Prime Minister Khai visits Toronto
(VNA) - Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and his entourage visited Toronto, Ontario's capital, on June 29, the third and last leg of his official five-day visit to Canada.
Before arriving in Toronto, PM Khai laid a wreath at the Statue of Nguyen Trai, a famous scholar and advisor on strategy and politics under the Le dynasty (the 15the century), in Quebec's central garden.
While in Toronto, PM Khai met with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who said that his state wants to enhance its cooperation with Viet Nam in trade, investment, finance, science, technology and culture.
PM Khai said he was pleased with bilateral cooperation with Canada in general and with Ontario in particular. He noted that there is great potential for the two countries to expand cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.
The Vietnamese leader urged Vietnamese and Canadian localities to strengthen cooperation to utilise their available resources. He praised joint efforts by Ho Chi Minh City and Toronto to establish direct linkage.
He asked the Ontario Premier to encourage and facilitate Ontario businessmen to pour long-term investment into Viet Nam while affirming that the Vietnamese Government will create a favourable business environment for Ontario's investors seeking business opportunities in the country.
In Toronto, PM Khai visited Manulife Financial, Canadia's leading financial services company, which provides services to millions of clients in 19 countries and territories around the world, including Viet Nam.
The Manulife Financial President told PM Khai that Manulife Viet Nam will build its headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City this year. The headquarters, estimated to cost 8 million USD, will be inaugurated in 2006.
Manulife Financial set up Manulife Viet Nam in June 1999. The wholly-foreign owned company, that specialises in life insurance services, has so far serviced more than 300,000 clients in Viet Nam.
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