Vietnam strengthens legal cooperation with WTO on international trade

World Trade Organization (WTO) headquarters in Geneva (Switzerland). Photo: Getty Images/TTXVN

According to VNA correspondent in Geneva, opening the workshop, Ambassador Mai Phan Dung, Head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to the UN, WTO and other international organizations - introduced the socio-economic development situation of Vietnam, the achievements as well as challenges when Vietnam joined the WTO.

Ambassador Mai Phan Dung affirmed that he always highly appreciates and values the support of ACWL in recent times in providing consulting opinions on WTO law in particular and trade law in general for Vietnam.

In addition, the Ambassador highly appreciated ACWL's support for the Vietnamese Government in the process of participating in dispute settlement at the WTO, as well as helping to improve the professional level of international trade law for domestic legal officers and Vietnamese diplomatic officers working in Geneva through organizing training courses and seminars providing legal advice.

As a member of ACWL since late 2009, Vietnam has made good use of the legal support and technical assistance services provided by this organization.

In the context of the US recently announcing a new tariff plan, ACWL's lawyers have provided an overview analysis and assessment of Washington's countervailing tax measures in comparison with WTO regulations.

These unilateral measures have raised concerns among other WTO members in recent times and increased the number of trade disputes with the US at the WTO.

ACWL's lawyers also analyzed some of the bilateral agreements that have been discussed recently and emphasized that bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) would be considered appropriate (exempted from the most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment obligation) if they comply with the provisions of Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 - that is, eliminating restrictions on the majority of trade activities between the parties. The recently discussed agreements are not considered FTAs under this definition.

Also at the conference, Deputy Head of the Vietnamese Delegation in Geneva - Minister Counselor Pham Quang Huy chaired the discussion session with the aim of bridging the way to answer legal questions raised by representatives of several ministries and sectors in Vietnam.

ACWL is a center established in 2001, with the mission of consulting and training on WTO law, supporting WTO dispute settlement procedures for developing and underdeveloped countries that request service provision.

Although the WTO's appellate body has been inactive since 2019, the WTO dispute settlement mechanism is generally considered the preeminent international dispute settlement mechanism in modern international law.

Independent organizations such as the ACWL are recognized for their role in providing necessary legal assistance services to developing and least-developed countries to enable them to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the WTO.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/kinh-te/202505/viet-nam-tang-cuong-hop-tac-phap-ly-voi-wto-ve-thuong-mai-quoc-te-23e1f2c/