The bilateral trade between Vietnam and Japan would be US$18 billion at least in 2010 if the two countries shortly sign an economic partnership agreement (EPA), according to Vietnamese commercial counsellor to Japan Nguyen Trung Dung.
“Never before have Japanese businesses been interested in Vietnamese market as much as now,” Dung said.
At two workshops held in Fukuoka and Tokyo early this month by Vietnamese Ministry of Trade and Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, many big Japanese distributors expressed willingness to bring high-quality Vietnamese goods into supermarkets and trade centers in Japan, said the commercial counsellor.
He said Vietnamese firms should pay due attention to quality, model, and large-volume supply capacity in order to seize opportunity to export aquatic products, woodworks, garments, and textiles, mechanical products, fine art and handicrafts, processed agricultural products, footwear and plastic products to Japan.
If the two countries ink the EPA, the technical barriers will be further simplified. The two sides will accept each other’s quality quarantine results.
The EPA, Dung said, will not only facilitate trade exchange but also expand cooperation between Vietnam and Japan to many other fields such as science and technology, finance and banking, e-commerce, investment, tourism, human resources development, and cultural exchange.
In 2006, the two-way trade between the two nations nearly hit US$10 billion, according to him.
Both sides want to complete EPA negotiation process within this year. The fourth round of EPA talks will be held in Vietnam in July.
During the third round in Tokyo June 6 Vietnam and Japan had in-depth discussion about goods, services, hygiene and technical standards and reached consensus on many issues relating to investment, industry, agriculture, and labor. (Youth)
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