Vietnam-US TIFA council convenes in Washington
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Vietnam-US TIFA council convenes in Washington
23 June 2008
(Source: VNA) - The Vietnam-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council held a regular meeting in Washington from June 18-20.
During the sitting, the two sides discussed a wide range of issues related to intellectual property right protection, pharmaceutical products, food hygiene, exports of Vietnamese farm produce, the Generalised System of Preference (GSP) regulation, and the garment and textile monitoring mechanism.
Vietnam and the US also looked into the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), reviewed recent economic, trade and investment cooperation, and put forth cooperation directions through 2010.
The Vietnamese delegation was led by Bui Huy Hung, director of the Government Office’s Department for International Affairs and head of the TIFA Vietnam Secretariat, while the US mission was headed by Barbara Weisel, Assistant US Trade Representative.
A ministerial-level meeting between Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang and US Trade Representative Susan Schwab is slated to take place on June 23.
The outcomes of the meetings will be reported to senior Vietnamese and US leaders during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to the US from June 23-26.
The Vietnam-US TIFA was signed on June 21, 2007, during State President Nguyen Minh Triet’s visit to the US . It is considered a follow-up of the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement which was signed in 2000 and the next step in working towards a free trade agreement.
