He met with leaders of the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the US Department of State, the US Department of Commerce and the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
At a meeting with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the two sides discussed measures to promote balanced, sustainable and mutually beneficial trade relations, as well as progress in negotiations on the Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair and Balanced Trade, or ART.
Deputy Prime Minister Thang reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment to maintaining smooth global supply chains and said Vietnam is ready to engage in open and constructive discussions on issues of concern to the US.
Mr. Greer expressed his desire to work closely with Vietnam to conclude the ART negotiations as soon as possible. He also took note of Vietnam’s request that the US objectively and positively assess Vietnam’s efforts to address issues of mutual concern and facilitate access for Vietnamese exports to the US market.
Meeting US Deputy Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg, the two sides agreed on proposals to strengthen dialogue and cooperation in foundational and strategic areas, including science and technology, innovation, artificial intelligence, the digital economy and digital infrastructure.
The US side said it was ready to work with Vietnam to explore appropriate mechanisms and preferential policies to encourage US businesses to expand their presence and make long-term investments in Vietnam.
During a meeting with US Department of Commerce officials, including Deputy Secretaries Jeffrey Kessler and William Kimmitt, Deputy Prime Minister Thang called on the department to remove Vietnam from the D1 and D3 export-control lists, consider recognizing Vietnam as a market economy, and adopt an objective and fair approach in trade-remedy cases involving Vietnamese goods.
The two sides also discussed measures to improve market access for businesses from both countries, remove trade barriers and expand opportunities for trade and investment cooperation.
The US Commerce Department officials affirmed their continued close coordination with Vietnamese agencies to effectively implement bilateral agreements and commitments.
Meeting Caroline Vik, Director of Policy at the US International Development Finance Corporation, Deputy Prime Minister Thang called on the DFC to increase financing, loans and guarantees for high-quality infrastructure, energy and energy-transition projects, digital infrastructure and healthcare, as well as to support Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises.
Caroline Vik said the DFC sees significant alignment between the two sides’ strategic priorities, particularly in pharmaceuticals, digital infrastructure, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, energy and critical-mineral supply chains.
She affirmed that the DFC would move quickly to facilitate connections, assessments and the implementation of substantive investment cooperation opportunities in the period ahead.
