Center for WTO & International Trade (WITC)

Activity Summary Report in 2018 – WTO and Internation Trade Center – VCCI

23/02/2019    65

In 2018, to provide legal support for Vietnamese businesses in the process of international trade integration, the WTO and International Trade Center continued to carry out activities on the following five major areas: 

1. Supporting businesses on Free Trade Agreements

The Center is a representative and an information hub guiding the businesses in international trade issues, especially free trade agreements (FTA) under the (i) Prime Minister's Decision 06/2012/QD-TTg on consultation with the business community on international trade agreements; (ii)  Directive 38 / CT-TTg October 18, 2017 on strengthening measures to effectively take advantage of effective FTAs; (iii) Directive No. 26 / CT-TTg dated September 4, 2018 of the Prime Minister on stepping up international economic integration towards more efficient and effective directions . In 2018, WTO and International Trade Center continued to be the biggest information and consultation hub where businesses could find information and advice on the WTO and major FTAs that Vietnam is engaging. Notable activities included: 

  • Compiling and publishing 09 publications (reports, newsletters, handbooks), including:
    • Handbook on Summary of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP);
    • Handbook on Rules of Origin in Vietnam's FTAs;
    • The most basic issues of the FTAs
  • Organizing / presenting at 23 seminars and conferences on Vietnam's FTAs: CPTPP, ACFTA-AHKFTA, EVFTA…;
  • Implementing 20 policy recommendations - comments - research on trade integration issues, notably:
    • Policy recommendations to the Government on promoting the EVFTA process;
    • Comments on the VPA-FLEGT Agreement Bill;
    • Comment on the Draft CPTPP Approval Report and the Draft Government Resolution on the CPTPP Action Plan;
    • Research Report: Liberalization in the service sector of Vietnam;
    • Research non-tariff barriers on Vietnamese fruits exported to EU
  • Implementation of the Communication Campaign on CPTPP on the occasion of the signing of this Agreement (March 2018), preparing for the official enforcement (after all 6 countries have ratified the October 2018 Agreement), and Vietnam becoming the 7th member to ratify CPTPP (November 2018)
  • Carry out the EVFTA Advocacy Campaign to accelerate the process of legal review, proceeding to the signing and ratification of EVFTA (through policy recommendations, communication activities)

2. Assisting businesses in issues relating to trade remedies and other international trade barriers

The Center provides businesses with legal supports relating to trade integration, especially the use of anti-dumping, subsidy and safeguard measures and other trade protection measures in Vietnam and in the world.

In 2018, WTO and Integration Center provided Vietnamese associations and businesses with support and information relating to 13 cases on anti-dumping investigations domestically and internationally, submitted 02 recommendations on completing domestic legislation on Trade Remedies (Draft Circular on Trade Remedies and Early Warning Scheme in Trade Remedies); carried out 01 study on international trade protectionism trends.

3. Providing information, training, advice and other support on trade integration

Through activities on mass media, direct consultations with businesses and 03 web portals (on WTO-FTA integration, trade remedies and AEC), VCCI is currently an intensive and reputable hub of information and advice on trade integration.

  • 03 web portals of the Center are the biggest hubs to provide associations and businesses with legal information in Vietnam, namely: 
  • The portal on trade agreements and policies with 02 versions:  www.trungtamwto.vn (Vietnamese)/ www.wtocenter.vn (English); 
  • The portal on trade remedies with 02 versions: www.chongbanphagia.vn (Vietnamese) www.antidumping.vn (English);
  • The portal on ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) with 02 versions: www.aecvcci.vn (Vietnamese) www.en.aecvcci.vn (English)

By the end of December 2018, there were more than 61 million visits; Only in 2018, the total number of visits reached more than 15 million; with an average of 10 new articles posted daily;

At the same time, the Center has also compiled and published 04 newsletters; conducted hundreds of business consultations via phone, email ...

4. Implementing Programs and Projects

This is a group of activities that are meaningful to businesses and associations in improving the process of participating in the building of international trade policies. These activities are supported by the State Budget to carry out the tasks assigned to the VCCI by the Government or actively sought by the WTO and Integration Center in order to utilize the resources from the donors to support business integration of VCCI.

In 2018, The Center conducted:

  • 02 programs financed by the State budget, including:
    • The program to carry out the tasks assigned in Decision 06/2012/QD-TTg on enhancing the participation of enterprises in the trade opening negotiations; 
    • The program to support Vietnamese businesses to take advantage of opportunities from FTAs
  • 01 programs financed by other sources: 
    • Project "Policy Research and Public Procurement Practices for Wood Products in Vietnam" from September 2018 to April 2019 - Cooperation between VCCI and Forest Trends
       

5. Consulting and providing professional support on legal issues in trade integration for the VCCI’s Standing Committee and affiliates

The WTO and International Trade Center have consulted the Standing Committee, Departments, Branches, and Representative Offices of VCCI on all matters relating to negotiation and implementation of commitments in WTO, FTAs and other international trade treaties.