Deputy United States Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis held a second day of meetings in Hanoi today, exchanging views with key Vietnam officials on next steps in U.S.-Vietnam economic relations and outstanding bilateral issues. He met with several members of Vietnam’s National Assembly, who were eager to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the potential benefits of the agreement.
Ambassador Marantis gave a speech to more than 200 students at the Foreign Trade University. He outlined U.S. trade policy, highlighting the National Export Initiative and the priority the Obama Administration places on further building economic relations with the Asia-Pacific region and with Vietnam, where trade has grown 15-fold since the Bilateral Trade Agreement with Vietnam was signed in 2001.
To conclude his time in Hanoi, Ambassador Marantis briefed the Vietnam press on the U.S.-Vietnam goals and results of his visit. Issues being discussed this week also include continued implementation of Vietnam’s WTO commitments, protection of intellectual property rights, opportunities arising from cooperation in the field of agricultural biotechnology, market access for a range of U.S. goods including U.S. potatoes, fruits and beef, and other important topics.
