PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives WEF Executive Chairman

He expressed his delight at the growing cooperation between Vietnam and the WEF, which has met interests of both sides.

He appreciated the WEF’s close coordination in working with Vietnam to build the theme, content, and agenda of the WEF ASEAN, stressing that this forum’s theme – “ASEAN 4.0: Entrepreneurship and the Fourth Industrial Revolution” – matches global trends, meets to ASEAN countries’ interests, and is associated with the “Resilience and Innovation” ASEAN focus for 2018.

The Government leader asked the WEF to support Vietnam’s ideas and initiatives in terms of promoting ASEAN-WEF cooperation in the time ahead.

He also thanked Schwab for supporting the implementation of the WEF’s cooperation agreement with Vietnam, noting that the country has many advantages and is making efforts to grasp opportunities arising from Industry 4.0.

PM Phuc called on the WEF to actively assist and advise Vietnam on how to improve its readiness to effectively participate in Industry 4.0.

At the meeting, Schwab said he was happy to return to Vietnam and was impressed with the fast development and spectacular changes of the country. He also highly valued its role and stature in ASEAN and the region.

He thanked the Vietnamese Government for supporting and closely working with the WEF to prepare for the upcoming forum, expressing his belief that the event will be successful.

The Executive Chairman spoke highly of the cooperation agreement signed with Vietnam at the WEF in Davos in 2017 and noted that Vietnam is the first country in the region that the WEF has signed a cooperation deal with.

The WEF will continue working with Vietnam to realise this agreement, in which it will help to ready the country and increase its participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, he said.

It will also continue cooperation to popularise and connect Vietnam with the global business community, including the world’s leading enterprises – of whom many are WEF members, Schwab added.