Minister Diên and US Trade Representative discuss strengthening Comprehensive Partnership

At a reception for US Trade Representative Katherine Tai in Hà Nội on Monday, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên called on the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) to continue promoting its role in connecting the two Governments to strengthen the Viêt Nam–US Comprehensive Partnership.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên welcomes US Trade Representative Katherine Tai

Katherine Tai is on her first visit to Việt Nam, which is also the first visit at the ministerial-economic level of the Biden administration. The visit is part of a string of activities marking the 10th anniversary of the Việt Nam-US comprehensive partnership.

Diên praised Tai's contributions to promoting economic-trade cooperation between the two countries and emphasised the potential of further cooperation in the fields of climate change response, energy transformation, digital transformation and green growth.

Diên said the US was a top trade partner and export market of Việt Nam and Việt Nam supports efforts to deepen bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation mechanisms and initiatives. These processes are beneficial to ensuring peace, stability, and development regionally and globally, including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF).

He suggested the US materialise its commitments to supporting Việt Nam and other nations in delivering on international climate change response agreements, including the Just Energy Transition Partnership declaration.

Việt Nam would be ready to partner with the US to hold APEC Year 2023 successfully, Minister Diên said.

The two sides discussed many issues to promote relations between the two countries.

Last year, the total bilateral trade turnover reached more than US123 billion, up 11 per cent in the same period in 2021.

The two officials reviewed bilateral cooperation within the framework of the APEC, discussions on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), sub-regional cooperation, climate change response, energy transition and digital transformation.

They highlighted the importance of promoting free, open and fair trade in line with international law and sustainable and inclusive growth in the region in which ASEAN countries play a central role.

Tai said a host of bilateral activities were awaiting the nations this year, with economic pillars expected to be strongly boosted. She pledged close collaboration with Việt Nam in the field of e-commerce.

She said the US would strengthen cooperation frameworks to build efficient and sustainable economic and investment ecosystems to create a new driving force for regional economic development.

On Tuesday, Katherine Tai met with the Vice Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyễn Thị Hà.

Hà said the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the US Department of Labour successfully resumed the Việt Nam-US Labour Dialogue in November 2022 with the spirit of openness, cooperation and mutual trust.

In 2021, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation to promote international labour standards in Việt Nam from 2021 through 2030. Six groups of work were proposed, and it is expected that Việt Nam will ratify 15 more ILO conventions.

On November 22, 2022, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnamese social partners, the ILO and the IFC signed a Memorandum of Understanding on implementing the Việt Nam Betterwork Programme between 2023 and 2027.

This is an opportunity for businesses to participate in improving compliance with Vietnamese labour laws and international labour standards.

Child labour and gender equality have also made great progress. Over the years, the ministry has received support from the US through the ILO to implement the projects on preventing and reducing child labour.

Earlier on the same day, Politburo member and Minister of Public Security Tô Lâm and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn also met with US Trade Representative Katherine Tai in Hà Nội.