Latest news with #FranceVietnamRelations
Japan Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
France and Vietnam set to sign dozens of deals as Macron visits Hanoi
France and Vietnam are set to sign dozens of deals on Monday when French President Emmanuel Macron meets Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi as he seeks to increase France's influence in the former colony, which faces threats of high U.S. tariffs. In his first formal visit to the country, and the first for a French president in nearly a decade, Macron will be accompanied by more than a dozen business executives, said an official with knowledge of the matter, and is expected to oversee the signing of possibly 30 agreements while trying to boost cooperation in multiple sectors, including aviation, nuclear energy, railroads, renewables, research, satellites and defense. Macron's long-planned trip to Vietnam, the first leg of a larger Southeast Asian tour including Indonesia and Singapore, comes on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump's threats on Friday to impose 50% duties on EU goods from June, critically escalating trade tensions with the 27-country bloc. As export-dependent Vietnam is also under pressure from Washington to buy more American goods to avoid 46% duties, European officials before Macron's visit have told the country to be careful in its concessions to the White House, two officials based in Vietnam with knowledge of the discussions said. In talks with the United States, "Vietnam should make sure not to make decisions at the expense of European interests," one of the officials said, noting Vietnamese leaders had been told this could jeopardize close relations with the EU, which has a free trade deal with Vietnam and is a major buyer of its goods. It is not clear whether Macron will emphasize that message on Monday as that may depend on the deals France will strike. There could be progress on a deal between Vietnam's low-cost airline VietJet and European planemaker Airbus, two sources familiar with the discussions said. That would follow a provisional agreement signed last year for the delivery of 20 A330neo wide-body airliners. "We don't comment on discussions we may or may not be having with airlines," an Airbus spokesperson said. Macron's Elysee presidential office had previously confirmed dozens of deals were expected, but did not respond to a request for comment on planes and Macron's messaging about U.S. concessions. Vietnam's foreign ministry and VietJet did not reply to requests for comment. Talks on satellites, including from Airbus, are also at an advanced stage, officials have said. Vietnam, whose economy is heavily dependent on exports to the U.S., has made multiple pledges in trade talks with Washington to avoid tariffs that could undermine its growth model. One frequently flagged offer has been the possible purchase of at least 250 Boeing planes by flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and rival VietJet, which Vietnamese and U.S. officials have said would help reduce the country's huge trade surplus with the U.S. and possibly appease Trump. European officials are worried Airbus may lose out from these possible deals, said three sources with knowledge of the concerns. The planemaker is the main supplier of jets to Vietnam, with its aircraft making up 86% of the planes currently operated by Vietnamese airlines, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company.
CNA
26-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
France, Vietnam set to sign dozens of deals as Macron visits Hanoi
HANOI: France and Vietnam are set to sign dozens of deals on Monday (May 26) when French President Emmanuel Macron meets Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi as he seeks to increase France's influence in the former colony, which faces threats of high United States tariffs. In his first formal visit to the country, and the first for a French president in nearly a decade, Macron will be accompanied by more than a dozen business executives, said an official with knowledge of the matter, and is expected to oversee the signing of possibly 30 agreements while trying to boost cooperation in multiple sectors, including aviation, nuclear energy, railways, renewables, research, satellites and defence. Macron's long-planned trip to Vietnam, the first leg of a larger Southeast Asian tour including Indonesia and Singapore, comes on the heels of US President Donald Trump's threats on Friday to impose 50 per cent duties on European Union goods from June, critically escalating trade tensions with the 27-country bloc. As export-dependent Vietnam is also under pressure from Washington to buy more American goods to avoid 46 per cent duties, European officials told the country before Macron's visit to be careful in its concessions to the White House, two officials based in Vietnam with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. In talks with the US, "Vietnam should make sure not to make decisions at the expense of European interests", one of the officials said, noting Vietnamese leaders had been told this could jeopardise close relations with the EU, which has a free trade deal with Vietnam and is a major buyer of its goods. It is not clear whether Macron will emphasise that message on Monday, as that may depend on the deals France will strike. AIRBUS There could be progress on a deal between Vietnam's low-cost airline VietJet and European planemaker Airbus, two sources familiar with the discussions said. That would follow a provisional agreement signed last year for the delivery of 20 A330neo wide-body airliners. "We don't comment on discussions we may or may not be having with airlines," an Airbus spokesperson said. Macron's Elysee presidential office had previously confirmed dozens of deals were expected, but did not respond to a request for comment on planes and Macron's messaging about US concessions. Vietnam's foreign ministry and VietJet did not reply to requests for comment. Talks on satellites, including from Airbus, are also at an advanced stage, officials have said. Vietnam, whose economy is heavily dependent on exports to the US, has made multiple pledges in trade talks with Washington to avoid tariffs that could undermine its growth model. One frequently flagged offer has been the possible purchase of at least 250 Boeing planes by flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and rival VietJet, which Vietnamese and US officials have said would help reduce the country's huge trade surplus with the US and possibly appease Trump. European officials are worried Airbus may lose out on these possible deals, said three sources with knowledge of the concerns. The planemaker is the main supplier of jets to Vietnam, with its aircraft making up 86 per cent of the planes currently operated by Vietnamese airlines, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company.
