Vietnam, Uzbekistan propose establishment of Joint Trade Working Group

On December 24, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang and Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan Ilzat Kasimov co-chaired the 8th Meeting of the Vietnam-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Committee on Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.

The Vietnamese sub-committee included leaders and representatives from the Government Office and ministries of Industry and Trade; Foreign Affairs; Finance; Culture, Sports and Tourism; Education and Training; Construction; Agriculture and Environment; Vietnam Railways Corporation, along with Vietnamese enterprises having cooperation ties with Uzbekistan.

The Uzbek sub-committee comprised the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, the Deputy Minister of Transport, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Uzbekistan to Indonesia concurrently accredited to Vietnam, representatives from the Bukhara provincial government, the Uzbekistan Tourism Committee, the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Communal Services, the Embassy of Uzbekistan, and Uzavtosanoat Joint Stock Company.

Addressing the meeting, Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang welcomed Deputy Minister Ilzat Kasimov and the Uzbek delegation to Vietnam for the 8th session of the Intergovernmental Committee. She emphasized that the meeting was held at a particularly meaningful time, following the official visit of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to Uzbekistan in April 2025, reflecting the strong determination of both sides to further deepen the traditional friendship and bring bilateral cooperation into a more substantive and effective phase.

For his part, Deputy Minister Ilzat Kasimov expressed appreciation for the warm and thoughtful reception from the Vietnamese side, affirming that Uzbekistan regards Vietnam as a priority partner in the region. He stressed the importance of strengthening coordination among ministries and agencies of both countries under the Intergovernmental Committee mechanism to better support enterprises in tapping into each other’s potential and advantages.

Notably, the Uzbek side committed to creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to invest and operate in Uzbekistan, while proposing the establishment of a Joint Trade Working Group under the Intergovernmental Committee to further promote bilateral trade growth.

Agriculture, logistics seen as promising areas of cooperation

At the meeting, both sides reviewed the current state of cooperation, assessing achievements as well as opportunities and challenges in key areas. Delegates agreed that Vietnam and Uzbekistan still hold significant potential for cooperation in agriculture, agro-processing, light industry, automotive manufacturing, transport, logistics, construction, tourism and culture.

The two economies were seen as complementary, providing favorable conditions for enterprises to collaborate in building integrated supply chains from production and processing to export, better serving international markets.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang and Deputy Minister Ilzat Kasimov signed the Minutes of the 8th Meeting of the Vietnam-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Committee. Both sides reaffirmed that through this mechanism, bilateral cooperation would continue to be deepened across all fields, particularly in economic, trade, scientific and technical cooperation.

They also agreed that relevant agencies and enterprises of both countries would maintain close coordination to translate the agreed outcomes into concrete cooperation projects, with active support from the two focal agencies of the Intergovernmental Committee - the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan.

According to Vietnam Customs statistics, bilateral trade reached USD 202.0 million in 2024, the highest level recorded to date, up 26.5% year-on-year. Vietnam’s exports amounted to USD 128.61 million, surging 75.0%, while imports stood at USD 73.38 million, down 14.9%. Uzbekistan is currently Viet Nam’s second-largest trading partner in Central Asia, while Vietnam is Uzbekistan’s largest trading partner within ASEAN.

Vietnam’s key exports to Uzbekistan include mobile phones and components, computers, electronic products and parts, machinery and equipment, rubber products, cashew nuts, and automobile components for nine-seat vehicles. Major imports from Uzbekistan comprise fertilizers, textile and garment materials, leather and footwear inputs, and cotton.