Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien (Photo: VNA)

Addressing the event, Minister Dien affirmed support for the multilateral trade system and Vietnam’s efforts to join hands with other WTO members to deal with challenges facing the global economy.

He highlighted that since joining the WTO, Vietnam has been and will continue be wholeheartedly committed to the multilateral trading system. He said Vietnam is ready to cooperate with WTO members to strengthen the multilateral system with WTO at its core, promote and facilitate trade and investment, and ensure the vital supplies of goods and materials in the region and across the world.

Vietnam is attaching great importance to key WTO negotiations such as fisheries and agricultural subsidies, he said, expressing hope that the members can focus on topics of urgency and interest such as securing supply of food and essential goods for the people in a comprehensive and practical fashion.

At a discussion on trade and climate change on the sidelines of MC12, the minister underlined that climate change mitigation is an important factor to achieve equality in the world and the formation of an alliance of trade ministers in climate change can be a way to realise these goals, along with the enhancement of cooperation and discussion not only within the WTO but also regional and bilateral collaboration frameworks.