Vietnam’s PM Chinh Calls for Giving Musk’s Starlink a License

(Bloomberg) -- Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urged officials to green-light Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service in the Southeast Asian country.

Chinh, speaking to a group of US business leaders, called on the Ministry of Science and Technology to approve a pilot license for Starlink, according to a post on the government’s website.

SpaceX proposed investing $1.5 billion in Vietnam tied to its Starlink satellite service, the government said in a September website post.

The National Assembly in February approved rules allowing foreign-owned or invested telecommunication businesses to operate low-orbit satellite technology on a pilot basis.

Chinh reiterated that Vietnam is seeking more balanced trade with the US by purchasing American products such as aircraft and liquefied natural gas. He also urged US businesses to continue investing in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s trade surplus with the US widened to $123.5 billion last year. It was the third-highest trade gap that any country has with the US, behind China and Mexico, making the manufacturing powerhouse a potential prime tariff target for US President Donald Trump. 

Chinh said national carrier Vietnam Airlines JSC was processing a deal to buy Boeing Co. narrowbody jets, which he said was valued at $11 billion, without providing more details, according to the post. 

The premier added that he’d asked Boeing to consider lowering prices for the aircraft. A number of other aircraft contracts were being considered, he said. Chinh also mentioned budget carrier VietJet Aviation JSC’s previous order for 200 Boeing aircraft.

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