Decision No. 35/2002/QD-TTg dated March 12, 2002 of the Prime Minister on the Government's program of action for implementation of the Vietnam-US trade agreement

DECISION

ON THE GOVERNMENT’S PROGRAM OF ACTION FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VIETNAM-US TRADE AGREEMENT

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government of December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Government’s Resolution No. 01/2002/NQ-CP of January 3, 2002,

DECIDES:

Article 1.-To issue together with this Decision the Government’s Program of Action for implementation of the Vietnam-US Trade Agreement.

Article 2.-This Decision takes effect after its signing.

Article 3.-The ministers, the heads of ministerial-level agencies, the heads of agencies attached to the Government, the Chairman of the National Committee for International Economic Cooperation and the presidents of the provincial/municipal People’s Committees shall have to implement this Decision.

THE GOVERNMENT’S PROGRAM

OF ACTION FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VIETNAM-US TRADE AGREEMENT
(Issued together with the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 35/2002/QD-TTg of March 12, 2002)

I. OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROGRAM

The Vietnam-US Trade Agreement came into force on December 10, 2001. The State agencies, ministries, branches, levels, enterprises and people need to thoroughly understand the significance of the Agreement, the advantages and difficulties in its implementation and have the responsibility to formulate and carry out specific plans of action, with a view to bringing into full play the internal strengths, patriotic tradition and national cultural identity, making full use of the advantages and opportunities, overcoming difficulties and challenges in the course of implementing the Vietnam-US Trade Agreement (hereinafter call the Agreement for short), striving to attain the socio-economic development targets, realizing the national industrialization and modernization, and firmly maintaining national independence, sovereignty and socialist orientation.

II. MAJOR CONTENTS OF THE PROGRAM

1. Popularization of the Agreement:

a) The National Committee for International Economic Cooperation shall assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Ideology and Culture, the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Ministry of Trade in formulating and realizing specific plans so as to continue ideological work, propagating, disseminating and explaining the Agreement on mass media; help the ministries, branches, localities and enterprises thoroughly grasp the spirit and contents of the Agreement and properly perceive their rights, obligations and responsibilities in the implementation thereof.

b) The Ministry of Education and Training shall assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Science and Education, the National Committee for International Economic Cooperation and the Ministry of Trade in integrating the Agreement’s contents into the teaching program on international economic integration at the Party’s schools, public administrative schools, universities and colleges.

c) The ministries, branches, associations and enterprises may invite qualified experts being Americans or overseas Vietnamese to brief on the US’s trade policies and legislation as well as practical trade activities of the US Government (at both federal and state levels).

2. Review of legal documents:

a) The Ministry of Justice shall base itself on the results of the preliminary review of legal documents to make amendments and supplements thereto, with a view to fulfilling our country’s international commitments, to work with concerned agencies of the National Assembly and the Government in order to determine the contents of the 2002-2003 legislative program suitable to the requirements of implementation of the Agreement.

b) The Ministry of Justice shall assume the prime responsibility in compiling for submission to the National Assembly the Government’s program on the formulation, supplementation and amendment of the legal system for the whole term of the XI^thNational Assembly (2002-2006), taking into consideration the need to serve the implementation of the Vietnam-US Trade Agreement.

c) The ministries, branches and provincial/municipal People’s Committees shall review and adjust legal documents in their respective fields and under their issuing competence to suit the requirements of implementation of the Agreement.

