As the gateway to Southeast Asia, Singapore is Switzerland's main economic partner in the region and a global centre for education, research and innovation. Nearly 400 Swiss companies are based there. As one of SECO's priority countries and one of the most dynamic economies in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is also an increasingly important trading partner for Switzerland.
In Singapore, Mr Candinas will meet with Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jessica Tan and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong. Discussions will focus on the development of trade relations between Switzerland and Singapore, cooperation in innovation and education, security tensions in the region and the effects of climate change.
The Swiss delegation will also learn about the city-state's public transport system and visit the campus of the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) and the ETH-Centre in Singapore. Meetings with representatives of the Swiss community and Swiss companies and institutions based in Singapore are also on the agenda.
On the second part of his official visit to Southeast Asia, Mr Candinas will travel to Hanoi in Vietnam. There he will be received by President of the Vietnamese National Assembly Vương Đình Huệ, President of Vietnam Võ Văn Thưởng, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên.
The high-level talks will focus in particular on the importance of advancing negotiations on a progressive and ambitious free trade agreement between Vietnam and the EFTA countries. As part of its 2021-24 economic development cooperation, Switzerland is investing some CHF 70 million in Vietnam. In particular, it is supporting Vietnam's efforts to improve its legislation to ensure that industrialisation is more compatible with sustainable development, that small and medium-sized enterprises are better integrated into value chains, and that banks are better supervised. The Swiss delegation will visit companies taking part in various SECO programmes and meet the heads of Swiss companies in Vietnam. It will also visit Vinfast, one of the flagships of the Vietnamese economy, which produces electric vehicles using Swiss machinery and technology.