Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh on September 16 met with a number of US congresspersons and  businesses to compare notes on measures to further push bilateral economic and trade ties based on the comprehensive partnership established in July 2013.

At the meeting, Deputy PM Ninh briefed US officials on the situation in Vietnam and the country’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization and diversification of relations.

“Vietnam always attaches high importance to constantly boosting cooperative relations with the US within the comprehensive partnership framework agreed by President Truong Tan Sang his US counterpart Barack Obama last year.

By taking specific actions, Vietnam has been and will actively work hand in hand with the US to accelerate an early conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations which plays an important role in strengthening the Vietnam-US relations, Ninh noted.

He suggested the US Congress to take into consideration differences in development levels, certain flexibility and technical assistance in order to make it easier for Vietnam to make good on TPP commitments.

Additionally, Ninh exchanged views with US leaders on issues of common concern like the recognition of Vietnam’s market economy status and the Catfish Inspection Program including Vietnamese basa fish under the Agricultural Act of 2014.

Meeting with US entrepreneurs and representatives from the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) and the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham), Ninh informed them about Vietnam economic, trade and investment policies and the outcome of bilateral cooperation in these fields in recent times.

He asked US businesses to support and facilitate the early conclusion of TPP negotiations.

Many major US firms such as Google, General Motors, American Eagle, Gap Inc., Hanes, JC Penney, Levi's, Nike, Target, Walmart, AAFA, NRF, RILA, USFIA, OIA expressed strong support for the stance that US negotiators should stay more flexible in negotiating the opening of market for Vietnamese goods under the TPP, especially for garments and textiles and footwear.

US business representatives talked about their assessment of the TPP negotiation process and made related recommendations to speed up the progress of negotiations. Ninh highly appreciated what the business representatives shared and expressed confidence that both sides will spur their closer economic and trade cooperation in the time ahead.

He reiterated the Vietnamese Government’s willingness to facilitate foreign investments by adopting open incentive polices.

US businesses said they will continue to run long-term invest in Vietnam and expected  proposed solutions and policies will be put in place.

The same day, Deputy PM Ninh met with scholars from the Vietnam Professionals Network in the US during which he kept them updated on the results of bilateral practical cooperation in economics, trade and investment over the years.

The scholars and Vietnamese delegates also touched upon opportunities and challenges Vietnam is facing in the TPP negotiations aiming to help it overcome challenges and effectively utilize opportunities presented by the TPP in national development in the years to come.