PM Pham Minh Chinh begins official visit to Europe

By Hoang Thuy, Huyen Le December 9, 2022 | 01:18 am PT

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (2nd, R) at the Findel airport in Luxembourg, December 9, 2022. Photo by Nhat Bac

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reached Luxembourg Friday to begin his official Europe tour that includes visits to the Netherlands and Belgium, and an ASEAN-EU summit.

Chinh began the one-week trip, from December 9 to 15, per the invitations from President of the European Council Charles Michel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, and Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo.

He will attend a summit to commemorate 45 years of the ASEAN-EU relations in Brussels on December 14.

Vietnam established diplomatic relations with the three aforementioned countries in 1973.

Belgium is a strategic partner for Vietnam regarding agriculture, and is the sixth largest export market for Vietnam in Europe. Bilateral trade turnover between the two countries reached $4.3 billion in 2021, a 54% increase from 2020.

Right after establishing diplomatic relations, the Netherlands began aiding Vietnam with non-refundable ODAs, mostly in humanitarian, education and healthcare fields. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached $8.37 billion in 2021, a 10% increase from 2020.

Vietnam and Luxembourg's economic, trade and education cooperation have been continually developing over the last 50 years. Luxembourg is the third-largest investor in the EU for Vietnam, with a total investment capital of $2.6 billion.