(VOVworld) -In a keynote address to the 2014 WTO Public Forum, Ambassador Nguyen Trung Thanh, Vietnam’s permanent representative to the United Nations, highlighted Vietnam’s economic development, its opportunities and challenges.

Ambassador Nguyen Trung Thanh, Vietnam’s permanent representative to the United Nations,

Thanh emphasized the important role of international trade in Vietnam’s economic development, Vietnam's evolution to the market economy and integration into the global economy. Since Vietnam joined the WTO 15 years ago, its total trade turnover has burgeoned more than 10-fold, about 25% per year. Thanh said the year 2012 marked a milestone with the recording of the first trade surplus in the past two decades. For foreign investors, Vietnam is one of the most dynamic countries in Asia and has rich natural resources. Thanh said the Vietnamese government is committed to boosting economic reform, ensuring politic stability, and creating social consensus on economic policy.

Entitled “Why trade matters to everyone”, the WTO Public Forum 2014 had 68 sessions with the participation of many leading economists, senior officials, and representatives from non-governmental organizations and other international organisations. WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo affirmed trade has made huge contributions to global economic growth. Trade-related issues, bad or good, involve all people and affect the quality of day-to-day lives of citizens around the globe.