Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính visits the semiconductor chip production line of Hana Micro Vina Co, a Korean-invested firm specialising in semiconductor chip production in Bắc Giang Province. — VNA/VNS

GENEVA — Deputy Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Minister-Counsellor Lê Đình Bá had a working session early this week with a delegation from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) of the US led by its director of global policy for trade and supply chain matter.

At the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of a discussion chaired by SIA on the role of WTO in restoring the semiconductor industry’s supply at the WTO Public Forum, taking place from Tuesday to Friday, Carrie Esko from SIA said the association is very interested in Việt Nam's semiconductor industry and has contributed to the country's draft strategy for the development of the semiconductor industry.

Esko reviewed the contact between SIA and senior leaders of Việt Nam in the past time, especially the working session between Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính with SIA's president John Neuffer and representatives of US semiconductor enterprises in Washington DC in September last year as well as the meeting between Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên and the SIA president on the sidelines of the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) in the United Arab Emirates in April this year.

The SIA representative said that Việt Nam plays an increasingly important role in the field of semiconductor chip design, especially the ATP (assembly, testing, packaging) segment, and has recently attracted investment from many large semiconductor corporations in the industry.

She also mentioned the research report issued by SIA in early August on the factors that companies in the industry are interested in when investing in different markets, which provides recommendations on policies that governments can consider to better attract investment.

A representative of US-based tech giant Apple said Việt Nam has emerged as a new export market, especially in the field of information technology products while many countries are currently applying trade barriers to these products, such as restricting licensing or introducing new tax rates, so it is necessary to closely monitor the implementation of WTO regulations by countries.

Apple has invested heavily in production in Việt Nam and expressed interest in the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement, especially in the context that the Southeast Asian nation has signed two agreements, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which have content on public procurement, the representative continued.

Bá emphasised that Việt Nam considers the semiconductor industry an important part of the economy and expressed his hope that SIA will continue to coordinate and share information with Việt Nam in the field. — VNS