Hanoi (VNA) - Deputy Prime MinisterTrinh Dinh Dung and Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Coravan Nieuwenhuizen agreed at their meeting in Hanoi on April 9 to tighten jointwork to design and implement suitable policies and measures to cope withclimate change.

The Vietnamese Government official welcomed hisguest to Vietnam, co-chairing the seventh meeting of the Vietnam-NetherlandsIntergovernmental Committee on Climate Change Adaptation and Water Management.

He noted that the two countries have made climatechange adaptation and water management cooperation a pillar in the bilateralrelations, and have gained significant outcomes in the implementation ofprogrammes and projects in the field.

Deputy PM Dung suggested the two sides continueexchanges and enhance bilateral cooperation in sustainable development fields,especially in seeking solutions to Vietnam’s biggest challenges, such as saltwaterintrusion, landslides, and the effective use and management of water resources.

Sharing Dung’s viewpoints, the Dutch Ministersaid both Vietnam and the Netherlands have to bear the brunt of climate change,particularly challenges in water resources management and climate changeadaptation.

According to Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, the risingsea levels, river and coastal erosion, floods and droughts, and extreme weatherpatterns are some of the major challenges that the two countries are encountering.

In particular, the land subsidence in Vietnam’sMekong Delta, as well as some delta regions in the Netherlands, is threatening theexistence of these areas, she said.

The two sides need to work together more closelyto put forth proper policies and solutions, she suggested.

Deputy PM Dung said Vietnam hopes to furtherenhance multifaceted cooperation with the Netherlands in the time ahead. 

The Netherlands is now the biggest European investorof Vietnam, with 327 projects worth 8.55 billion USD, he said.

The country has become the second biggestEuropean trade partner of Vietnam, after Germany, and the biggest market forVietnamese export products. In 2018, the Netherlands imported 7.8 billion USDworth of Vietnamese goods.

The Deputy PM asked the two countries to createmore favourable conditions for their businesses to forge connectivity, whilecontinuously expanding cooperation in the fields of renewable energy, high-techagriculture, food industry, seaport, logistics services, and smart city.

He suggested that the Netherlands push the EU tosign the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Investment ProtectionAgreement (IPA) as soon as possible.

The two countries’ business communities areawaiting the signing and ratification of the two deals to seize new cooperationopportunities, he said. –VNA