Ambassador Mai Phan Dung, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, the WTO and other international organisations in Geneva, reaffirmed this at a meeting with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director-General, on April 10.

The meeting reviewed outcomes of the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), discussed the organisation’s work ahead, and reiterated Vietnam’s support for the multilateral trading system.

At the meeting, Ambassador Mai Phan Dung expressed appreciation for the Director-General’s tireless efforts, coordination role and leadership throughout the preparation and conduct of MC14.

He noted that while outcomes at MC14 remained limited, the conference still showed encouraging and positive signs. Members, he said, demonstrated clear support for the WTO Director-General’s leadership as well as for the multilateral trading system itself.

He also pointed to the active, substantive and sustained participation of members throughout the negotiations, which showed  strong interest from the international community in the WTO’s future.

The head of Vietnam’s mission in Geneva also welcomed the conference’s concrete outcomes in areas such as support for small economies, fisheries and several other elements of the negotiating package, describing these as a solid basis for further work.

Reaffirming Vietnam’s consistent position, the ambassador said the country is always an active and responsible WTO member, participating fully in activities, discussion sessions and side events, while regularly delivering statements and contributing to major negotiating dossiers.

Vietnam firmly supports the WTO’s core principles, including consensus-based decision-making, the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) principle, special and differential treatment for developing countries, and a level playing field among members.

He stressed that, for Vietnam, the WTO continues to play a central role in shaping stable, predictable and fair trade rules, thereby helping safeguard the legitimate interests of members, especially developing economies.

On the occasion, Ambassador Mai Phan Dung also briefed the WTO Director-General on Vietnam’s recent moves in international economic integration, including its participation in several key WTO initiatives and processes.

As further evidence of its continued deep integration, he informed the WTO chief that Vietnam has decided to formally join the Expanded Information Technology Agreement (ITA2).

Welcoming the move, the WTO Director-General described it as “truly excellent” and said the commitment would create more room for Vietnam to attract high-quality investment and advance its digital industry.

At the meeting, the Vietnamese diplomat  also informed the WTO Director-General that Vietnam’s National Assembly had recently completed its leadership elections, appointing the State President, Prime Minister and National Assembly Chairman for the coming term.

On priorities after MC14, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the immediate focus is to sustain the “Yaoundé spirit”,  referring to the determination and efforts of WTO members,  and to complete outstanding elements of the negotiating package rather than launch new issues. She said unfinished work should continue to be accelerated in Geneva, with the aim of achieving substantive progress at upcoming General Council meetings.

The WTO chief also welcomed Vietnam’s increasingly proactive and open approach, while acknowledging and hailing the country’s practical contributions at the WTO.

She further highlighted the importance of extending the moratorium on e-commerce tariffs, dealing with “non-violation and situation complaints” under the TRIPS Agreement, and maintaining negotiating momentum among key members.

She said members should not be swayed by pessimistic media assessments but instead focus on substantive work to demonstrate the system’s effectiveness.

The meeting took place in an open, candid and constructive atmosphere, underscoring a shared determination to reinforce the WTO’s central role, maintain reform momentum and improve the effectiveness of the multilateral trading system amid ongoing global economic challenges.

Vietnam contributes to WTO’s annual trade monitoring report

VOV.VN - The World Trade Organization (WTO) on December 3 (local time) released its annual trade monitoring report on the international trading environment overview, with Vietnam among 46 members that actively contributed information to the preparation of the document.