US Assistant Secretary of State tours VN

The US official met with Minister, Chairman of the Office of Government Vũ Đức Đam, Minister of Industry and Trade Vũ Huy Hoàng, Lieutenant General and Deputy Defense Minister Nguyễn Chí Vịnh, Deputy Foreign Minister Lê Lương Minh, and Deputy Head of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) Commission for External Relations Vương Thừa Phong.

At these meetings, the two sides expressed their satisfaction with comprehensive developments in bilateral ties and at international forums, contributing to maintaining regional peace, stability, cooperation and development.

The two sides exchanged ways to beef up bilateral cooperation, especially on economics, trade, investment, science-technology, education-training, and response to climate change and sea level rise.

The Vietnamese side urged the US to early recognize the Market Economy Status (MES) for Việt Nam; grant the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP); remove trade barriers for Vietnamese products like shrimp and catfish; make practical steps to resolve the war consequences especially detoxification and support for Agent Orange victims; negotiate for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and strengthen cooperation within the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI).

The US official affirmed that his country attaches importance to its relations with the Asia and Pacific region for regional peace, collaboration and development.

Mr. Kurt Campbell said he hoped the ties between the US and Việt Nam will be boosted towards strategic partnership, especially in the fields like economics, trade, investment, science-technology, education-training as well as humanitarian assistance.

The guest acknowledged the necessity to increase budget for addressing war consequences and noted down Việt Nam’s requests for MES and GSP.

Mr. Kurt Campbell hoped that the two sides would lift trade barriers and finalize negotiations for other agreements.

The US backs peaceful solutions to regional disputes, including in the East Sea on the basis of international law especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the ASEAN's Declaration of Conduct (DOC) on the East Sea towards the Code of Conduct (COC) for the East Sea, the US official said./.

By Kim Anh