Deputy PM Ninh to visit Sweden, Britain

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh will make a week-long tour of Sweden
and Great Britain and Northern Ireland from April 9-17

While in Sweden, Ninh will pay a courtesy visit to Parliament Speaker Per Westerberg, and meet with acting Governor of the central bank Kerstin Jochnick, Minister for Financial Markets Peter Norman, Minister for Trade Ewa Helena Björling, and State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Frank Kurt Claude Belfrage.

He will visit Erickson multinational company, Volvo-Bus corporation, and the Vietnamese embassy in Stockholm.

The ties of traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Sweden have developed well in all areas. Two-way trade reached more than US$1 billion in 2013, a year-on-year increase of 24% over 2012 and a twofold increase compared to 2008.

Currently, more than 60 Swedish companies are operating in Vietnam, including big companies such as ABB, Electrolux and IKEA.

Both countries will mark 45 years of diplomatic ties in 2014.

During his trip to Britain, Ninh is scheduled to hold talks with Foreign Secretary William Hague and meet with Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Vince Cable, and Lord Mayor of London Fiona Woolf.

He will attend a Vietnam-UK business forum and meet with representatives of Vietnamese expatriates in the UK.

Vietnam and the UK upgraded their relations to a level of strategic partnership in 2010. Both countries organized various activities in 2013 to mark 40 years of diplomatic ties, especially the UK visit in January 2013 by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

The UK is one of Vietnam’s leading trade partners in the European Union, with two-way trade reaching US$4.2 billion in 2013.

A number of leading UK companies, including Rolls-Royce and Prudential, are operating in Vietnam.

The UK has committed official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam till 2016. It has pledged GBP74 billion in non-refundable aid for Vietnam between 2011 and 2015.