Vietnam’s Communist Party chief and president, To Lam, arrived in Brussels on Wednesday for an official visit to the European Union (EU) and Belgium in another sign of a relationship that continues to grow.

The visit comes just days after Vietnam signed a free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), comprising Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Trade ties between Vietnam and Europe have deepened in recent years. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which took effect in August 2020, substantially expanded Vietnam’s commercial ties with most European states.

Amid global tariff wars, the EU-Vietnam relationship “is a welcome advertisement for keeping markets open,” Khac Giang Nguyen, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, told DW.

“This is a win-win for both sides,” he added. “Vietnam offers Europe an established manufacturing base and another foothold in Asian supply chains.…