PM Dung, US President meet on the fringe of ASEAN-US Summit

On February 16, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and US President Barack Obama held talks on major cooperative areas between the two countries as well as international and regional issues of mutual concern on the sidelines of the ASEAN-US Summit at Sunnylands in California.

Vietnam is deeply concerned about the increasingly complicated development of the East Sea situation which threatens peace, security, and maritime and aviation safety and freedom in the sea, Dung told his host.

He blamed the situation on the large-scale unilateral land reclamation of illegally-occupied islands and the large-scale construction of man-made islands from submerged features that have changed the status quo in the East Sea, as well as the militarisation reinforcement under various forms.

PM Dung called on the US to raise a strong voice and take more pragmatic and effective actions to ask for an end to such deeds, especially the large-scale construction of man-made islands and militarisation in the East Sea, respect for and the serious realisation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the East Sea, and the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct.

President Obama said the US is concerned about the East Sea issue and strongly supports diplomatic efforts and legal processes to handle the territorial disputes in the sea on the basis of respect for international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the DOC.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung used the occasion to call on parties engaging in the recently- signed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement to rapidly finalize their ratification.

He proposed the US recognise Vietnam as a market economy as soon as possible and extend the transitional period for Vietnamese tra and basa fish exports from 18 months to three to four years, so that Vietnam can revamp its management measures to meet relevant rules stipulated in the US’s Farm Bill 2014.

The Vietnamese leader also called for the US’s technical support in managing food safety and hygiene of Vietnamese tra and basa fish exported to the US.

He explained that Vietnam’s tra and basa fish exports to the US will encounter huge difficulties if there are no suitable solutions put in place, resulting in strongly reduced export revenues which will affect the daily life and employment of tens of millions of poor Vietnamese labourers.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung also suggested President Obama continue to help Vietnam overcome war aftermath, especially dioxin decontamination and war-era bomb and mine clearance.

He called on the US to totally lift its ban on the sale of lethal arms to Vietnam, considering this an important measure to enhance the political trust between the two countries.

Dung also asked the US to provide more aid to Vietnam in law enforcement at sea and technical support for the Vietnamese marine police.

President Obama agreed with PM Nguyen Tan Dung’s proposal while affirming that US agencies will work together Vietnam on solutions to the above-mentioned issues, in order to reinforce mutual trust and deepen understanding and comprehensive cooperative partnership in the future.

US President Barack Obama also said he is due to pay an official visit to Vietnam in May.

The visit is designed to explore the land, people and culture of Vietnam while seeking specific cooperation measures in order to maintain the active pace of the US-Vietnam comprehensive cooperative partnership, he said.

PM Dung expressed his hope that the visit will open up a new period of cooperation between the two nations for peace and for the development of the comprehensive cooperative partnership to lift bilateral ties to a higher level.