The comment was made by Prof. Ezequiel Ramoneda, coordinator at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies under the Institute for International Relations of Argentina’s National University of La Plata, during a recent interview on the threshold of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting.

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Professor Guillermo Perez Cena from Faculty of Foreign Affairs, Argentina’s 21st Century University. Photo: vietnamplus

He said the US’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement has caused difficulties for its Asian-Pacific allies such as Japan or Australia, forcing these countries to re-consider their policies towards the US as well as their important relations amid the US’s trade policy changes and trade protectionism increase.

Many countries like Japan, Australia and Vietnam are trying to re-organize the situation and the proposed agreement is a TPP deal without the US.

Vietnam plays an important role in this process, he noted, elaborating that it has made firm economic development, and its open door policy has promoted trade agreements, including TPP, with economies around the world. Vietnam is engaging in negotiations on the China-initiated Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). It has also inked a bilateral free trade agreement with the European Union and actively participated in many agreements of ASEAN.

Ramoneda said with the policy of integrating into the world, Vietnam has not only boosted economic development but also actively taken part in setting up rules of the organizations that it wants to participate in.

Vietnam has played a proactive role in building a trade model in Asia-Pacific, he added.

Regarding Vietnam-Argentina relations, he noted that the Southeast Asian nation is the second biggest Asian-Pacific trade partner of his country. The number of Argentinean tourists to Vietnam is also growing. Sound bilateral relations can also be seen in frequent mutual visits by the two countries’ senior officials and experts.

The APEC Economic Leaders’ Week is underway in the Central city of Da Nang from November 6 to 11. It features the most important events of the APEC Vietnam 2017, which is themed “Creating New Dynamism, Fostering A Shared Future”

Source: VNA