US to Boost Economic, Trade Cooperation with Vietnam
The US will further boost the bilateral economic, trade and humanitarian cooperation relations with Vietnam in the future, US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice has emphasized.
The US Secretary announced the US’s intention at talks with Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister-Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem in Hanoi on November 16.
Condoleezza Rice arrived in Hanoi on November 15 to attend the two-day 18th APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM), two days prior to President Bush’s visit to Vietnam for the APEC economic leaders’ summit.
Rice and Khiem discussed bilateral and international issues of concern, agreed to further the economic, trade, and humanitarian cooperation including concerted efforts to overcome the aftermath of the Vietnam War in the coming years.
On this occasion, Khiem highly spoke of the US State Department’s dropping Vietnam off the list of countries of particular concern, or CPC, and proposed the US Department continue to urge the approval of PNTR with Vietnam.
The two sides also agreed to maintain direct dialogues to narrow differences. Bilateral trade between the two countries continues to soar since the Vietnam-US bilateral trade agreement took effect in December 2001.
Last year, the bilateral trade reached US$7.8 billion, up 20 per cent on year and 17 times higher than in 1995 when the two countries officially normalized diplomatic ties. The figure is forecast to hit US$10 billion this year.
(Local sources)
Vietnamese
