Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham MinhChinh and his Cambodian counterpart Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet onDecember 12 attended the Vietnam-Cambodia investment and trade promotion forumwithin the framework of the latter’s official visit to Vietnam.

Addressing the forum, Chinh stressed that ampleroom remains for Vietnam and Cambodia to boost their economic and trade ties,and called on businesses to continue their investment, contributing to consolidatingand enhancing the traditional friendship between the two countries.

He noted that Vietnam has signed 16 free tradeagreements with more than 60 countries and territories, and the country aims toattract quality investments and to promote digital economy, green economy, circulareconomy, and knowledge-based economy.

The leader suggested businesses and the Governmentsof the two countries strengthen connectivity and complementarity between thetwo economies, focusing on institutions, finance, transport infrastructure, electricity,telecommunications, and tourism.

He also asked investors and enterprises to speedup the implementation of projects, seriously observe the laws of the twocountries, and raise their social responsibility.

Vietnam always creates optimal conditions for themto cooperate and operate, and will work together with them to further perfect institutionsand policies, Chinh pledged.

In his remarks, Hun Manet expressed his belief thatfollowing the visit, the bilateral relations will grow stronger, includingcooperation in investment and services, and trade.

He emphasised that Vietnam's registered investmentcapital to Cambodia has reached over 2.91 billion USD, saying many Vietnameseprojects are operating fruitfully, contributing to local socio-economicdevelopment.

Vietnam is the second biggest source of tourists toCambodia, while more than 320,000 Cambodians have come to Vietnam, hesaid, adding that the Siem Reap International Airport has been inaugurated with cooperationof airlines, including Vietnam’s Vietjet Air that has launched the Hanoi - SiemReap direct air route. Therefore, the number of tourists is forecast toincrease sharply in the coming time.

He shared Chinh’s view that the two countries havehuge potential to boost their economic ties as both join such cooperation mechanismsas the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and many of their economicareas are reciprocal.

Hun Manet affirmed that the Cambodian Governmentwill make efforts to create more favourable conditions for foreign investors,including those from Vietnam, and called for more Vietnamese investments toCambodia in the spheres in high-tech agriculture, food processing, digitaltechnology, finance and car manufacturing.

Vietnamese Minister of Planning and InvestmentNguyen Chi Dung reported that Vietnam is among the top five investors inCambodia with 205 valid projects worth 2.95 billion USD, covering agriculture,energy, telecommunications, finance and banking, industrial production andprocessing, health care, trade and services.

The official affirmed that Vietnam will continue tocoordinate with Cambodia to promote investments in sectors consistent withCambodia's priorities such as manufacturing and processing, renewable energy, high-techagriculture, agricultural and aquatic product processing, special economic zonedevelopment, and tourism, especially economic cooperation in the border areasof the two countries.

The minister proposed the two countries maintain,consolidate and enhance collaboration in agriculture, forestry, telecommunicationsand banking, while stepping up cooperation in others like the production andprocessing of clean agricultural and forestry products, and expanding high-qualityservices such as tourism, health care, education, infrastructure, construction,real estate, and others that bring high added values.

At the forum, the two PMs witnessed the handover ofinvestment licences and cooperation documents, covering aviation, banking, andtrade./.