WTO chief lands in Vietnam for inaugural visit
WTO chief lands in Vietnam for inaugural visit
Director-General of the World Trade Organization Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo is visiting Vietnam on Friday, the third destination in his Southeast Asian tour which began earlier this week.
The Brazilian man will meet with senior government officials and members of the business community in Hanoi, according to an agenda published on the WTO website.
Azevêdo is scheduled to hold talks with Vietnamese Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung and former Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang, WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell announced .
The WTO chief will also greet Vietnam’s newly elected Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, before attending a dialogue, held by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with the business community.
Although his brief visit calls for a very tight schedule, Azevêdo hopes to be told of the achievements and difficulties Vietnam has made and encountered in its ten years since joining the world’s largest trade organization, according to the spokesman.
He also expects to gain a broader understanding of Vietnam’s overall economic situation and the challenges faced by the local business community.
The WTO chief is poised to discuss the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), a trade pact that has the potential to increase global merchandise exports by up to US$1 trillion per year.
The TFA, containing provisions for expediting the movement, release, and clearance of goods, will come into effect once two-thirds of the 162-member WTO formally accept the agreement. Vietnam has already accepted the accord.
Azevêdo is the sixth Director-General of the WTO. This is his first visit to Vietnam since he began his four-year term on September 1, 2013.
He visited Indonesia on Tuesday and Malaysia on Thursday before arriving in Vietnam.
Vietnam became the 150th member of the WTO on January 11, 2007.
