2023-05-04 19:18:52
With his caustic nature, Xavier Bettel makes his first official visit to Vietnam and makes his counterpart smile, who appreciates the outspokenness of the Luxembourger.
The press is kept on a leash in this beautiful country of Vietnam. During an official visit, Xavier Bettel did not fail to raise the subject with his counterpart who did not seem to see the problem. Press conferences are statements that do not call for questions and everyone applauds when the speech is over. Impossible to ask questions to Pham Minh Chinh, especially when he asks Luxembourgers to take care of the Vietnamese community in Luxembourg. Does he think he knows they have problems?
Xavier Bettel does not see what his counterpart wanted to convey as a message either, but he does not see where the 600 Vietnamese mentioned by Pham Minh Chinh are. “To our knowledge, there are 300 Vietnamese registered, but as many who already have Luxembourg nationality,” replies Xavier Bettel.
The fate of the Vietnamese nationals did not occupy the entire interview of the two delegations, far from it. About ten points were discussed during the interview yesterday morning, including the first which underlines the importance of encouraging Luxembourg companies to invest in Vietnam. “The country has never been so prosperous,” said the Vietnamese Prime Minister. The thirty companies that will be present this morning in Ho Chi Minh will be there to take the pulse of the economy and “develop partnership projects”, as Xavier Bettel points out.
“I am not a socialist”, he admits facing the Vietnamese Prime Minister, “but I know that my country devotes 1% of its GDP to development aid”, he continues. Vietnam is no longer a target country for cooperation, it has moved into the category of middle-income countries. Now is the time for partnership.
In the meantime, the Vietnamese authorities are very concerned about the yellow card that the Commission has sent them concerning fishing. The free trade agreement concluded between the EU and Vietnam does not give satisfaction with regard to the working conditions of fishermen noted during the monitoring carried out by the Commission. “I am not competent in the matter”, answers Xavier Bettel who undertakes to support Vietnam if the conditions are met for the workers. “Otherwise they risk a red card,” he warns.
To move on to less annoying subjects, green finance is discussed and the presence in Vietnam for this official visit of Nicolas Mackel, director of Luxembourg for Finance, testifies to the importance of the subject and a “very general” agreement, according to Xavier Bettel was signed. Vietnam has asked for broader cooperation in this area and Luxembourg is committing to donate 5 million euros to support a project in the direction of greener cities, alongside the European Investment Bank and the Bank world.
The Vietnamese Prime Minister is amazed by the success of Luxembourg, “which went from agriculture to industry before developing the financial center and ensuring that it is today a country whose per capita income is the highest in the world”.
The IMF predicts that during the period 2022-2040, the Vietnamese economy will experience an annual growth rate of 5.5% against 4.2% in Asia-Pacific and 3.1% in the world. Agriculture represents less than 20% of the GDP, but employs more than 45% of the active population. A project to make agriculture more resilient is part of Luxembourg’s intentions towards Vietnam via the Lux Development agency.
Green light for Cargolux
The point that bothers the Luxembourg delegation concerns Cargolux. The cargo carrier was not allowed to land in Ho Chi Minh, due to the length of the wings of its 747-8F. “The Prime Minister didn’t tell you, but he personally traveled three times to Ho Chi Minh to defend Cargolux’s case with the local authorities and he won his case”, specifies Xavier Bettel who thanks his counterpart for the efforts made to find a solution to this problem.
On Xavier Bettel’s side, it is above all sustainable development and climate protection that concerns him. “Nature has given us the most beautiful things, it is up to us to preserve it,” says Xavier Bettel in the introduction to his statement to his Vietnamese counterpart. The factory of the car manufacturer VinFast, which spreads over nearly 400 hectares, amazes the gallery with its 800 cars assembled every day by its 1,200 robots, nevertheless “it was the sea here” , as a Vietnamese official reminds us. To find the space necessary for its rapid development, to satisfy its industrialization ambitions, the country must nibble on the sea and more precisely its mangroves which are disappearing to become industrial zones.
Another subject discussed was that of visas. Luxembourg is still one of the countries whose nationals need a visa to travel to Vietnam, unlike the French and Germans who can do without it. Xavier Bettel received guarantees from his counterpart who assured him that the file was being studied in Parliament.
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