Reuters
26-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
France, Vietnam set to sign dozens of deals as Macron visits Hanoi
HANOI, May 26 (Reuters) - France and Vietnam are set to sign dozens of deals on Monday when French President Emmanuel Macron meets Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi as he seeks to increase France's influence in the former colony, which faces threats of high U.S. tariffs. In his first formal visit to the country, and the first for a French president in nearly a decade, Macron will be accompanied by more than a dozen business executives, said an official with knowledge of the matter, and is expected to oversee the signing of possibly 30 agreements while trying to boost cooperation in multiple sectors, including aviation, nuclear energy, railways, renewables, research, satellites and defence. Macron's long-planned trip to Vietnam, the first leg of a larger Southeast Asian tour including Indonesia and Singapore, comes on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump's threats on Friday to impose 50% duties on EU goods from June, critically escalating trade tensions with the 27-country bloc. As export-dependent Vietnam is also under pressure from Washington to buy more American goods to avoid 46% duties, European officials before Macron's visit have told the country to be careful in its concessions to the White House, two officials based in Vietnam with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. In talks with the United States, "Vietnam should make sure not to make decisions at the expense of European interests," one of the officials said, noting Vietnamese leaders had been told this could jeopardise close relations with the EU, which has a free trade deal with Vietnam and is a major buyer of its goods. It is not clear whether Macron will emphasise that message on Monday as that may depend on the deals France will strike. There could be progress on a deal between Vietnam's low-cost airline VietJet ( opens new tab and European planemaker Airbus ( opens new tab, two sources familiar with the discussions said. That would follow a provisional agreement signed last year for the delivery of 20 A330neo wide-body airliners. "We don't comment on discussions we may or may not be having with airlines," an Airbus spokesperson said. Macron's Elysee presidential office had previously confirmed dozens of deals were expected, but did not respond to a request for comment on planes and Macron's messaging about U.S. concessions. Vietnam's foreign ministry and VietJet did not reply to requests for comment. Talks on satellites, including from Airbus, are also at an advanced stage, officials have said. Vietnam, whose economy is heavily dependent on exports to the U.S., has made multiple pledges in trade talks with Washington to avoid tariffs that could undermine its growth model. One frequently flagged offer has been the possible purchase of at least 250 Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab planes by flag carrier Vietnam Airlines ( opens new tab and rival VietJet, which Vietnamese and U.S. officials have said would help reduce the country's huge trade surplus with the U.S. and possibly appease Trump. European officials are worried Airbus ( opens new tab may lose out from these possible deals, said three sources with knowledge of the concerns. The planemaker is the main supplier of jets to Vietnam, with its aircraft making up 86% of the planes currently operated by Vietnamese airlines, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company.
CNA
25-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
France's Macron arrives in Vietnam for Southeast Asia tour
HANOI: French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Vietnam on Sunday (May 25) for the first leg of a Southeast Asia tour, where he will pitch his country as a reliable alternative partner to the United States and China. During his six-day trip, which includes Indonesia and Singapore, Macron will underscore his respect for the sovereignty of Asian countries "caught between the United States and China", a presidential aide said during a pre-tour briefing. The French president is due to meet Vietnam's top leadership on Monday in the capital, Hanoi, and key energy sector players on Tuesday. Macron is hoping to showcase France's expertise in civil nuclear power in Vietnam and Indonesia, which are keen to embrace this form of energy, although other countries,s including Russia, are also in the running for deals. France's willingness "to engage assertively in Indo-Pacific geopolitics offers Vietnam a useful counterweight to China's growing influence", said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. In Indonesia, Macron will hold talks with the secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Kao Kim Hourn, on Wednesday. Macron's aide said the president is "defending the idea of international trade rules, we don't want a jungle where the law of the strongest prevails". The aide added that Macron's message is aimed at both Washington, which is exerting "extremely strong pressure" via US President Donald Trump's tariffs, and Beijing, which is becoming increasingly aggressive on both trade and territorial disputes, notably in the South China Sea. Before his departure, Macron held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping calling for "fair competition" between both countries. And in Singapore on Friday, Macron will give the opening speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's largest forum on security and defence.
