Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets US Trade Representative Katherine Tai in Washington D.C on May 12 morning (local time) as part of his trip to the US. (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed the US’s support for a strong, independent and prosperous Viet Nam, saying Viet Nam is pursuing a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of international relations.

Viet Nam considers the US one of its top partners, the PM said, adding that Viet Nam wants to together with the US deepen the bilateral comprehensive partnership and make it more practical and stable in the long term, on the basis of respecting each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political system, contributing to the global and regional peace, stability, cooperation and development.

He went on to say that Viet Nam’s economy is growing well as it has entered the post-pandemic “new normal” phase thanks to the international donation of COVID-19 vaccines, a large volume of which came from the US via the COVAX Facility.

He expected enterprises of both sides will further enhance cooperation based on the harmony of interests and the sharing of risks and affirmed that Viet Nam will continue developing an independent economy; deepening international economic integration; and promoting a selective investment policy, advanced technology, digital economy, renewable energy and diversification of supply chains.

The Vietnamese leader also highly spoke of the Office of the US Trade Representative’s efforts in accelerating trade between the two countries and resolving issues to prevent the two-way trade from disruptions. 

 Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks to US Trade Representative Katherine Tai in their Washington D.C meeting on May 12. (Photo: VNA)

He expressed his delight at the growth of the bilateral economic-trade relations, noting that the US’s exports to Viet Nam reached 15.3 billion USD in 2021, up 11.7 percent from the previous year, making Viet Nam the US’s leading trade partner in Southeast Asia. 

He also welcomed the Office of the US Trade Representative’s attention to Viet Nam’s concern over anti-dumping investigations on goods originating from Viet Nam and looked forward to the US’s effective cooperation in this matter.

Viet Nam hopes the US will facilitate Vietnamese exports and is ready to discuss with the US about its concerns anywhere and anytime, Chinh said.

US Trade Representative Tai, for her part, reiterated that the US will continue supporting Viet Nam’s recovery post-COVID-19. She also highly valued the PM’s visit to the US, saying it marks a milestone for further strengthening the comprehensive partnership between the two sides.

She appreciated Viet Nam’s commitments in its action plan as well as the effective operation of working groups in wood and monetary issues, saying she expects the two countries can foster the economic, trade, investment and financial relations more strongly and maintain a stable framework of trade and investment towards sustainable trade balance./.