3. On the market-opening roadmap as committed in the Agreement and the raising of competitiveness:

a) The Government encourages enterprises of all economic sectors to actively penetrate into the US market, opening representative offices and agents, making investment and participating in joint-ventures for production and business activities in this market.

b) Our country shall open the market for US goods and services according to the roadmap committed in the Agreement. The branches, localities and enterprises shall, basing themselves on this roadmap, take initiative in preparing all necessary conditions, mechanism and policies, re-structuring their enterprises and raising the competitiveness in order to open the market as pledged in the Agreement.

c) In 2002, the National Committee for International Economic Cooperation shall continue assuming the prime responsibility and coordinating with the concerned ministries and branches in completing the evaluation of competitiveness; and propose to the Prime Minister solutions to raise the competitiveness of our commodity lines and items as well as and services.

d) In 2002, each ministry, branch, locality and enterprise shall have to conduct and complete the evaluation of the competitiveness of their own goods and services; work out and apply specific measures to raise their competitiveness.

e) The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall formulate a detailed plan on attracting investment from the US and submit it to the Prime Minister in the second quarter of 2002.

f) The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment shall formulate and implement the plan on enhancing scientific, technological and environmental cooperation with the US and report it to the Prime Minister in the second quarter of 2002.

h) The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall formulate and deploy a detailed plan on enhancing agricultural cooperation with the US and report it the Prime Minister in the second quarter of 2002.

4. On the inspection of the quality of import and export goods and the protection of intellectual property right:

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment shall assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Culture and Education, the Ministry of Trade and the Government Commission for Organization and Personnel in formulating and submitting to the Prime Minister the schemes on renewing the organization, management mechanism and methods of activities of protecting the copyright and intellectual property right within the first half of 2002; and inspecting the quality of import and export goods in general and those involved in Vietnam-US commercial-economic relations in particular.

5. On trade, investment and tourism promotion:

a) The Ministry of Trade shall assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the ministries, branches, localities and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry in formulating and submitting to the Prime Minister in the second quarter of 2002 a detailed plan on promoting trade, investment and tourism in the US market along the following directions:

- To encourage enterprises of all economic sectors to visit the US to make market survey, participate in exhibitions and fairs, seek partners, consume products, attract investment and expand business;

- To encourage trade associations and enterprises to set up and develop the relations with the concerned American associations, brokerage organizations and enterprises for commercial-economic cooperation as well as product distribution and consumption in the US.

b) The Ministry for Foreign Affairs shall negotiate with the US so as to facilitate the granting of visa for entering the US for business purposes.

c) The Committee for Overseas Vietnamese shall formulate plans on mobilizing Vietnamese people in the US to advertise and join in the system of distributing and consuming Vietnamese goods.

d) Vietnamese Television shall enhance the advertisement of Vietnamese goods on VTV4 channel.

e) The Ministry of Trade and the Government Commission for Organization and Personnel shall formulate and implement the plan on opening more Vietnamese trade offices in the US.

f) The Ministry of Communications and Transport and Vietnam Civil Aviation Department shall speed up the negotiations with the US on the opening of maritime and air routes between Vietnam and the US.

6. On national security and defense:

The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Public Security shall, according to their respective functions and tasks, formulate and submit to the Prime Minister in the second quarter of 2002 the plan on ensuring national security and defense in the course of implementation of the Agreement.

7. On human resource training:

The Government Commission for Organization and Personnel shall assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training and the concerned ministries and branches in formulating and submitting to the Prime Minister in the second quarter of 2002 the plan on training and fostering the contingent of officials specialized in international economic integration in the implementation of the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement in order to raise their qualifications and capability, attaching importance to the training of a contingent of lawyers specialized in international economic and trade laws.

8. On organization:

a) The Ministry of Trade shall discuss with the US side on the establishment of the Joint Commission for the development of economic and commercial relations between Vietnam and the US, reach agreement on the Regulation on its operation according to Clause 3, Article 5, Chapter I of the Agreement, propose the composition of the Vietnamese side and submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision.

b) The National Committee for International Economic Cooperation and Vietnamese Sub-department in the Joint Commission for the development of economic and commercial relations between Vietnam and the US shall be tasked to assist the Prime Minister in organizing and directing the implementation of the Agreement.

c) All ministries, branches, levels and enterprises shall have to formulate detailed plans in order to settle and handle in time all problems, including commercial disputes which may arise during the course of implementing the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement.

The ministries, ministerial-level agencies, the agencies attached to the Government and the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall base themselves on this Program of Action of the Government to formulate their own specific programs of action.