More German rubber firms wish to expand business cooperation in Vietnam
Berlin (VNA) – A series of exchanges and events to boost linkages and collaboration between
Vietnamese and German rubber producers have been held in Germany from April 20-27.
At an trade promotion event on April 21, which saw representatives
from the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany, the Vietnam Trade Office, and many German rubber businesses, Ambassador Vu Quang Minh
highlighted the fruitful relations between the two countries in all fields,
especially after more than 10 years of successful Vietnam-
Germany strategic partnership.
Currently, Germany is Vietnam's largest trading
partner in the European Union (EU), while Vietnam is Germany's largest trading
partner in Southeast Asia.
He appreciated the dynamism of Vietnamese
enterprises and affirmed the increasingly strong competitiveness of Vietnamese
goods, especially after the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) became effective in 2020.
Phan Tran Hong Van, Deputy General Secretary of the
Vietnam Rubber Association, said that Vietnam's rubber plantation area is
currently 929, 500 hectares, accounting for 7.2% of the world’s total rubber
area. Vietnam is currently the third largest rubber exporter in the world, making up 17.4% of the total global rubber trade.
Rubber is a very important industry of
Germany, providing products for the automotive, mechanical, and construction
industries, she said, noting Germany's high demand for importing natural rubber and rubber products.
According to statistics of the International Trade
Center, in 2021, Vietnam was the fourth largest supplier of natural rubber to
Germany, with 40,580 tonnes, worth 84.25 million USD.
At the event, Vietnamese and German businesses discussed
measures to boost collaboration in the future.
Tobias Boysen, Sales Director of Weber & Schaer
GmbH & Co.KG - a major German distributor of natural
rubber and rubber products, appreciated the quality of Vietnam's rubber products. He said his group will increase imports of natural rubber, latex
rubber and other products from the Southeast Asian country.
Martin Sülzle, head of the Import Department of Blickle
Räder & Rollen Group - a distributor of wheels of all kinds, with
branches in 120 countries around the world, said that his company has demand for importing rubber products from Vietnam and plans to cooperate
with Vietnam in this field.
The Vietnamese delegation also visited a tire factory of Germany's Continental AG - the world’s fourth largest tire
manufacturer as well as the headquarters of Weber & Schaer and
Corrie Maccoll to learn more about product needs and market trends for
Vietnam's rubber export./.