Head of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Commission for Economic Affairs, Nguyen Van Binh (R) welcomes former US Secretary of State John Kerry in Hanoi on January 10.(Photo: VNA)
Talking with the media on Wednesday morning, John Kerry who is now president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said that the world is now moving towards clean and sustainable energy, away from coal, and he urged Vietnam to follow.
"Vietnam has plans to use too much coal and is buying more coal from China," he said. "And China is not using coal, China is increasingly using solar. So China is dumping its coal in Vietnam. But I know Vietnamese people would like to have their own clean energy."
Answering a reporter about the production prices of renewable energy, Kerry said that today with changing technologies, the production cost of solar and wind energy has been largely reduced by 75 % and 40%, respectively.
"So solar and wind energy are now completely competitive with coal," he said. "And it's twice the price if you look into the negative impact of coal on the environment and people's health."
Stressing the importance of energy, the theme of the Vietnam Economic Forum 2017 held by the Commission for Economic Affairs, John Kerry recommended stronger collaboration between the two countries in the field, including the development of renewable and clean energies.
He said he hoped that Vietnam will have policies to lure investors in the sector.
Head of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Commission for Economic Affairs Nguyen Van Binh said that as Vietnam is intensively and extensively integrating into regional and global economies, the country was keen to welcome investment.
