At the meeting, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien highly appreciated the fact that since the beginning of 2025, the economic and trade relations between Vietnam and the United States have had a good start, when the two countries reached a bilateral agreement to end the dispute in the case of anti-dumping tax on tra and basa fish at the WTO. The fact that Vietnam and the United States reached a bilateral solution to resolve the case is the result of goodwill and negotiation efforts from both sides. Vietnam welcomes the constructive spirit, goodwill and efforts to seek bilateral solutions from the United States, especially the United States Department of Commerce (DOC) and the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
Speaking with Ambassador Marc E. Knapper, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien said that the complementary nature of the Vietnamese and US economies is an important feature that helps economic and trade cooperation between the two countries develop increasingly strongly, in a harmonious and sustainable direction, ensuring important foundations and maintaining national interests in bilateral cooperation. The Minister affirmed that Vietnam always considers the United States a leading important partner; at the same time, he wishes to promote economic, trade and investment relations with the United States in a comprehensive and sustainable manner, contributing to enhancing understanding and strategic trust between the two countries.
Vietnam's policy is to consider the United States as one of the long-term and reliable import sources for energy, machinery, equipment, technology, raw materials, etc. The United States is currently Vietnam's 5th largest import market (with 150 million USD of wheat, 325 million USD of wood products, 464 million USD of soybeans, 512 million USD of pharmaceuticals, 580 million USD of automobiles and means of transport, more than 540 million USD of vegetables and fruits, 680 million USD of cotton, 5 groups of imported goods with a turnover of over 1 billion USD are chemicals, animal feed, plastics, raw materials, and machinery and equipment. The group of goods with the largest turnover is electronics and components reaching 4.4 billion USD)
Regarding agricultural products, Vietnam is currently the 9th largest export market of the United States. Products such as beef, pork, chicken, seafood, milk, soybeans, corn, grapes, apples, cherries, blueberries, etc. from the United States are also very popular with Vietnamese consumers. Vietnam imports more than 2 million boxes of American apples per year. Therefore, the two countries need to further strengthen cooperation in the agricultural sector so that each side can diversify its products and supply chains. Vietnam is ready to open its market, increase imports of agricultural products from the United States, and at the same time hopes that the United States will further open its market to Vietnamese agricultural products...
For his part, Ambassador Marc E. Knapper said that 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States. The United States hopes that 2025 will be a pivotal year to continue promoting the cooperative relationship between the two countries to a new height, realizing the commitments and contents of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, in which the pillar of economic and trade cooperation will play a key role in promoting the overall bilateral relationship.
Both the US public and private sectors are ready to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in new, potential areas that are in line with development trends such as ensuring energy security, climate security, food security, high technology, etc. Therefore, the US wishes to participate more deeply in Vietnam's large and important projects; at the same time, it requests the Vietnamese Government to speed up the process of completing legal frameworks, creating more favorable conditions to open up US investment capital flows into Vietnam in new areas such as energy, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, aviation, etc.
The United States highly appreciates and recommends that Vietnam continue to strengthen coordination in combating origin fraud, illegal transshipment, and evasion of trade defense measures, to ensure the interests of businesses of both countries.
In response to the Minister of Industry and Trade's concerns about recent changes in US trade policy, Ambassador Marc E. Knapper said that the new US trade policy is established with the aim of further promoting fair trade, protecting economic security, national security, workers, and US businesses... The recent imposition of tariffs is not aimed at Vietnam. The US wants to maintain bilateral relations, and economic and trade cooperation with Vietnam continues to develop in a positive direction.
Minister Nguyen Hong Dien shared and supported the US's viewpoint on fair trade, affirming that Vietnam has no intention of applying any measures that discriminate, burden or restrict trade, or harm US production and workers. Vietnam welcomes US investors to participate in new energy projects, power source development, oil and gas exploration and processing, gas industry development as well as mineral exploitation... to ensure energy security and sustainable development of the supply chain between the two countries. The Minister suggested that the two sides continue to promote the implementation of the agreements stated in the Memorandum of Understanding on Comprehensive Energy Cooperation between Vietnam and the US signed in October 2019.
In a discussion with Ambassador Marc E. Knapper, the Minister of Industry and Trade welcomed the nomination of Mr. Howard Lutnick and Mr. Jamieson Greer to the positions of Secretary of Commerce and Chief US Trade Representative, and hoped that the two sides would soon organize a meeting at the Chairman level of the Vietnam - US Trade and Investment Council (TIFA) as soon as conditions permit.
Ambassador Marc E. Knapper agreed to arrange phone calls with the new Minister of Commerce and Chief Trade Representative to discuss bilateral economic and trade issues in the coming time, immediately after these positions are filled, thereby strengthening strategic trust, as well as discussing the direction of cooperation between the two countries in the coming time.
At the end of the meeting, Ambassador Marc E. Knapper thanked Minister Nguyen Hong Dien and the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade for their close and effective cooperation, contributing to promoting the increasingly good development of relations between Vietnam and the United States./.
Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/hoat-dong/hoat-dong-cua-lanh-dao-bo/bo-truong-cong-thuong-nguyen-hong-dien-tiep-ngai-marc-e.-knapper-dai-su-dac-menh-toan-quyen-hop-chung-quoc-hoa-ky-tai-vi.html
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