On February 21, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, for three days of meetings with senior Vietnamese government officials to discuss issues of importance in our bilateral trade and investment relationship, and issues relating to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.
Ambassador Marantis began his visit by meeting with Vietnam's Vice Minister for Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, Nguyen Thanh Hoa, where he discussed anticipated revisions to Vietnam's labor and trade union laws in the context of the TPP.
Ambassador Marantis next met with Vice Minister of Public Security To Lam, where he discussed the importance of our strong bilateral relationship, and addressed issues of concern to the United States, including the blocking of Internet service providers, and the connection between our trade relations and Vietnam's human rights position.
In a meeting with the Minister of Industry and Trade, Vu Huy Hoang, Ambassador Marantis discussed the opportunities offered by the TPP and reviewed a number of key issues under negotiation, including market access for goods and services, investment, and e-commerce. The two sides also discussed outstanding bilateral trade issues, including market access for U.S. exports of variety meat products.
Ambassador Marantis concluded his first day by attending a reception hosted by the American Chambers of Commerce of Hanoi and Singapore, where he gave brief remarks alongside U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam David Shear, and U.S. Ambassador to Singapore David Adelman.
