During a meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in Hanoi on December 17, the senator said that he hopes President elect Barack Obama will soon grant GSP status to Vietnam.

He said that it is necessary to abolish obstacles in bilateral trade cooperation and that Vietnam should allow the importation of 30-month-old beef soon.

The senator said that the Vietnam-US trade agreement and Vietnam’s WTO membership have provided favourable conditions for the two countries to increase trade.

For his part, PM Dung suggested that the US Senator encourage Congress to cease the supervision of Vietnam’s textile and garment products, abolish the discriminatory treatment against Vietnamese Basa catfish and grant GSP status to the country.

He expressed his hope that the US will cooperate with Vietnam in overcoming the consequences of the past war.

The PM said he will make every effort to promote the relationship between Vietnam and the US, especially the ties between the Vietnam National Assembly and US Congress.