Prime Minister continues to chair meeting on US announcement of new tariffs on Vietnam

On the afternoon of April 5, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting of the Government Standing Committee with ministries and branches in response to the US's announcement of its decision to impose reciprocal tariffs on Vietnamese exports to this country.

This is the second meeting of the Government Standing Committee chaired by the Prime Minister since the US announced new tariffs on imported goods from many countries, including Vietnam.

The first meeting took place on the morning of April 3, right after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing reciprocal tariffs on all trading partners of 180 economies, of which Vietnam is subject to a rate of 46% - among the countries with the highest tariffs.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the meeting on the afternoon of April 5 (Photo: VNA).

Immediately after that development, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting of the Government Standing Committee with ministries and branches to assess the situation and discuss immediate and long-term solutions.

The Head of Government said that Vietnam hopes that the US side will have a policy that is consistent with the good relations between the two countries, the wishes of the people of both sides and Vietnam's efforts in recent times, in line with the conditions and circumstances of Vietnam as a developing country, still having to continue to overcome the severe and prolonged consequences of many years of war.

He requested ministries and branches to be calm, courageous, have proactive, flexible, timely and effective responses to all developments to continue to overcome difficulties, obstacles and external shocks as they have done in recent years in the context of the pandemic, conflicts in many places around the world, and supply chain disruptions...

The Head of Government assessed that this is also an opportunity to affirm the nation's mettle and strength; an opportunity to restructure the economy towards rapid but sustainable development, greening, digitalization, based on science and technology, and innovation.

Despite facing many challenges, the Prime Minister affirmed that the GDP growth target of over 8% in 2025 remains unchanged.

Afterwards, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 713 to establish a Working Group on enhancing cooperation and proactively adapting to adjustments in US economic and trade policies (Working Group).

Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son is the Head of the Working Group. Deputy Head of the Working Group is Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien.

On the evening of April 4, General Secretary To Lam also had a phone call with President Donald Trump and said he was ready to negotiate with the US to reduce import tariffs to 0% on goods imported from the US. General Secretary To Lam suggested that the US apply a similar tariff on goods imported from Vietnam.

The General Secretary also said that Vietnam is ready to continue importing more goods from the US that Vietnam needs and encourages and creates favorable conditions for US companies to further increase investment in Vietnam.

The two leaders affirmed that they will discuss to soon sign a bilateral agreement to concretize the above commitments.

In a post on the social network Truth Social, President Trump said he had a "very productive" phone call with General Secretary To Lam. On behalf of the United States, Mr. Trump thanked General Secretary To Lam and looked forward to meeting in the near future.

Previously, at the Rose Garden inside the White House on April 2, US President Donald Trump presented a board showing the tax rates applicable to each economy and signed the tax decree immediately afterwards.

According to the announcement from the US, the UK, Brazil, and Singapore will be subject to a tax rate of 10%. The European Union, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and India will be subject to a tax rate of 20-26%. Meanwhile, China and Vietnam are among the countries subject to the highest tax rates, at 34% and 46%, respectively.

Mr. Trump declared this to be one of the most important days in American history when announcing a series of new tax policies. The US will use the revenue from tariffs to "reduce taxes and pay down the national debt."

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/thu-tuong-tiep-tuc-chu-tri-hop-viec-my-tuyen-bo-muc-thue-moi-voi-viet-nam-20250405134519204.htm