Singapore Willing to Help Link Vietnam Firms with EU Investors: Official

Singapore would be willing to play the intermediary role between Vietnam and foreign investors, especially those from EU countries, George Huang, president of Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) said. Mr. Huang, who also serves as managing director of Amoy Canning (Singapore) Corp., made the statement at a recent meeting with Vice Chairman of HCM City People’s Committee. At the meeting, the Mr. Huang offered SMF’s manual to Mr. Ha so that SMF’s experiences can be shared to local firms. EU currently runs 1,687 projects in Vietnam with total registered capital of $32 billion. It is also the second largest official development assistance provider to the country, with $12 billion committed over the 1996-2011 period. The signing of a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) in June 2012 laid a firm foundation for the development of the relationship between Vietnam and the EU. Most notably, a free trade agreement (FTA), currently under negotiation, is expected to improve economic relations and increase two-way trade and EU investment in the Southeast Asian nation. (thesaigontimes.vn Oct 17)