Hanoi (VNA) – The US-Vietnam trade andinvestment supports thousands of jobs in the US and has positioned Vietnam asone of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia, the US Department ofState has said on the occasion of the 25th founding anniversary of diplomaticties.
In its Twitter account, the department notedthat two-way trade between the US and Vietnam exceeded 77 billion USD in goodsand services last year, "a remarkable reflection of our expanding ties over thepast two decades.”
According to the Department of Commerce, USexports of goods and services to Vietnam supported an estimated 54,000 jobs inthe country.
Vietnam is currently the 17th largest goodstrading partner of the US.
As of the end of 2019, total investment registeredcapital of US firms in Vietnam had exceeded 11 billion USD, ranking 11th among the countriesand territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation.
Expert at the Hawaii-based Asia-PacificCenter for Security Studies, Dr Alexander Vuving has described the Vietnam-USrelationship as “special one”.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency,Vuving said it took two decades for the US-Vietnam relationship to fullynormalise since the restoration of diplomatic relations between the twocountries in 1995.
The greatest achievement in Vietnam-USrelations since 1995 is the transformation of the relationship from one betweenformer enemies to comprehensive partnership between the two sides, he added.
He noted that Vietnam is one of the keyregional partners of the US both in the “rebalance” strategy of the Obamaadministration and the “free and open Indo-Pacific” strategy of President Donald Trump's administration.
According to the expert, the relationshipbetween Vietnam and the US is rooted in a bipartisan consensus in the US and aconsensus in Vietnam about the importance of diversification of relations withother countries, including the US.
More joint activities and collaborationwill deepen mutual understanding and trust, Vuving said./.