Viet
Nam News spoke to German Ambassador Claus Wunderlich on the occasion of his
country's National Day Monday.
We welcome you as the new Germany ambassador
to Viet Nam. How do you plan to boost bilateral relations between the two
countries during your term here, especially in trade and investment?
German Ambassador Claus Wunderlich
I am looking forward to being the German
ambassador to Viet Nam, one of the most dynamic countries in Southeast Asia.
Our two countries established diplomatic relations more than 35 years ago.
Since then, relations between Germany and Viet Nam have developed exceedingly
well. This is a sound platform on which I can build during my term as
ambassador in order to promote our future business relations.
I am convinced that economic co-operation will
continue to grow strongly. More than any other country, Viet Nam has embarked
on a process of catching up and modernisation over the last 25 years.
Visible success has been achieved in the
economic sphere in particular. In reaching middle-income status, Viet Nam, as
an investment location, has become even more interesting to German companies.
The number of business visits continues to rise and it is my intention to
further encourage German companies to become more active in Viet Nam.
Germany continues to be Viet Nam's top
commercial partner in the EU with two-way trade reaching US$5.8 billion last
year. Apart from traditional fields of co-operation, are there any new sectors
that would be attractive for businesses in Viet Nam and Germany?
Germany is highly export-oriented and German
companies are very active on the world market. They can foster Viet Nam's
development as an industrial country in so many ways with their expertise,
their innovation and top-quality products.
A lot of German companies are among the most
competitive in the world due to their outstanding technological achievements.
Therefore, German companies are highly suitable partners for Vietnamese
entrepreneurs who are looking for the best technology for their companies.
German industry can draw on a wealth of expertise in Viet Nam's fast-growing sectors
of energy and food processing in particular.
Viet Nam's accession to the WTO and its
subsequent reforms have prepared the ground for lasting involvement with
foreign companies. Nevertheless, Vietnamese and foreign companies feel the
negative impact of the macro-economic instabilities, especially when it comes
to the high inflation rate.
The business community expects the Government
to take the right steps to stabilise the economy and to ensure a reliable
business environment. German companies are prepared to invest in Viet Nam if
the conditions are right. A sound legal environment and open borders are
crucial for German investment. At the same time, we welcome the fact that
Vietnamese companies are extending their business operations in Germany.
Health care is one of three major fields of
co-operation between Viet Nam and Germany. What do you think should be done to
help the poor and those living in remote areas get better access to health
care?
Over the last 15 years, the general level of
health in Viet Nam has improved considerably. However, growing urbanisation,
lifestyle changes and demographic shifts in the Vietnamese population have led
to new challenges. Moreover, disadvantaged population groups and members of
ethnic minorities in remote regions have benefited relatively little from the
general positive development in Viet Nam's health sector.
Since 1993, Germany and Viet Nam have worked
successfully on the issues of malaria prevention, rehabilitation and education
of people with disabilities, reproductive health/family planning, combating
HIV/AIDS and supporting hospitals. Since significant improvements have been
made and new challenges are emerging, current and future working areas should
focus on strengthening provincial health systems, as well as using the feedback
from the experiences gained at the provincial level in formulating national
policy.
Germany is among those European countries that
have been affected by the so-called euro zone crisis. How do you think the
crisis will impact on Germany's investment plan in Viet Nam, and its official
development assistance policy for Viet Nam?
What we see in Europe at the moment are the
necessary readjustments of fiscal policies and the inevitable results of
temporary slower growth of the world economy–you can find such effects in Asia
as well. I do not think that this crisis will have a direct impact on German
official development assistance (ODA) to Viet Nam.
Our co-operation is based on a long-term
partnership approach. We remain committed to support Viet Nam on its way to
further economic development, even after it reached middle-income country
status. The last government negotiations in October 2010 clearly demonstrated
this. Germany committed a record amount of 300 million euros–more than US$430
million at the time–to fund Vietnamese-German development co-operation
programmes. We expect to be able to commit further significant amounts of
funding in negotiations in December 2011.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced in
May this year that Germany would shut down its nuclear power plants by the end
of 2022 following the nuclear crisis in Japan. Siemens AG, Europe's largest
engineering company, has decided to stop building nuclear power plants.
Meanwhile, the Vietnamese Government has determined to build its first nuclear
power plant. What do you think about this?
Germany has taken the fundamental decision to
meet its future energy needs from renewable sources. In the aftermath of the
Fukushima disaster we must reconsider the role of nuclear energy. The long-term
consequences of this catastrophe cannot yet be fully foreseen, but they compel
us to reassess the residual risks of nuclear energy.
The German government adopted an energy
concept which paves the way for the age of renewable energies. We plan to
gradually phase out nuclear power for the generation of commercial electricity
in Germany and to be completely nuclear energy free no later than by the end of
2022. It goes without saying that each country has to weigh the advantages and
disadvantages of nuclear energy for itself.
For Germany, the thorough restructuring of our
energy supply represents above all an opportunity for the generations to come.
I am convinced that Germany can accomplish the transition towards a highly
efficient, renewable energy system. It would be the world's first major
industrialised nation to do this.
Many Vietnamese people want to pursue
education in Germany. How does the German government support foreign students?
The quality of German higher education is well
known and German universities which do not charge tuition fees welcome students
of all nationalities. We are proud that Germany is an attractive academic
location for Vietnamese students. There are currently about 4,100 Vietnamese
students enrolled in German universities, and it is our wish to further expand
this figure.
A proficiency in the German language is
extremely helpful for successful studies. We are, therefore, co-operating with
the Vietnamese Government to further improve German language schooling in Viet
Nam. Scientific co-operation between our countries has a long tradition.
More than 7,000 Vietnamese students have
graduated in the former GDR. Since 1989, the German Academic Exchange Service
(DAAD) has continued and expanded the academic and scientific co-operation.
DAAD and the Ministry of Education and Training are offering scholarships to
highly qualified and motivated students each year.
Many of them achieve excellent grades. I
consider it very positive that since the year 2000 more than 500 Vietnamese
students have been awarded scholarships for advanced studies in Germany.
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