The 18th Annual World Electronics Forum (WEF 18) kicked off in Hanoi
on May 14, drawing the participation of the world’s leading electronics
industries, including the US , India , Japan , the Republic of
Korea , China and Israel .
Addressing the
opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said that
hosting WEF 18 in Vietnam is a chance for the country’s electronics
businesses to update information, strengthen connectivity and expand
cooperation with the world’s leading companies in the industry.
The three-day event will also help Vietnam prepare the best conditions
in infrastructure, supporting policies and high-quality human resource
to attract more investment in developing Vietnam’s electronics and
high-technology sectors, Nhan said.
Since Vietnam
entered the World Trade Organisation in 2007, the country has attracted
a lot of big foreign-invested projects worth tens of billions of USD in
the field with the participation of global names like Samsung, Intel
Corp., and Taiwan (China)’s Foxconn and Compal Electronics.
Over the past years, the electronics sector has enjoyed strong
developments and contributed significantly to Vietnam ’s economy. In
2012, export turnover of electronic components and mobile phones reached
20 billion USD, accounting for the majority of Vietnam ’s export
turnover and much higher than the country’s leading exports like rice,
coffee and garments.
The sector is striving for 40
billion USD in electronics and mobile phone exports by 2017, Nhan added,
affirming that Vietnam hopes to cooperate with other countries to
raise the quality of human resources in electronics and high technology,
and pledges to support those that want to invest in the sector in
Vietnam .
President of the US Consumer Electronics
Association Gary Shapiro spoke of the development of Vietnam’s
electronics industry, and affirmed US businesses’ determination to
establish multinational companies in Vietnam, with the focus on
manufacturing tablets, laptops, LCD televisions and connecting
equipment.
According to President of the Vietnam
Electronic Industries Association Le Ngoc Son, Vietnam ’s electronics
sector is facing big challenges as although the sector’s export
turnover is very high, 90 percent goes to foreign-invested enterprises.
Therefore, Vietnam wants to continue receiving
international support to expand its markets, improve human resources and
competitiveness, and increase cooperation capacity to develop
supporting industries and participate in the global supply chain, said
Son.-VNA