The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on July 3 reported that a number of cooperation agreements in the fields of agriculture, fisheries and maritime transport will be signed during the PM’s visit from July 4-6. The BBC quoted the Vietnamese Ambassador to India Vu Quang Diem as saying both countries have great potential for cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology, education and tourism.
The Vietnamese PM is expected to meet and hold talks with Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sign cooperation agreements between the two countries on July 6.
Voice of America (VOA) on July 3 said that India’s “Look East” policy will be further developed following Mr Dung’s visit. It quoted Ambassador Diem as saying the visit is expected to bring the bilateral relationship to a new height by strengthening comprehensive cooperation.
The radio reported that Vietnam-India trade has increased sharply from just US$72 million in 1995 to US$1 billion in 2006. India’s investment in Vietnam reached US$580 million in 2006 and is expected to increase dramatically this year following the Essar and Tata steel groups’ decisions to invest in projects in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and central Ha Tinh province. With the two groups’ investment, India is now one of the top ten foreign investors in Vietnam. Meanwhile, Vietnam is exploring the possibility of investing in India, focusing on the northeastern and West Bengal regions.
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