The reaffirmation came as Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan met with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Geneva on September 8 on the sidelines of the 17th round of negotiations on a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan on September 8 met with World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva. He was accompanied by Ambassador Mai Phan Dung, Head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to Geneva, along with officials from the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Mission.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister Tan shared updates on Vietnam’s commitments and actions, underlining the country’s role as an active and responsible WTO member. A key highlight was Vietnam’s completion of the ratification process for the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement (Phase 1).

Vietnam is one of three WTO members whose ratification will allow the agreement to officially take effect on September 15, 2025. This marks a significant step not only in safeguarding global fishery resources but also in reaffirming Vietnam’s commitment to sustainable trade.

Vietnam has also taken proactive steps in joining other major WTO initiatives. The Government has formally approved the country’s participation in the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), a flexible mechanism designed to sustain and advance WTO’s dispute settlement system amid ongoing reform discussions.

Regarding the Joint Statement Initiative on e-commerce, Vietnam is finalizing domestic procedures to soon join, thus creating opportunities for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises to access the global market.

Deputy Minister Tan emphasized Vietnam’s full support for WTO reform aimed at improving the organization’s functions, especially the restoration of a fully operational dispute settlement system. He stressed Vietnam’s appreciation of the outcomes of the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to working actively with other WTO members in preparation for the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Cameroon, with a view to achieving substantive results.

For her part, Director-General Okonjo-Iweala welcomed Vietnam’s substantive contributions to the WTO. She hailed Vietnam’s ratification of the Fisheries Subsidies Agreement and announced that the country would be recognized at the WTO General Council meeting on September 15, 2025, when the agreement enters into force.

She also praised Vietnam’s decision to join the MPIA, calling it “fresh news” and a very positive step. She noted that Vietnam’s economy continues to perform strongly despite trade tensions, serving as a model of dynamism in the multilateral trading system.

Okonjo-Iweala further commended Vietnam’s Mission in Geneva for its effective contributions and showed interest in Vietnam’s perspective on ongoing negotiations on reciprocal tariffs between the United States and other countries, including Vietnam, given their implications for WTO’s core principles. She encouraged Vietnam to continue sharing information and voicing strong support for the multilateral trading system.

In response, Deputy Minister Tan reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent stance of attaching importance to the WTO, ensuring that negotiations do not undermine other members’ interests and remain in line with WTO rules, including transparent notifications.

He also provided updates on Vietnam’s preparations for major upcoming events, including its third Trade Policy Review (TPR), scheduled for November 2026. This key mechanism enables WTO members to better understand each other’s trade policies, and Vietnam is committed to thorough preparations, seeking support from the WTO Secretariat for a successful review. In parallel, Vietnam is preparing to mark the 20th anniversary of its WTO accession (2006-2026), which will feature an objective assessment of both achievements and challenges in the country’s integration process, with accession to the WTO serving as one of the most important cornerstones of the process.

The meeting between Deputy Minister Tan and Director-General Okonjo-Iweala once again affirmed Vietnam’s increasingly proactive role at the WTO. Through concrete actions and strong commitments, Vietnam is contributing to strengthening a rules-based, transparent, and fair multilateral trading system for the benefit of all members.

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WTO hails Vietnamese contributions to multilateral trade system

VOV.VN - Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), applauded active Vietnamese contributions to the organisation on March 18, especially the outcomes of the WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) which was held from February 26 to March 2 in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.