On April 8th, at the Government headquarters, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in coordination with the Government Office, held a ceremony to announce the FTA Index for evaluating the performance of localities in implementing free trade agreements in 2024. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended and delivered a keynote address. Mr. Cao Tuong Huy, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, attended the conference at the Government headquarters; leaders of relevant departments and agencies attended the conference at the Quang Ninh provincial branch.
A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is an agreement between two or more Members to eliminate barriers to significant portions of trade between them. To date, Vietnam has negotiated, signed, and implemented 17 FTAs with over 60 partners across continents, making a significant contribution to building a stronger and more developed Vietnamese economy .
To further enhance the effectiveness of FTA implementation, in 2024 the Ministry of Industry and Trade spearheaded the development of the FTA Index. This is a quantitative, objective, and comprehensive tool, built on surveys of businesses in all 63 provinces and cities nationwide. It helps the Government, ministries, and localities promptly identify bottlenecks in the implementation of commitments and propose specific solutions for improvement, serving the guidance and management of production and import-export policies at all levels of government in a practical and effective manner.
The FTA Index survey focuses on four main aspects: FTA dissemination and awareness campaigns; implementation of FTA regulations; policies supporting enhanced competitiveness; and implementation of sustainable development commitments.
At the FTA Index Announcement Ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh awarded Certificates of Merit to 5 provinces and cities that achieved good results in evaluating the implementation of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in 2024. Leaders from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs awarded Certificates of Merit to 8 provinces and cities that achieved Good results, 14 provinces that achieved Fair results in evaluating the implementation of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in 2024; and 4 provinces and cities that achieved the Best results for the component indicators.
With a score of 30.53 points, Quang Ninh province ranked 13th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide and is among the localities achieving a "Fair" result in the assessment of the implementation of Free Trade Agreements (FTA Index) in 2024.
Speaking at the announcement ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that, in the context of globalization and increasingly deep international economic integration, Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) have become a dominant trend to promote trade exchange between countries. The Government is currently continuing negotiations with many countries and regions around the world to diversify supply chains and expand export markets. With their responsibilities and roles, each locality must continuously promote self-reliance and self-improvement; build long-term integration plans; and focus on reducing the time and cost of administrative procedures by at least 30% to facilitate citizens and businesses, creating a transparent investment environment.
Quoc Thang
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