Fourth Meeting – The Committee on International Trade Policies

Time:             8h00 – 12h00 Friday, December 23th,  2011

Venue:            International Conference Center, 11 Le Hong Phong, Hanoi

On December 23th, 2011, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) held the “Fourth Meeting – The Committee on International Trade Policies” in Hanoi. This event belongs to VCCI’s Program “Enterprises and International Trade Policies” in the framework of Project MUTRAP III (Multilateral Trade Assistance Project, Component III EU – Vietnam) sponsored by European Union.

The Committee on International Trade Policies (the Committee) is a unit under VCCI, served as a forum between State Agencies and the business community in order to enhance the participation of the business community into the process of negotiating and implementing international trade commitments.

After two years of operation, the Committee has achieved significant results, which include lobbying the Government to recognize the role of the business community in the process of negotiating international trade agreements. Specifically, in the official dispatch number 9317/VPCP – QHQT issued on 24/12/2010 by Government Office, the Prime Minister has directed the relevant ministries and Government Negotiators Delegation to strengthen business community’s point of view on international trade commitment negotiations through the VCCI. In 2011, under the guidance of the Prime Minister, the Committee conducted two broad policy advocacy campaigns related to: i) the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and ii) Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA Vietnam - EU) and dozens of other policy recommendations. Additionally, the Commission continued disseminating and propagating international trade policy by the website www.trungtamwto.vn (Vietnamese version) and www.wtocenter.vn (English version), publishing quarterly “Enterprises and International Trade Policies” newsletters, fulfilling the content of handbook on international trade policy advocacy, and holding a number of workshops and training courses on the subject of integration.

The meeting also outlined plans on the Commission's activities in 2012, which continue and expand operations in 2011 such as: propagation, dissemination of information via the website, newsletters and publications on  integrating; the workshops, and training courses on international trade capacity for associations and businesses; and advocacy campaigns related to TPP, Vietnam-EU FTA and give new topics such as: Vietnam’s negotiating strategies on FTAs, other agreements or treaties which have great impact to businesses in the next 10 years.

The Materials can be downloaded here