Vietnam Unsure of WTO Admission, Confirms Negotiation Progress
Vietnam Unsure of WTO Admission, Confirms Negotiation Progress
Vietnam is not sure of its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) by the end of this year as targeted but affirms that negotiations on its bid to the body are making progress.
"The current pace of negotiations is progressing," said Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Le Dzung in response to a question posed by reporters regarding Vietnam's chance of joining the WTO by the end of this year during the ministry’s regular press briefing in Hanoi on March 3.
"The Vietnamese State hopes the upcoming talks will go smoothly, speeding up Vietnam's bid to join the WTO," he added.
To join the global trade body, Vietnam has to hold bilateral negotiations with 27 partners and two or three more multilateral negotiations, Dzung said. To date, the country has concluded negotiations with the European Union, Brazil, Cuba, Argentina, Chile, and Singapore.
Vietnam is scheduled to hold the 10th round of multilateral talks in April.
In recent interviews with local media, Trade Minister Truong Dinh Tuyen also admitted that Vietnam has little hope to become a member of the WTO this year as it expected because the country is unable to meet all demands of the body's member countries. Many demands are unacceptable under the country's current circumstances, he also said.
Vietnam has so far reached agreements with 99 countries in the world to grant each other the Most Favored Nation (MFN) status.
The People, VNA
Vietnamese
