Press Conference

(Ha Noi, Thursday 20^th, 2014)

ANNOUNCEMENT

Chairman of Central Committee of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Nguyen Thien Nhan to visit China

At the invitation of Standing Member of the Chinese Politburo and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Yu Zhengsheng, Member of the Vietnamese Politburo and President of the Central Committee of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Nguyen Thien Nhan will head the Vietnamese high level delegation to pay an official friendly visit to the People’s Republic of China from 21st to 25th February, 2014.

The visit is aimed at enhancing the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Viet Nam and China.

During the visit, the Vietnamese delegation will meet with Chinese high level leaders, hold talks with the delegation of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and visit the city of Tianjin.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Question: Please provide Viet Nam's response to the United States' adoption of the Agriculture Act 2014, which includes a catfish monitoring system and application of US standard for catfish packaging and exporting activities.

Answer: Over the past years, Viet Nam has strictly controlled its aquaculture and fish processing industry, widely applied the highest international quality standards, including the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) of the United States, and ensured food hygiene and safety along with protecting the environment. Vietnamese catfish is favoured by consumers worldwide.

We concern that the new regulations in the United States’ Agriculture Act 2014 may exert negative impacts on Viet Nam's aquaculture and fish processing industry as well as U.S. consumers. We hold that the catfish inspection programme stated in the US Argriculture Act 2014 should abide by the country’s international commitments and not create trade barriers.

Regular Press Briefing by MOFA’s Spokesman Le Hai Binh on February 20, 2014