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Vietnam’s
commitments:
http://www.mot.gov.vn/mot/webs/WTO/VNM48.zip
http://www.mot.gov.vn/mot/webs/WTO/VNM48A1
http://www.mot.gov.vn/mot/webs/WTO/VNM48A2
The 14th round of multilateral
negotiation on Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) concluded on October 26, officially putting
an end to the country's 11 year long negotiation process in
order to join the world's largest trade body. The following
are the main landmarks in the process:
In June 1994, Vietnam officially
submitted its application for membership to the General
Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the precursor of the
WTO, and was accepted as a GATT observer.
On January 4, 1995, after its
establishment, the WTO officially accepted Vietnam's
application for joining the organisation. Since July 1998,
negotiations on Vietnam's accession to the WTO by the
organisation's Working Party were held in the head quarters of
the WTO in Geneva.
During the first four rounds of
talks ( July 1998, December 1998, July 1999, and from November
27-December 1, 2000), Vietnam focused on answering questions
raised by the Working Party's members regarding the
clarification of trade and economic policies.
Vietnam was recognised to
basically fulfill its policy clarification process at the end
of the fourth round, paving the way for negotiations on market
opening.
The fifth round was held on April
10, 2002 to review the situation of Vietnam's bilateral
negotiations and the country's action plans to implement some
WTO agreements.
The sixth round was held from May
12-22, 2003 in parallel with bilateral negotiations on
Vietnam's accession to the WTO.
At the seventh round, held on
December 10-11, 2003, the two parties discussed "elements of
the draft of the report on Vietnam's accession to the WTO".
The eighth round was held on June
9-18, 2004.
At the 9th round of negotiations
on December 15, 2004, the draft report of the Working Party on
Vietnam's WTO accession was discussed for the first time.
Discussions focused on the legal system, the adjustment of
economic and commercial activities to be suitable with WTO
requirements, subsidisation policies, animal and plant
quarantine, food safety and hygiene, and protection of
intellectual property.
The 10th round held on September
15, 2005 focused on the completion of the report on Vietnam's
WTO accession. Vietnam committed to implementing a series of
agreements within WTO framework right at the time of its
admission into the WTO.
The 11th round of negotiations
from September 12-18, 2005 focused on three major contents:
progresses in bilateral negotiations on open goods and
services market, the first revised version of the draft report
of the Working Party, and appraisal of Vietnam's law building
programme.
At the 12th round from March
20-28, 2006, the two sides focused their discussions on four
major contents: the process of Vietnam's bilateral
negotiations, the country's legal building programme, the
draft report of the Working Party and its working plan in the
future.
The 13th round held on July 19,
2006, focused on three major issues: reviewing the whole
process of Vietnam's bilateral negotiations, adding Vietnam's
bilateral commitments to the final commitment package, and
progresses in the country's legal building. Vietnam was
expected to complete the report of the Working Party and a
plan for Vietnam's WTO accession in the coming time.
At the 14th round of multilateral
negotiations, from October 9-26, 2006, WTO members discussed
Vietnam's WTO accession. (VNA) |
