A ceremony was organised in Hanoi on July 22 to celebrate the 15thanniversary of Vietnam-US diplomatic relations with the attendance ofDeputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem and US Secretary of StateHillary Clinton.
The ceremony also saw theparticipation of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO)President Vu Xuan Hong, Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, theVietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Chairman Vu Tien Loc, USAmbassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak and a large number ofrepresentatives of the Vietnam-US Society, the American Chamber ofCommerce (AmCham) and businesspeople from both countries.
Khiem highlighted developments in bilateral commercial relations withtwo-way trade currently exceeding 15 billion USD from almost 500 millionUSD before 1995. The US now ranks sixth among foreign investorsoperating in Vietnam .
The trade gains areattributable to the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and the PermanentNormal Trade Relations (PNTR) status between the two nations, as well asVietnam ’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), he said.
The deputy PM said the two countries arenegotiating a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and Vietnam isconducting talks on the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic PartnershipAgreement (TPP).
According to the Deputy PM, UScustomers have used Vietnamese garments, footwear, coffee, woodenfurniture, shrimp and fish, while their Vietnamese counterparts now knowUS businesses such as Citibank, Intel and Microsoft.
Vietnam-US joint ventures have provided a major impetus to development of bilateral relations, he stressed.
Khiem went on to say that Vietnam and the US have expandedcooperation to other fields, including science, technology, educationand training, along with politics, diplomacy, economy and trade. The twonations have signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the USprovision of funding for the fight against HIV/AIDS in Vietnam , headded.
Vietnam and the US have alsocooperated in response to climate change and rising sea levels,expecting to build a model of partnership in this area.
Bilateral cooperation has already opened up opportunities for the twocountries to boost coordination and cooperation at regional forums andat the United Nations Security Council, the deputy PM noted.
For her part, Clinton underlined efforts both nations have madesince 1995 to shelve the past, look towards the future and jointlydevelop cooperative relations in politics, diplomacy, health care,education, economy and trade.
In regard todifferences on a number of issues, the US diplomat said the twosides should hold more dialogues to narrow the gaps and boostcooperation in the interests of both nations.
Clinton appreciated and thanked the Vietnamese Government’sendeavours in the joint search for US soldiers missing in actionduring the war.
The official said she wasdelighted to see Vietnam ’s dynamic developments since her firstvisit to the country in 2000 in her capacity as wife of President BillClinton.
She promised to lift the bilateralrelationship to a new height and hoped that the Vietnamese and USpeople would work together for this purpose.
On July12, 1995, US President Bill Clinton and Vietnamese Prime Minister VoVan Kiet announced the normalisation of Vietnam-US diplomatic ties toput aside the past and open up a new chapter in the history of the twonations.
With ceaseless efforts from bothgovernments and peoples, Vietnam-US relations have been fully normalisedand are growing well, both bilaterally and multilaterally, bringingpractical benefits to both nations and positively contributing to peace,security, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and SoutheastAsia./.
The ceremony also saw theparticipation of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO)President Vu Xuan Hong, Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, theVietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Chairman Vu Tien Loc, USAmbassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak and a large number ofrepresentatives of the Vietnam-US Society, the American Chamber ofCommerce (AmCham) and businesspeople from both countries.
Khiem highlighted developments in bilateral commercial relations withtwo-way trade currently exceeding 15 billion USD from almost 500 millionUSD before 1995. The US now ranks sixth among foreign investorsoperating in Vietnam .
The trade gains areattributable to the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and the PermanentNormal Trade Relations (PNTR) status between the two nations, as well asVietnam ’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), he said.
The deputy PM said the two countries arenegotiating a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and Vietnam isconducting talks on the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic PartnershipAgreement (TPP).
According to the Deputy PM, UScustomers have used Vietnamese garments, footwear, coffee, woodenfurniture, shrimp and fish, while their Vietnamese counterparts now knowUS businesses such as Citibank, Intel and Microsoft.
Vietnam-US joint ventures have provided a major impetus to development of bilateral relations, he stressed.
Khiem went on to say that Vietnam and the US have expandedcooperation to other fields, including science, technology, educationand training, along with politics, diplomacy, economy and trade. The twonations have signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the USprovision of funding for the fight against HIV/AIDS in Vietnam , headded.
Vietnam and the US have alsocooperated in response to climate change and rising sea levels,expecting to build a model of partnership in this area.
Bilateral cooperation has already opened up opportunities for the twocountries to boost coordination and cooperation at regional forums andat the United Nations Security Council, the deputy PM noted.
For her part, Clinton underlined efforts both nations have madesince 1995 to shelve the past, look towards the future and jointlydevelop cooperative relations in politics, diplomacy, health care,education, economy and trade.
In regard todifferences on a number of issues, the US diplomat said the twosides should hold more dialogues to narrow the gaps and boostcooperation in the interests of both nations.
Clinton appreciated and thanked the Vietnamese Government’sendeavours in the joint search for US soldiers missing in actionduring the war.
The official said she wasdelighted to see Vietnam ’s dynamic developments since her firstvisit to the country in 2000 in her capacity as wife of President BillClinton.
She promised to lift the bilateralrelationship to a new height and hoped that the Vietnamese and USpeople would work together for this purpose.
On July12, 1995, US President Bill Clinton and Vietnamese Prime Minister VoVan Kiet announced the normalisation of Vietnam-US diplomatic ties toput aside the past and open up a new chapter in the history of the twonations.
With ceaseless efforts from bothgovernments and peoples, Vietnam-US relations have been fully normalisedand are growing well, both bilaterally and multilaterally, bringingpractical benefits to both nations and positively contributing to peace,security, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and SoutheastAsia./.
