Vice Chairman of the Can Tho municipal People’s Committee Truong Quang Hoai Nam speaks at the seminar on August 18 (Photo: VNA) Can Tho (VNA) – The Mekong Delta city of Can Thowants to capitalise on chances in economic activities with ASEAN, especiallythe ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Vice Chairman of the municipal People’sCommittee Truong Quang Hoai Nam has said.
The opportunities created by the AEC, which cameinto being on December 31, 2015, for people and businesses were spotlighted ata seminar held by the Can Tho People’s Committee on August 18.
Participants presented cooperation opportunitiesfor Vietnamese firms in the AEC, the country’s commitments in the community,the country’s optimisation of origin principle to benefit from the AEC’s taxincentives, along with opportunities and challenges for the Mekong Delta sinceVietnam became an AEC member.
Nam said Vietnam joined ASEAN in 1995, and thebloc has since been a gateway for the country to intensively integrate into theworld in terms of politics, economy, culture and society.
A number of delegations from ASEAN countrieshave come to Can Tho to seek investment opportunities over the last couple ofyears, and the city also wants to learn about ways to cooperate with regionalnations, he noted.
ꩲ[Deputy PM discusses problems facing ASEAN Economic Community]
Tran Huu Hiep, a member of the Steering Committeefor the Southwestern Region, said when Vietnam is an AEC member, Can Tho andother Mekong Delta provinces will have numerous opportunities for developmentcooperation and investment attraction. However, there will also be challengesin goods production and sales, and competition in trade and services.
To help people and businesses make use ofchances during the AEC integration, Can Tho, as the centre of the Mekong Delta,need to take measures to develop skilled manpower, boost regional connectivity,fuel key industries and their support sectors, reform the business climate, andfacilitate the operation of small- and medium-sized enterprises.
It is also necessary to form value chains forthe strong products of the city and issue strict regulations to manage the inflowof ASEAN labour into Vietnam and effectively govern free capital flows betweenVietnam and ASEAN, Hiep added.
The seminar was attended by representatives ofthe Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Foreign Ministry, the Steering Committeefor the Southwestern Region, the Ho Chi Minh City WTO Affairs ConsultationCentre, and officials of Can Tho and other Mekong Delta localities.-VNA
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