South African deputy president visits Vietnam to boost ties

Record ID: 85024

  • Title: South African deputy president visits Vietnam to boost ties
  • Date: 3rd October 2016
  • Summary: HANOI, VIETNAM (OCTOBER 3, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE MOTORCADE ARRIVING DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA CYRIL RAMAPHOSA WALKING OUT OF THE CAR, SHAKING HANDS WITH VIETNAMESE VICE PRESIDENT DANG THI NGOC THINH SOUTH AFRICA AND VIETNAM NATIONAL FLAGS THINH GREETING SOUTH AFRICAN DELEGATION RAMAPHOSA WALKING UP THE STAIRS STATUE OF FORMER LEADER OF VIETNAM HO CHI MINH RAMAPHOSA AND THINH SHAKING HANDS TWO DELEGATIONS SITTING DOWN AT THE METING TABLE SOUTH AFRICA DELEGATION VIETNAMESE DELEGATION THINH SPEAKING RAMAPHOSA LISTENING MEETING ROOM VARIOUS OF RAMAPHOSA SPEAKING THINH LISTENING MORE OF RAMAPHOSA SPEAKING MEETING IN PROGRESS RAMAPHOSA WALKING IN TO NEWS BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (English), DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA, CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, SAYING: "Our relationship with Vietnam is getting deeper and deeper and expansive as we move on, and at the trade level. It is a commitment that we will broaden and diversify trade between the two countries, and that to us is pleasing." NEWS BRIEFING IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English), DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA, CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, SAYING: "We exchanged views in our meeting, that it would be wonderful if South Africa and Vietnam could deepen their own cooperation on defence matters. We have technology transfer that we can extend to Vietnam, and we agreed that we would look at that and consider what South Africa can offer to Vietnam." SOUTH AFRICAN OFFICIAL AT NEWS BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (English), DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA, CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, SAYING: "We reconfirmed our commitment to conserving wildlife. Both of our countries participated in the recent CITES conference. And this re-commitment was important for us. Vietnam, as expressed by the vice president, is very much alive to concerns that we have in South Africa in relation to the continued conservation of our wildlife, particularly the rhino." RAMAPHOSA LEAVING PODIUM, SHAKING HAND WITH THINH
  • Embargoed: 18th October 2016 13:12
  • Keywords: Ramaphosa Hanoi trade South Africa
  • Location: HANOI, VIETNAM
  • City: HANOI, VIETNAM
  • Country: Vietnam
  • Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA00152GBA6F
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa began a two-day visit to Vietnam on Monday (October 3), welcomed by his Vietnamese counterpart Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh to Hanoi.
    Ramaphosa's visit aims to strengthen bilateral political, economic and trade relations between South Africa and Vietnam.
    The working visit will focus on new and possible areas of trade and investment to improve trade imbalances between South Africa and Vietnam. South Africa imported 16.3 billion (South African Rand) of goods from Vietnam, while exporting only R2.3 billion in 2015.
    Vietnam is the fourth largest trading partner of South Africa in the Asia region.
    Ramaphosa said Vietnam offered great trading opportunities for South African companies particularly in the transport and mining sectors, roads and infrastructure, and including the defence industry. South Africa will also seek to diversify its exports to Vietnam by identifying new areas for market access of South African products.
    The two countries will also intensify cooperation in wildlife conservation, as Vietnam is one of the largest consumer market of rhino horn illegally poached and trafficked from South Africa.
    "Both of our countries participated in the recent CITES conference. And this re-commitment is important to us. Vietnam, as expressed by the vice president, is very much alive to concerns that we have in South Africa in relation to the continuous conservation of our wildlife, particularly the rhinos," Ramaphosa told a news briefing after meeting Thinh.
    Ramaphosa is scheduled to visit a shipyard in Haiphong, a coastal city some 100 kilometres north of Hanoi, on Tuesday (October 4).
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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