Daily Times

On behalf of the business and trading community, Hanif Lakhany, VP FPCCI, has expressed his desire to elevate and expand bilateral trade relations of Pakistan and Vietnam; as there is untapped potential in a number of sectors and that can result in exponential growth in trade. He also welcomed the visit of H.E. Nguyen Tien Phong, Ambassador of Vietnam in Pakistan, to the Federation House.

H.E. Nguyen Tien Phong said that business communities of both the countries should not think that being big producers and competitors in rice and textiles, we can not cooperate; in fact, he emphasized, we can beautifully complement each other for a win-win mechanism. He also expressed his profound and enthusiastic desire that Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between Pakistan and Vietnam should be signed through fast-tracking the initiative and should then be implemented effectively to multiply the trade volumes.

H.E. Nguyen Tien Phong added that he will certainly relay the concerns and suggestions on the visa regime back to their ministry’s head office in Vietnam and he also wants to increase the duration of business visas for Pakistani businessmen from six months to one year. He maintained that the bilateral trade volume of $600 million per year is just not sufficient and it can be taken to $5 to 10 billion given the true potential for exponential growth over the upcoming years; for this, he strongly emphasized the visits of businessmen from Pakistan to Vietnam and vice versa.

Hanif Lakhany, VP FPCCI, said that he is pleasantly surprised to see the smart, energetic, committed, and vibrant ambassador of Vietnam in Pakistan. He also emphasized that Vietnam should consider investing in smartphone and computer chips, parts and accessories in Pakistan as Vietnam is one of the most advanced large-scale producers in the sector.

Suleman Chawla, SVP-elect of FPCCI for 2022, said that he will strive for strengthening and enriching the economic and commercial ties between the two countries from the platform of the apex chamber. He added that first, it is Business-Business (B2B) relations that translate into Government-to-Government (G2G) relations later through creating interdependencies and shared prosperities.

Zakaria Usman, former President of FPCCI, mentioned meat and meat products, fruits and vegetables, workforce export, culture and tourism, business visits and exhibitions, investments and joint ventures as the potential areas of bilateral cooperation with Vietnam.

Sultan Rehman, a former VP FPCCI, said that the enthusiasm, sincerity, and open-door policy of Ambassador Phong has inspired and enlightened us all and we will be reaching out to the Vietnamese Embassy in Islamabad and trade office in Karachi to explore new avenues of cooperation. Amjad Rafi, Convener of International Forums at FPCCI, said that Vietnam should open its doors to the Pakistani business and trade community; and, they will create the bridges and linkages on their own with their fellow businessmen in Vietnam and counterpart chambers as well. He also called for an active Pakistan-Vietnam Joint Business Council to provide a platform and act as a working group of the relevant business leaders of the two countries.