Business leaders vow to seek US free trade pact
Vietnam News Agency
Business leaders vow to seek US free trade pact
4 May 2007
HA NOI - Representatives of leading US companies and the Vietnamese Government yesterday expressed a consensus to strengthen bilateral trade relations and hastening the signing of a framework agreement for a free trade area joining the two countries, according to Deputy Minister of Trade Luong Van Tu.
At a trade forum entitled Viet Nam - A Bright Future for US Businesses, held yesterday in Ha Noi by the US-ASEAN Trade Council and the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, Tu said, "Viet Nam is the first country to have completely altered its laws to conform with the legal requirements of the World Trade Organisation".
He also urged the US to remove the present monitoring regime being imposed on Viet Nam’s textiles, vowing that "Viet Nam would seriously comply with its WTO commitments."
The forum is being attended by senior managers of 18 US companies, the largest trade delegation from the US since the US granted Viet Nam permanent normal trade relations last December. Representatives of Boeing, Chevron, Time Warner, HP and GE were among those in the delegation. - VNS
