Spokesperson of Việt Nam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Phạm Thu Hằng.

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam on Friday called on the United States to provide an objective and balanced assessment of Việt Nam's efforts and achievements in intellectual property (IP) protection.

In response to a reporter’s question regarding Việt Nam's reaction to the US' designating Việt Nam as a “Priority Foreign Country” in its annual report on global intellectual property protection and enforcement, Spokesperson of Việt Nam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Phạm Thu Hằng stated that in recent years, Việt Nam has made substantial efforts to protect intellectual property, including improving its legal framework, raising public awareness, and strengthening international cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the US, and many other countries.

“Việt Nam has also taken firm action against violations of IP rights. This remains both a high priority and a consistent policy of Việt Nam to build a healthy and transparent business environment and to transform its growth model with science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation as key drivers,” she stressed.

Việt Nam has been cooperating actively and effectively with the US in this area, and stands ready to share information and clarify its policies and regulations, she said, adding she believes that both sides should continue close coordination to appropriately address differences, for the benefit of both countries, and toward building a stable, balanced, and sustainable framework for economic and trade cooperation.

The designation of Việt Nam is reportedly the first time in over a decade that a country has been placed in this category in the report by the US Trade Representative.

The USTR will decide within 30 days whether to launch a Section 301 investigation, but said it it would request consultations with Việt Nam and seek "to resolve the issues that led to Việt Nam's identification as a PFC."

The “priority watch list” still includes China, India, Chile, Indonesia, Russia, and Venezuela. Additionally, 19 trading partners are on the broader “watch list,” with the European Union newly added. — VNS