At a reception on November 16 for visiting Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern, Mai expressed his belief that her visit will make important contributions to promoting the strategic partnership between the two countries.
According to the official, two-way trade between the two nations currently nears 1.3 billion USD, some 30% of which is contributed by Ho Chi Minh City, but growth potential remains. Therefore, he urged reviewing work to make the most of their strengths.
Mai proposed that trade promotion activities between the two countries’ enterprises and between Ho Chi Minh City and New Zealand localities should be conducted via the New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam.
With New Zealand localities and businesses, Ho Chi Minh City will step up cooperation in tourism, education, climate change credit, emission reductions in agriculture, high-yield and quality plant varieties; share experience in digital transformation in administrative agencies, accelerate digital transformation in business households, small and medium-sized enterprises, green growth and innovative start-ups, Mai said.
Ardern, for her part, believed that with its important role, Ho Chi Minh City will help drive two-way trade to 2 billion USD in the coming years.
The PM said New Zealand enterprises are interested in learning about the city’s trade and sustainable socio-economic development policies.
Both sides should hold dialogues on inclusive economic development, trade promotion and artificial intelligence development, thereby bringing the highest economic value to their businesses, she said.
