Workers make shoes at Song Than Industrial Park in Binh Duong province’s Di An city. (Photo: VNA)

Addressing the event, Chairman of Binh Duong People’s Committee Vo Van Minh talked about the province's strengths relating to transport, infrastructure, industrial parks and smart city. Notably, Binh Duong is home to 10 world-class industrial parks which have attracted many large corporations.

In the first four months of this year, it has lured 2.3 billion USD, ranking first nationwide. Besides, Binh Duong has also established bilateral cooperation relations with 11 provinces and cities in other countries. It is also an official member of numerous international organisations, including the World Smart Community Forum (ICF), the Asian Economic Cooperation Forum (Horasis) and the World Trade Centre Association (WTCA).

During the workshop, Minh and Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh answered many questions raised by Australian businesses about the priorities and policies of Viet Nam in general and of Binh Duong province in particular, particularly those on support for small and medium enterprises.

Earlier on May 23, the two officials attended the ASEAN-Australia Business Forum in Melbourne, Victoria.

The forum is held in the context that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia continue to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership. ASEAN is currently Australia's second largest trading partner with bilateral turnover reaching 113.7 billion AUD (more than 80 billion USD) in 2019-2020. Investment from both sides hit over 259 billion AUD and 242 billion USD in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Australia has been a top destination for students from ASEAN countries.

Delivering his speech at the event, Ambassador Thanh highly appreciated the country's policy on market diversification, affirming that ASEAN is always ready to support Australian businesses in implementing new initiatives and cooperation activities in the post-pandemic period. He suggested that Australia should increase investment in Southeast Asia, drop visa requirements for ASEAN countries and increase activities to reflect corporate social responsibility as well as humanitarian cooperation with the region.