Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên attends the 32nd APEC Ministerial Meeting on Monday and Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên highlighted Việt Nam’s priorities in national economic recovery, making contributions to Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)’s general development while attending the 32nd APEC Ministerial Meeting on Monday and Tuesday.

During the first working session on Monday, ministers of 21 APEC economies focused on solutions to accelerate economic recovery through trade activities and initiatives. The ministers listened to the performance reports and recommendations presented by APEC Business Advisory Council, Pacific Economic Co-operation Council and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, World Trade Organisation (WTO) director-general on the WTO progress in recent years.

At the second working session on Tuesday, the ministers discussed promoting economic recovery through economic and technical co-operation tools.

Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên said Việt Nam would prioritise restoring the supply chain, ensuring goods’ circulation, safe and smooth production and business activities.

Việt Nam would support enterprises, business households and people to restore and promote production and stabilise their lives through the Government's supportive packages, as well as specific solutions including exemptions and reductions of various types of taxes and fees in the COVID-hit areas, developing a safe movement process to ensure domestic movement towards opening the border through the completion of a new immigration process and recognition of vaccine passports, he said.

Việt Nam would implement large-scale investment programmes for inter-regional transport infrastructure, green energy, national digital infrastructure with the involvement of public investment and the participation of foreign investors and private investment, he said.

He affirmed Việt Nam’s support for an open, balanced, non-discriminatory, rules and principles-based multilateral trading system.

Việt Nam would work closely with WTO members to achieve practical and meaningful results at the upcoming 12th WTO Trade Ministers Meeting, he said.

The minister emphasised that APEC should continue to prioritise capacity building activities, information sharing and good practices to help developing economies narrow the development gap, thereby integrating quickly and effectively into the multilateral trading system. — VNS