Vice spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Đoàn Khắc Việt during the press briefing on Thursday in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will continue to monitor and assess the impact of the US’ removal of Việt Nam from the list of developing countries under US countervailing duty laws, Vice Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry Đoàn Khắc Việt said on Thursday.

The vice spokesperson stressed that Việt Nam will maintain dialogue and continue to coordinate measures with the US in order to promote the harmonious and sustainable development of bilateral trade, benefiting both sides. 

He made the statement in response to reporters’ questions about Việt Nam’s response to US President Donald Trump administration’s move to revoke World Trade Organisation (WTO) subsidy preferences for a range of countries, including China, Singapore, Thailand, South Africa and Việt Nam.

Noting that Việt Nam is still benefiting from its developing nation status within the framework of the WTO, Việt Nam stressed that economic and trade ties between Việt Nam and the US have developed fruitfully over recent years, with two-way trade reaching nearly US$76 billion in 2019, up 25 per cent year-on-year.

The US has maintained its position as the biggest export market of Việt Nam, while Việt Nam is among the fastest growing export markets of the US, he added.

In a related question concerning the highly anticipated ASEAN-US Summit in the US at the invitation of US President Donald Trump – which is expected to be a chance for the US to reaffirm its commitment and engagement in the dynamic region – Việt said that while there is currently not yet detailed information to provide to the public, ASEAN member states and the US side are “actively preparing for the summit”.

Exchanges maintained

Responding to an earlier request from China’s foreign minister Wang Yi urging countries – including Việt Nam – to allow Chinese citizens to gain entry to Việt Nam, which have been interrupted following the COVID-19 outbreak, the Vietnamese vice spokesperson said there is definitely not an absolute ban on movement and trade between the two sides.

“To stem the spread of COVID-19 outbreak and minimise the impacts on the health of Vietnamese citizens, the two countries’ governments have been closely coordinating with each other in terms of transport, in the spirit of robustly combating the disease but not shutting off the borders and trying not to impact bilateral activities – including trade and people-to-people exchanges,” he said.

The Vietnamese Government also cracked down on goods transport or movement through unofficial border routes, while usual activities and trade are being gradually restored via the border gates, with tightened health quarantine protocols.

Regarding the chance of resuming airline links between China and Việt Nam, Việt said that the ban Việt Nam imposed was in line with World Health Organisation's recommendation and the two governments' agreements and the restoration can only be done when there is sufficient evidence showing that the outbreak situation has been contained.

However, Việt Nam believes that under the leadership of China’s Communist Party and Government, with international support, China will soon overcome the challenges and the outbreak will soon be under control, Việt added. — VNS