HANOI, Oct. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- French President Jacques Chirac arrived here on Wednesday afternoon to start his official visit toVietnam before attending the fifth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 5) on Oct. 8-9.
During the two-day visit, Chirac will hold talks with Vietnamese State President Tran Duc Luong, meet with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee NongDuc Manh and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.
The French President is expected to discuss with his Vietnamese counterpart a number of issues, including measures to beef up bilateral and multilateral ties, and France's support for Vietnam's entry to the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member in the 2008-2009 term.
The two sides will also sign some 16 documents, mostly involving projects on education and infrastructure. Among the projects, some involve the establishment of a French-language university and an archives system, the construction of a metro route in the capital of Hanoi, the upgrading of urban lighting systems in Ho Chi Minh City.
France is now Vietnam's leading partner in development cooperation and many socioeconomic fields, including trade, investment, health, education and tourism. The two-way trade turnover between the two countries reached 1.56 billion US dollarslast year, and is estimated at 1.68 billion dollars this year.
With annual commitment of 130 million dollars worth of officialdevelopment assistance (ODA), France is the leading ODA provider among European countries to Vietnam. By late last month, it was ranked the 7th among foreign investors in Vietnam with 139 projects totaling over 2.1 billion dollars.
Government officials including French Foreign Trade Minister Francois Loos, and corporate officials of 19 companies operating in the fields of aviation, commerce, and industry were among Chirac's entourage.
The French President paid his first official visit to Vietnam in November 1997. After attending the ASEM 5, he will visit China.Enditem
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