Global News Wire - Asia Africa Intelligence Wire
Copyright 2003 Vietnam News Briefs
Vietnam News Briefs

September 9, 2003

LENGTH: 226 words

HEADLINE: INFRASTRUCTURE: INDIA CONSIDERS BUILDING RAILWAY LINK WITH
VIETNAMESE CAPITAL

BODY:

India is considering a project to build a rail route connecting New Delhi
with the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, Indian Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said at a three-day ASEAN-India business
conference closed on September 6.

This is part of India's initiative to open a number of land roads and
rail routes leading to ASEAN member countries with the
aim of increasing bilateral trade to $ 15 billion in the next two years
and $ 30 billion in 2007 from $ 10 billion currently.
Construction of a road linking India with Thailand and Myanmar has begun,
the prime minister said.

Mr Vajpayee also said he was seeking further cooperation with ASEAN
countries in other fields such as tourism and
information and technology.

Vietnamese head delegate and Deputy Trade Minister Le Danh Vinh took the
opportunity to speak about Vietnam's
economic potential and renewal policy to encourage Indian businesses to
invest more into the country.

Last year, India earned $ 230 million from export to Vietnam and spent
some $ 20 million on imports. Around 70 India
firms have opened an office in Vietnam, with most of them working in the
field of trade. They mostly market machinery
equipment, chemicals, agricultural machinery.

Vietnam and India target to achieve bilateral trade of $ 500 million per
annum from 2005.

(HCM City Youth Sep 9 p16)

JOURNAL-CODE: VNB
Vietnam News List - vnnews-l
http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~vern/vnnews-list.html
List owner: Stephen R Denney <sdenney@ocf.berkeley.edu>

To subscribe/unsubscribe send message to <majordomo@coombs.anu.edu.au>
with the body reading:

unsubscribe vnnews-l <your email address>
or
subscribe vnnews-l <your email address>

*** Other valuable elists: http://www.undp.org.vn/forums1/other.htm