Vietnam has urged the European Union (EU) to end the imposition of anti-dumping duties on leather-capped shoes and bicycles imported from the Southeast Asian country.
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai made the request during his working session with the European Commissioner for Trade, Karel de Gucht, in Brussels on June 18.
Hai proposed the EU re-grant the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) status to Vietnam and soon recognise its market economy, which he said, would lay a foundation for the two sides to boost economic and trade ties.
The two officials discussed a wide range of major measures and directions to step up economic, trade and investment relations in the future.
Hai applauded EU’s proposal to start bilateral negotiations on a Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and pledged to speed up technical preparations for the talks.
Both host and guest agreed that Vietnam-EU relations are growing well in all fields such as politics, economy, trade, culture, science and technology. They agreed to continue the exchange of high-level delegations and meetings in an effort to strengthen comprehensive cooperation in the years to come.
Vietnam always regards EU an important and priority partner in its foreign policy, the deputy PM said, adding that his country wants to build the bilateral relationship into an “equal partnership, comprehensive and durable cooperation for peace and development in the region and the world as well.”
The two sides reviewed preparations for Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to EU in October 2010 as both are celebrating 20 years of diplomatic ties, saying the visit would help elevate the bilateral relationship to a new height.
The two officials highlighted the significance of the ongoing negotiations on a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between Vietnam and EU – a legal framework for cooperation in the next 10-15 years. They agreed that the talks need to be soon finalised for the agreement to be initialled during PM Dung’s planned trip to EU./.