Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, who is head of the government negotiation delegation, held a ministerial-level negotiation session with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in Jeju, the Republic of Korea on May 16, immediately after the conclusion of the 31st APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting (MRT 31).

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, this was the first in-person negotiation at the ministerial level between the two countries following the online meeting on April 12, to implement the negotiation of the Vietnam-US Reciprocal Trade Agreement as directed by the high-ranking leaders of both countries.

The negotiation session was conducted in a frank, constructive, open, and flexible manner, reflecting both sides’ efforts to build a stable economic, trade, and investment relationship that balances interests and aligns with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the US, based on respect for sovereignty, self-reliance, and political institutions, and harmonising and balancing interests, in accordance with international law and practices, and the level of development of each country.

Jamieson Greer appreciated Vietnam’s goodwill and proactiveness in preparing for the negotiations between the two sides, and generally agreed with Vietnam’s approach and proposals.

He expressed his hope that with the efforts of both sides, the upcoming technical negotiations will yield positive results, bringing practical benefits to their people and business communities, contributing to stability and sustainable development in bilateral trade relations and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Based on this, the two officials reached a high consensus on principles, approaches, content orientations, and negotiation plans, thereby establishing a foundation for subsequent negotiation sessions to achieve positive outcomes./.