region in responding to climate change. He also pledged to complete the legal framework for water resource management in Vietnam.

After the talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing of four cooperation documents encompassing exploration and sustainable exploitation of critical minerals, customs, investment, and trade. Among them was a letter of intent on cooperation in the exploration and sustainable exploitation of critical minerals.