German Chancellor Angela Merkel
will next week set off on a four-day trip to Vietnam and Mongolia in a bid to
step up ties between Europe's top economy and the two fast-growing Asian
countries.
Merkel will push for the conclusion of a free-trade accord
between the EU and Vietnam and an agreement on precious "rare earth"
raw materials with Mongolia, a German government source said on Friday.
She will be accompanied by business leaders who are eying up
opportunities in the two Asian economies. Vietnam "has a very dynamic
growth rate, which is of great interest to German firms," said the source.
Germany "is a very strong supporter" of a free-trade
deal between Vietnam and the EU, the source said, noting also that the state
there still plays a major role in the economy and that inflation is high.
Nevertheless, Merkel would also not shy away from tackling
what the source described as a "deficit" in Vietnam's human rights
record.
The European Union has frequently chided Vietnam for its
record of upholding freedom of expression and in August called for the release
of a French-Vietnamese blogger, who is an EU citizen.
Germany and Vietnam have long enjoyed close relations,
stemming from the days before the fall of the Berlin Wall, when young
Vietnamese came to study or work in the former communist east.
"Germany's interest in Vietnam is much greater than in
the other countries in the region," the source said.
After her trip to Vietnam, Merkel will travel to Mongolia,
the first German leader to do so.
German firms have said they are keen to conclude agreements
on rare earths in Mongolia.
Rare earth elements are a collection of 17 substances that
are not in fact rare but which are rarely found in quantities that make mining
economically advantageous.
They are nonetheless critical for the manufacturing of items
like iPods, low-emission cars, wind turbines and missiles.
Source : AFP
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