At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' regular press briefing on Thursday afternoon, journalists asked for Vietnam's response to a proposal announced on June 2 by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to impose additional tariffs on goods from 60 economies, including Vietnam.

The proposal was based on USTR's conclusion that these economies had not enacted or effectively enforced measures to prevent the import of goods produced through forced labor, thereby creating obstacles to US trade.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said USTR's findings regarding forced labor practices did not accurately reflect the reality of Vietnam's situation or the country's efforts to prevent and minimize forced labor.

Vietnam's consistent policy is to prohibit all forms of forced labor and to strictly comply with the regulations of the International Labour Organization as well as commitments under free trade agreements, she said.

According to Hang, this policy has been clearly codified in legal documents, government action plans and implementation programs, and is effectively enforced in practice.

She noted that Vietnam has ratified relevant international conventions and treaties to ensure the full implementation of workers' rights and obligations. Vietnam also provided comprehensive and detailed information to US authorities throughout the investigation process.

On that basis, Vietnam has been, is and will continue to engage and work with the United States in a constructive and cooperative spirit to resolve remaining differences, in accordance with bilateral and multilateral trade commitments of both sides, while consistently protecting the legitimate rights and interests of workers and businesses, Hang said.

Under the USTR proposal, trading partners could face additional tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5%, depending on Washington's assessment of the effectiveness of measures adopted by each country to combat forced labor.

Tran Thuong