Former Deputy Trade Minister Phan The Rue, who led a Vietnamese delegation to the eighth round of the EPA negotiations in Tokyo from August 20-22, talked about his work in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency.

Differences remain in a number of areas, including opening markets for industrial and agricultural products and the origins of garments, Mr Rue said, adding that these problems are most likely to be resolved in the next round of talks scheduled for September in Hanoi.

Mr Rue also said both he and the head of the Japanese delegation, Ambassador for Economic and International Trade Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jun Yokota, hoped that the EPA negotiations will wrap up in time to mark the 35^th  anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties.

The signing of the EPA will create favourable conditions for Vietnam and Japan to boost economic, trade and investment cooperation, making bilateral relations more comprehensive, he said.