Vietnamese Pham Minh Chinh visited Apple and other Silicon Valley tech giants on Tuesday, a trip that included a meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook.
During his meeting with the Apple chief executive at Apple Park, PM Chinh underscored cooperations in trade, investment, and finance as the driver of a comprehensive partnership between the U.S. and Vietnam, according to Saigon Online.
PM Chinh added that Vietnamese consumers love Apple products — an interest that will only continue as the global technological economy grows.
The Vietnamese prime minister also expressed his happiness with the fact that the country is becoming more involved with the global supply chain, including Apple products. Apple currently produces several devices in Vietnam, including AirPods and iPad.
Currently, there are 31 companies employing more than 160,000 workers in Apple's supply chain operating in the country.
PM Chinh said he hoped Apple would step up its business activities in Vietnam and that the country could become a "model market" in Asia. Cook, for his part, thanked the prime minister for the favorable business environment in Vietnam.
Cook added that Apple wants to extend its supply chains in Vietnam and further involve domestic companies. He committed to considering an increase in the number of domestic suppliers and the rate of domestic products used in Apple production lines.
Additionally, Cook said he hoped that the Vietnamese government would introduce "even more favorable policies" to attract U.S. high-tech investment, Saigon Online reported.
The Vietnamese prime minister also visited a number of other U.S. technology companies during his trip, including Intel and Google.
