US businesses have had an insight into the role that Vietnam plays in ASEAN, especially its position as chair of ASEAN and ASEAN’s Economic Community (AEC) Council for 2010.
The Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Nguyen Cam Tu, made the remark at the end of an ASEAN delegation’s visit to the US from May 2-6, which also saw the participation of trade ministers from Indonesia , Cambodia , Laos , Malaysia and Thailand and deputy ministers of trade from Brunei and the Philippines plus ASEAN’s General Secretary Surin Pitsuwan.
Tu told a Washington-based Vietnam News Agency correspondent that the visit had helped US enterprises to get a more in depth understanding of Vietnam ’s priorities in 2010 as it takes over the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Vietnam regards turning ASEAN into an open economic region a top priority, by completing and fostering free trade agreements with foreign partners, while at the same time upholding the group’s pivotal role in the region, he said.
The deputy minister stressed that the trip’s biggest success was that many US members of congress, government officials and businesspeople now regard ASEAN as a bloc and learnt about its plan to establish a closer knit community by 2015 based on three pillars: ASEAN Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.
He went on to say that the US government and businesses also expressed their interest in where the ASEAN Economic Community will stand when it is set up, in terms of policy and how the US can benefit from this new common market.
During their stay, the ASEAN trade officials made a fact-finding tour to Washington State and introduced ASEAN’s investment opportunities. The State exported 5 billion USD worth of commodities to Southeast Asia in 2008.
They also visited Washington D.C on May 5-6 to discuss with the local authorities, businesses and Congressional leaders measures to introduce new trade relations./.
The Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Nguyen Cam Tu, made the remark at the end of an ASEAN delegation’s visit to the US from May 2-6, which also saw the participation of trade ministers from Indonesia , Cambodia , Laos , Malaysia and Thailand and deputy ministers of trade from Brunei and the Philippines plus ASEAN’s General Secretary Surin Pitsuwan.
Tu told a Washington-based Vietnam News Agency correspondent that the visit had helped US enterprises to get a more in depth understanding of Vietnam ’s priorities in 2010 as it takes over the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Vietnam regards turning ASEAN into an open economic region a top priority, by completing and fostering free trade agreements with foreign partners, while at the same time upholding the group’s pivotal role in the region, he said.
The deputy minister stressed that the trip’s biggest success was that many US members of congress, government officials and businesspeople now regard ASEAN as a bloc and learnt about its plan to establish a closer knit community by 2015 based on three pillars: ASEAN Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.
He went on to say that the US government and businesses also expressed their interest in where the ASEAN Economic Community will stand when it is set up, in terms of policy and how the US can benefit from this new common market.
During their stay, the ASEAN trade officials made a fact-finding tour to Washington State and introduced ASEAN’s investment opportunities. The State exported 5 billion USD worth of commodities to Southeast Asia in 2008.
They also visited Washington D.C on May 5-6 to discuss with the local authorities, businesses and Congressional leaders measures to introduce new trade relations./.
