Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng (left) receives WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in New Delhi, India on September 12

 NEW DELHI—Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng has urged the World Trade Organization (WTO) to step up projects and initiatives supporting Việt Nam in capacity building, advanced trade policy training, legal advice on international disputes and trade facilitation, helping the country effectively leverage international agreements and commitments and improve its competitiveness.

The Vietnamese leader made the proposal while receiving WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in New Delhi on September 12 on the occasion of his attendance at the 18th BRICS Summit in India.

​PM Hưng appreciated the WTO’s cooperation and support for Việt Nam’s international integration and welcomed coordination by the WTO Secretariat in preparations for Việt Nam’s third Trade Policy Review (TPR) in November 2026.

He affirmed that Việt Nam actively and responsibly participates in the WTO’s agenda and supports its coordinating role in promoting inclusive and balanced global trade for peace, cooperation and development, while effectively responding to global challenges.

Việt Nam also wishes the WTO to accelerate reform to meet the requirements of the new context and expand its agenda to emerging areas such as digital trade, artificial intelligence (AI), green transition, climate change and supply chain resilience, he said.

For her part, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala congratulated Việt Nam on its impressive economic achievements, saying that the country’s recent macroeconomic indicators reflected the Government’s strong macroeconomic management capacity.

After nearly 20 years of WTO membership (2007-2026), Việt Nam has become a notable example of the success of the WTO and the rules-based multilateral trading system, she said, expressing her hope that Việt Nam would share its development and international integration experience with other developing countries.

She welcomed Việt Nam’s ratification of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and participation in the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), stressing that these steps demonstrate the country’s strong commitment to and its responsibility for the multilateral trading system.

Regarding Việt Nam’s development orientations, the WTO leader said the country is moving in the right direction by diversifying its markets, products and supply chains while moving up the value chain, particularly in high-value products related to AI, semiconductors and microprocessors.

The WTO will continue to accompany and support Việt Nam in its international economic integration, she affirmed, expressing her hope that Việt Nam will back WTO reform efforts and the accession process of other countries. VNA/VNS