On the morning of May 20, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung received Ambassador Rick Switzer, Deputy United States Trade Representative, during his working visit to Vietnam.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung highly appreciated the achievements in Vietnam - U.S. cooperation over the past time in the fields of political and diplomatic affairs, economy and trade, security and defense, science and technology, innovation, and cooperation in addressing international and regional issues of mutual concern.

The Prime Minister expressed his hope that the two sides would continue to coordinate closely and promote the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a deeper and more substantive manner, bringing practical benefits to the people of both countries and contributing to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world, in line with the direction of General Secretary and President To Lam and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Prime Minister welcomed the positive results achieved in negotiations on the Vietnam - U.S. reciprocal, fair and balanced trade agreement, and highly appreciated the role of the Office of the United States Trade Representative and Ambassador Rick Switzer personally.

The Prime Minister affirmed that the Vietnamese Government will continue to coordinate closely with the U.S. side so that the two sides can soon finalize the agreement, thereby further deepening economic, trade and investment cooperation, which serves as the main driving force of bilateral relations. He emphasized that the Vietnamese Government always welcomes and stands ready to create the most favorable conditions for U.S. enterprises to continue expanding investment and doing business effectively and successfully in Vietnam, contributing to Vietnam’s development goals.

According to the Prime Minister, Vietnam does not have policies that create overcapacity, and Vietnamese enterprises operate under the market mechanism. The two economies are complementary and do not directly compete with each other. Vietnamese law strictly prohibits all forms of forced labor. Vietnam actively participates in and implements relevant international commitments, including conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and free trade agreements (FTAs).

The Prime Minister said that Vietnam is determined to combat and strictly handle violations of intellectual property rights, which is among Vietnam’s priorities, in connection with renewing the development model and implementing Resolution No. 57 on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and digital transformation.

Ambassador Rick Switzer expressed his honor and thanked Prime Minister Le Minh Hung for taking the time to receive him. He respectfully conveyed congratulations from President Donald Trump and U.S. leaders to the Prime Minister on being entrusted with his new position of great responsibility. Ambassador Switzer highly appreciated the positive results in bilateral relations, including in the field of economy and trade, emphasizing that Vietnam is one of the United States’ most important partners, with economic and trade cooperation making a positive contribution to the overall development of relations between the two countries.

Ambassador Rick Switzer emphasized the importance of the reciprocal trade agreement to economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. He highly valued the active and constructive cooperation of Vietnamese ministries, sectors and the Government’s negotiating delegation over the past time, and affirmed that the Office of the United States Trade Representative and he personally would continue to work closely with Vietnamese Government ministries and sectors, making every effort so that the two sides can soon reach an agreement, thereby contributing positively to the further development of bilateral relations in the future.

Source: Báo Nhân Dân