Vietnam attends the 20th APEC Trade Ministers Meeting

Within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the 20th APEC Ministerial Meeting on Trade (MRT 20) opened on the morning of May 17 in Qingdao, China. The Vietnamese delegation led by Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang attended the conference.

Overview of the conference. Photo: THX/TTXVN

Taking place on May 17 and 18, the purpose of the 20th APEC Trade Ministers Meeting is to implement APEC's priorities in 2014 and prepare for the 22nd APEC Summit to be held in Beijing, China in November this year. Speaking at the meeting this morning, Minister Vu Huy Hoang emphasized Vietnam's priorities for cooperation within the APEC framework such as: connecting supply chains, supporting capital for small and medium enterprises, increasing investment in infrastructure development, etc.

On the sidelines of the conference, on May 16, Minister Vu Huy Hoang had a bilateral meeting with Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng. At the meeting, Minister Vu Huy Hoang stated that China's illegal placement of the Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling rig in Vietnam's continental shelf and exclusive economic zone is a violation of Vietnam's sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction, a serious violation of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) between ASEAN and China, as well as the common understanding reached between the two countries' senior leaders. Vietnam protests and demands that China immediately withdraw the drilling rig from Vietnam's waters.

Regarding the recent protests by some Vietnamese workers at some foreign-invested projects against China's violations of Vietnam's sovereignty, Minister Vu Huy Hoang said that the cause of the incident was China's violations of Vietnam's sovereignty. In the process of expressing their protests, the majority of Vietnamese people showed a calm attitude and respected the law. However, some radical elements have committed acts that disrupted public order and damaged the property of enterprises. The Minister affirmed that the Vietnamese government and relevant ministries have taken resolute measures to handle the above-mentioned violators to ensure the safety of life, property and normal production activities of foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam, including Chinese enterprises.

At the meeting, both ministers expressed their desire to strengthen bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation for the benefit of the people of both countries. Vietnam also pledged to actively participate and contribute to the success of the 20th APEC Trade Ministers' Meeting.

In addition, Minister Vu Huy Hoang also had bilateral meetings with US Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman, South Korean Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy Yoon Sang Jick and the US Business Alliance led by the US Chamber of Commerce. During the meetings, Minister Vu Huy Hoang informed about China's violations of Vietnam's sovereignty and pledged that Vietnam will apply measures to ensure safety for normal production and business activities of foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam.

According to VNA/Tintuc