Earlier, on April 3, right after the U.S. President’s move, standing cabinet members met to assess the situation, and put forward tasks as well as response solutions.
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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting between standing cabinet members and leaders of ministries, sectors, and localities on April 5. |
The Government's leaders also held working sessions with U.S. businesses and experts to listen to and address difficulties and obstacles, deal with U.S. firms’ proposals, promote the implementation of U.S.-invested projects in Vietnam, advance negotiations to increase imports of various goods from the U.S., and adjust certain tariffs on imports from the U.S.
PM Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam’s recent concrete and practical actions have been highly positive and appropriate, demonstrating its goodwill in fostering balanced and sustainable economic and trade cooperation with the U.S.
However, if the U.S. implements its new tariff policy in the coming time, it could affect Vietnam’s economic development. Therefore, continued negotiation efforts are essential to reach a common understanding, he noted.
Highlighting the lessons learned from coping with past upheavals, difficulties, and challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, global economic downturns, and international conflicts that disrupted supply, production, and distribution chains, PM Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that Vietnam remained calm, steadfast, persistent, and resilient. The country did not panic but instead responded in a proactive, flexible, timely, and effective manner. It turned challenges into opportunities, overcame its own limitations, and demonstrated the wisdom of the Party as well as the flexible and efficient governance of the Government and relevant agencies.
According to the leader, the Vietnam-U.S. relationship is a special one and serves as a model in international relations. From former enemies, they have become each other’s leading partners, with economic and trade cooperation being a key pillar that has brought mutual benefits to both nations and their people. The two economies are complementary rather than directly competitive.
Stressing that the implementation of the new U.S. tariff policy would affect Vietnam’s export markets as well as some of its key trade partners such as China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Europe, and ASEAN, and even U.S. consumers, he highlighted the need to remain steadfast and persistent in pursuing a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralization, being a good friend and reliable partner of all countries, safeguarding national independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, while building a self-reliant and resilient economy that actively and effectively integrates into the global economy in a deep and substantive manner.
The government leader called for the implementation of both immediate and long-term, direct and indirect, strategic and specific, and targeted and comprehensive adaptive solutions. These should include both tariff and non-tariff measures and be carried out through all available channels using political, diplomatic, economic, and trade tools, he stated, adding that all efforts must consider the overall picture of Vietnam’s external economic relations and ensure that other markets remain unaffected.
The ultimate goal is to maintain national stability, create a peaceful, cooperative, and development-oriented environment in the region and the world, and support Vietnam’s fast but sustainable economic growth, PM Pham Minh Chinh emphasized.
It is a must to turn difficulties and challenges into opportunities, PM Pham Minh Chinh said, adding that the U.S.'s new tariff policy also presents a chance for Vietnam to innovate, make breakthroughs, restructure its economy, products, markets, and supply chains.
He affirmed that the government will not change its growth target of 8% in 2025, aiming to build momentum to achieve a double-digit growth in the coming years.
Accordingly, the PM directed that, along with flexible and effective macro-economic policy management to ensure macro-economic stability, control inflation, and maintain major economic balances, ministries, sectors, and localities must revitalize traditional growth drivers such as investment, exports, and consumption, especially diversifying products, markets, and supply chains, while also promoting new growth drivers and accelerating public investment.
At the same time, it is necessary to consider policies such as tax and fee reductions to support businesses affected by the U.S. tariff policy. He also stressed the need to promote domestic business activities and consumption, and strictly control product origin, branding, intellectual property rights, and efforts to prevent trade fraud.
The Government leader called for continued diplomatic exchanges and engagement with the U.S. at all levels and through all channels to address its concerns in a spirit of mutual benefit. He emphasized the necessity to work closely with US businesses to remove difficulties, deal with their proposals and petitions, and promote US investment projects in Vietnam.
Furthermore, there should be a review of import items, with the aim of increasing imports from the U.S. to balance trade, he said, adding that Vietnam will also continue studying and considering appropriate tariff reductions on certain U.S. imports.
Assigning specific tasks to each ministry and sector, PM Pham Minh Chinh asked Deputy PM Ho Duc Phoc, who will make a working visit to the U.S., to focus on implementing and realizing the contents reached by Party General Secretary To Lam and U.S. President Donald Trump during their phone talks on April 4.
He also assigned Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, who leads the task force responding to the U.S.'s tariff policy, to continue proposing and executing additional solutions to ensure balanced and sustainable Vietnam-U.S. economic and trade cooperation.
Source: VNA