The head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the UN, WTO and other international organisations in Geneva also said the General Director once described the continuous growth and development of the Southeast Asian nation in more than a decade and a half since it became a WTO member, especially in the volatile period of the world, as a miracle and said that Vietnam has always been an example for developing countries.
During the trip made at the invitation of Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, Okonjo-Iweala is busy with meetings with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Minister Dien, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan, and Deputy Minister of Finance Vo Thanh Hung. She is also scheduled to meet and hold talks with Vietnamese businesswomen and students.
Mai said via these meetings and discussions, the WTO leader wishes to improve understanding about and strengthen support for her organisation. In addition, Okonjo-Iweala is interested in the reshaping of global and regional supply chains in Vietnam, as well as the nation’s strategy of economic and trade development towards sustainable and close cooperation to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially regarding women's economic empowerment and better position in international trade.
According to the ambassador, the visit is also the WTO’s effort to directly contact with member countries and learn about actual situations at the national and regional level related to issues that the WTO is concerning for its 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), scheduled for February 2024 in Abu Dhabi. It is an opportunity for leaders of the Vietnamese Government, ministries, sectors, and businesses to speak about Vietnam's policy to promote the multilateral trading system; and vision, strategy, specific measures and efforts to promote trade, digital transformation, green transition, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development.
Becoming the 150th member of the WTO in January 2007 is an important milestone in Vietnam's international integration process, making an important and positive contribution to the achievements of its reform, international integration, and socio-economic development processes, affirmed Mai.
She said Vietnam always highly appreciates the WTO’s role, cooperation and support, adding that the multilateral trading system’s principles and regulations lays the foundation for the nation to build and sign bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, including new-generation free trade agreements (FTAs).
The diplomat stated that as a responsible member of the WTO, Vietnam has proactively joined the organisation’s cooperation frameworks, strives to fully implement its commitments in the WTO, and actively make constructive contributions to issues of common concern at the WTO.
