Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh and Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie met and discussed trade and economic co-operation between Viet Nam and Argentina in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.

At the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference, both sides praised their economic, trade and investment cooperation in recent years.

They agreed to seek trade stimulation measures together, while Khanh suggested Argentina create favourable conditions for Vietnamese products to enter the South American market to increase balance trade between the two countries.

They highlighted their co-ordination in preparation for next year trip to Viet Nam of Argentine President Mauricio Macri on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the founding of bilateral diplomatic relations. Both said that the official visit would reinforce the two countries’ comprehensive partnership.

Viet Nam and Argentina established a comprehensive partnership in 2010, with bilateral trade increasing tenfold in the past 10 years from some US$300 million in 2006 to exceed $3 billion in 2016.

According to the General Department of Viet Nam Customs, in the first 10 months of 2017, Viet Nam-Argentina trade hit $2.62 billion, up 8.87 per cent from the same period last year, and was estimated to reach $3.5 billion by the year’s end.

Viet Nam is currently the sixth largest trade partner of Argentina. Viet Nam mainly exports to Argentina footwear, electronic products, garment-textiles goods and agricultural machines, while Argentina is the second largest supplier of food and farm produce in Viet Nam. — VNS