Vietnam hopes to receive further support from the Rules Committee of the US’s House of Representative in boosting ties between the two countries as well as two parliaments.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai made the remarks during a reception for visiting Chairman of the Rules Committee of the House of Representative David Dreier in Hanoi on August 6.

Hai expressed his delight at the development of Vietnam- US ties over the past years. He highly valued Dreier’s support in granting the Permanent Normal of Trade Relations (PNTR) to Vietnam , which significantly contributed to the development of the trade ties between two countries.

He spoke highly of Dreier and other congressmen’s contribution to the progress of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, adding that he hopes for support to Vietnam in the US ’s early recognition of the country as a market economy, giving Vietnam the generalised system of preferences and creating favourable conditions to boost goods exchange between the two countries.

For his part, Dreier affirmed that he will continue to do his utmost to contribute to strengthening the cooperation between the two countries, particularly in trade.

On the same day, Dreier was received by Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Minh said he is pleased at the sound relations of the two countries, particularly the cooperation between the two parliaments.

He emphasised that economic, trade and investment will continue to be main focuses as well as the motivation of the two countries’ bilateral ties.

Minh affirmed that Vietnam will continue to better its investing environment, creating more favourable conditions for foreign investors, including those from the US , who seek business opportunities in Vietnam . He also asked the US to remove all existing trade barriers for Vietnamese exports at an early date.

Dreier spoke highly of the achievements that Vietnam has gained in its cause of renewal, affirming that the US hopes to further bolster the relations between the two countries, especially in economy, trade and investment.

He voiced support to the removal of all obstacles for Vietnamese products, especially agricultural products, when exported to the US market.

Also on August 6, Dreier met National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan who affirmed Vietnam ’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of relations and being a reliable friend and partner and a responsible member of the international community.

Ngan suggested that in the coming time, the two parliaments further increase the exchange of delegations as well as boost cooperation between their committees in the fields of legislation and supervision, thus strengthening understanding, building trust and minimising differences between the two nations.

Dreier spoke highly of the role of female leaders in the Vietnamese National Assembly. He also affirmed the importance of the leadership of women in the current age, adding that women account for 17 percent of total seats in the US parliament./.