US, Vietnam have potential for stronger cooperation

While receiving Vietnamese State President Truong Tan Sang in Washington DC on July 24, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Trade Representative Michael Froman showed the US Government’s determination, together with other members, to speed up negotiations to soon finalise the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement.

President Sang (R) proposed the US remove trade barriers against Vietnamese exports to the US  while receiving Trade Representative Penny Pritzker in Washington DC

They also applauded the progress of the recent negotiation round between the two countries in Malaysia. 

Meanwhile, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Visack said both the US and Vietnam have considerable potential for agricultural cooperation, and that the US will develop programmes to support Vietnam in capacity building and training in the field.

For his part, Sang confirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to multi-faceted cooperation with the US. 

He agreed on the importance of the TPP agreement for regional economic connectivity and economic development of each country. 

TPP must be a balanced agreement for development goals in regard to the diversity of members’ development levels, he said, stressing that economics, trade and investment have been the centrepiece of bilateral ties. 

He suggested that the US open the door for Vietnamese goods and avoid imposing trade barriers on imports from Vietnam in order to ensure the legitimate interests of Vietnamese businesses and workers as well as the benefits of US consumers. 

The Vietnamese President stated that anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases on Tra and Basa fish and shrimp have negatively affected millions of Vietnamese farmers, both economically and socially, hampering job generation and poverty reduction efforts in rural areas. 

He proposed that the US add Vietnam to the list of developing countries and provide technical assistance for the country to improve its capacity of implementing commitments, focusing on high-quality human resources training. 

He also asked the US to soon recognise Vietnam as a market economy. The two countries should discuss the building of a framework agreement on agricultural cooperation in an early date, he said. 

President Sang (L) and Secretary Kerry toasted the fine development of the Vietnam-US relationship

Addressing a banquet given by US Secretary of State John Kerry, President Sang briefed his host on Vietnam’s policies, focusing on maintaining growth, restructuring the economy, accelerating administrative reform, combating corruption, and improving people’s living conditions, while proactively integrating into the world.

He stressed the role of powerful nations, including the US, in addressing regional and global issues.

The President acknowledged the two countries’ efforts in boosting bilateral cooperation in economics and trade and said the cooperation should expand to other areas such as education, science-technology, and health care.

He proposed Vietnam and the US organise regular human rights dialogues to deepen their understanding of each other’s approach as well as historical and cultural features.

Vietnam is trying its best to improve the citizens’ living conditions, guarantee their rights to freedom of religion and belief and preserving the country’s traditional cultural values, said Sang.

He said Vietnam-US relations are entering a new period of development and he expressed his belief that such a strong relationship will contribute to maintaining peace, stability and development in Asia and the Pacific. 

President Sang arrived in Washington DC on July 24, beginning an official visit to the US at the invitation of President Barack Obama.

Upon his arrival, he met and gave tasks to Vietnamese embassy staff there.