Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, Dec. 5 (VNA) -- "Viet Nam is willing to cooperate with the U.S. in a constructive manner and with goodwill to settle issues arising in the process of implementation of the Viet Nam-U.S Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA)," spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry Phan Thuy Thanh said at a regular press briefing in Ha Noi on Thursday.

This will contribute to boosting the two countries' economic and trade ties for mutual benefits, she stressed, adding "Viet Nam has always respected the BTA's spirit".

She was answering Reuters's query on how Viet Nam assesses of BTA enactment and whether the tra and basa catfish law-suit is considered as a negative aspect of the BTA.

Thanh went on to say "The BTA was the result of the two sides' tireless endeavours and an important milestone in the process of normalisation of the two countries' ties, particularly in the economic and trade sectors, in line with both sides' interests and aspiration."

Since the BTA took effect, the relations between the two countries have become busier, she said, citing a rise in the two countries' trade and import-export.

However, some issues have arisen in the two countries' trade ties over the recent past, Thanh noted.

The American Catfish Farmers Association's lawsuit against Vietnamese businesses' dumping tra and basa catfish in the U.S. is absolutely nonsense and groundless, Thanh underscored, saying that it did not conform to the BTA's spirit as well as the principle of free trade and fair competition in the world.

"It is regrettable that some decisions made by the US so far pertaining to the case are not objective and not fair," she said.
"We hold that the US side should have an objective, fair and realistics view on the situation in Viet Nam," she added.