Top ASEAN officials head to Mexico for talks
(VOV) - Vietnam Ambassador to Mexico Le Linh Lan is part of a contingent of representatives from five ASEAN nations attending a regional trade forum in Queretaro, Mexico to discuss the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement.
Ambassador Lan joined with trade ministers from Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore to attend the forum organised by the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade (COMCE).
“For the decade prior to joining ASEAN in 1995, Vietnam’s GDP averaged growth of 5.62% annually, which jumped up to an average 6.77% for the 10 years since,” Ambassador Lan said in a speech at the forum.
“In the first year that Vietnam became a member of ASEAN its GDP hit a record high of 9.95%.”
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Lan continued on to say that if the TPP were to be approved, it would create the world’s largest economic region with a population of more than 804 million and a free trade zone covering 40% of the world economy.
This year Vietnam and Mexico are marking their 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties Lan said adding the two sides are currently negotiating cooperation agreements in fields such as agriculture and manufacturing.
The TPP would bring about even greater opportunities for robust trade and investment on a wide array of fronts between Vietnam, other ASEAM members and Mexico, Lan underscored.
According to statistics from the Mexican Ministry of Economy, bilateral trade between Vietnam and Mexico reached US$2.26 billion last year, a year-on-year increase of 39.7%.