On the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on September 12 met with GMR Group Chairman Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao and World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, seeking to advance cooperation in aviation infrastructure investment and international trade integration.
During his meeting with the GMR Group chairman, the Prime Minister was briefed on the group’s operations in airport development and management, energy, transportation and urban infrastructure.
Mr. Rao said GMR is interested in exploring opportunities for cooperation and investment in Vietnam, particularly in airport and aviation infrastructure.
Appreciating GMR’s experience in developing, operating and commercially exploiting aviation infrastructure, PM Hung said Vietnam considers aviation infrastructure development a key priority in strengthening international connectivity, promoting trade and tourism, and attracting investment.
Vietnam plans to develop a network of 36 airports by 2030 and continue expanding the network through 2050.
The Prime Minister welcomed GMR’s efforts to strengthen connectivity and explore cooperation opportunities with Vietnamese partners. He called on the group to study the possibility of participating in suitable projects involving airport development and operations, airport cities, commercial exploitation, aviation service ecosystems, digital transformation and airport technology.
He also called on GMR to share its expertise, facilitate technology transfer and contribute to human-resource training in Vietnam.
Vietnam: a multilateral trade success
During his meeting with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, PM Hung affirmed that Vietnam has always participated actively and responsibly in the WTO’s agenda.
He said Vietnam supports the WTO in continuing to play its coordinating role in promoting inclusive and balanced global trade for peace, cooperation and development, while effectively addressing global challenges.
Vietnam expects the WTO to continue advancing its reform process to meet the demands of its mission in the new context, while expanding its agenda to emerging areas such as digital trade, artificial intelligence, the green transition, climate change and supply-chain resilience.
PM Hung also called on the WTO to continue implementing projects and initiatives to help Vietnam strengthen its capacity, provide specialized training in trade policy, offer legal advice on international dispute settlement, and facilitate trade so that Vietnam can effectively leverage international agreements and commitments and enhance its competitiveness.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala congratulated Vietnam on its highly impressive economic achievements, saying that the country’s recent macroeconomic indicators reflect the Government’s strong capacity for macroeconomic management.
After nearly 20 years of WTO membership, Vietnam has become a prominent example of the success of the WTO and the rules-based multilateral trading system, Ms. Okonjo-Iweala said.
She also expressed her hope that Vietnam would share its development and international integration experience with other developing countries.
The WTO Director-General welcomed Vietnam’s ratification of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and its participation in the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), emphasizing that these steps demonstrate Vietnam’s strong commitment and sense of responsibility toward the multilateral trading system.
Discussing Vietnam’s development priorities going forward, Ms. Okonjo-Iweala said the country is on the right track by continuing to diversify its markets, products and supply chains, while moving toward higher levels of the value chain, particularly high-value products related to artificial intelligence, semiconductors and microprocessors.
She med that the organization will continue to accompany and support Vietnam in its international economic integration process, and expressed her hope that Vietnam would support WTO reform efforts and the WTO accession process of other countries.
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