Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem has asked the United States to soon recognise the market economy in Vietnam.
He made the request in Hanoi on June 9 while receiving Deputy US Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis who is in Vietnam for an annual meeting of the inter-governmental cooperation council within the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).
Mr Khiem also urged the US to provide the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) for Vietnam and facilitate the penetration of Vietnamese goods into the US market.
The Deputy PM suggested that the two sides accelerate cooperation in education, including development of universities in Vietnam.
He acknowledged progress in bilateral relations in recent years with two-way trade surpassing US$15 billion in 2009 and the US becoming a leading investor in the Southeast Asian country.
Mr Khiem expressed his hope that bilateral ties will further develop and the two sides will closely work to solve arising trade disputes through building and consolidating mutual trust.
Deputy US Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis expressed his pleasure to witness developments in bilateral cooperation, saying that cooperation in economics, trade and investment will help strengthen bilateral relations.
He said the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TTP) needs to take into account the conditions of developing countries, including Vietnam.
He expressed that the TPP negotiation process will be accelerated and obtain significant progress when the US hosts the APEC summit later next year.
Mr. Marantis also urged Vietnam’s support for US investors in energy and infrastructure in the country.