At the moment, as a developing country, Vietnam cannot say no to foreign investment. But, the nature of investment is important. If it is predatory, then, profit generated from those investment will not stay in the country. Further, the investment will not raise know-how and indigenous innovation capacity of Vietnam.
China was lucky in its fast development stage because most of the investment came from nearby Confucius Asia and it was genuine investment, leading to qualitative improvement in China's own manufacturing capacity. The government provided incentives for this by building one the world's most developed infrastructure and logistics system. Thus, those who came to China would find it hard to leave China even when they wanted to do so. There was not many better options. And still there is not.
For those (mostly Western) investment that was predatory in nature, China took preemptive measures, forcing them to set up joint ventures and actually bring in tangibles to the country in which they earn good money. This model was for the time when exports were important for China.
Today, things have changed. China's growth is now about 79% driven by domestic consumption. Now, those investment that come into China cannot so easily leave because China is the world's largest consumption economy. That's why China relaxed the joint venture rules in some industries such as automotive. Of course, all the existing JV continue because they are now well-established and embedded.
Vietnam should not have an absolutist policy, rather, a flexible one, as the time demands. Of course, China will increasingly take more stake in Vietnam's development.
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Vietnam welcomes further investment projects from China: premier
Friday, April 26, 2019
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (L) shakes hands with China’s Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping in Beijing on April 25, 2019. Photo: Reuters
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc praised the Vietnam-China relationship and welcomed further investment projects from the East Asian country during his trip to Beijing on Thursday.
PM Phuc joined talks with China’s Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping in Beijing earlier this week as part of his trip to Beijing to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation from April 25 to 27.
During their conversation, the Vietnamese head of government conveyed regards from Party chief and State President Nguyen Phu Trong to the Chinese leader.
Phuc shared his appreciation for the recent development of bilateral ties between both nations, affirming that Vietnam consistently follows the external policy of independence, peace, cooperation, and development, while focusing on promoting a stable, healthy, and sustainable comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China.
Hanoi welcomes and supports China’s Belt and Road initiative as it serves as a means to promote cooperation, mutual respect, and international law, thus contributing to common development and prosperity of all countries involved.
The premier proposed that both countries increase the exchange of high-level visits and bolster exchanges and cooperation at all administrative levels.
He urged the two sides to improve their economic cooperation and praised efforts to open up both markets to better trade balance,
PM Phuc also welcomed China to carry out large projects using advanced and environmentally-friendly technology in Vietnam.
During their talks, the two leaders discussed enhancing collaboration in managing the sustainable use of water resources in the Mekong River, monitoring nuclear safety, and implementing the three documents relating to the Vietnam-China land border.
Replying to his guest, General Secretary Xi shared his belief that PM Phuc’s trip demonstrates the importance that the Vietnamese Party and state attach to its relationship with China, as well as Vietnam’s contribution to the success of the forum.
The Chinese Party and state prioritize the relationship with Vietnam and agree on the enhancement of political trust and promotion of substantive cooperation across all fields, according to Xi.
China supports Vietnam in promoting its role in multilateral mechanisms, particularly Vietnam’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2020, Xi said.
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