Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Head of the Vietnamese Mission in Geneva. (Photo: VNA)

Mai made the suggestion during the 8th WTO (World Trade Organisation) trade policy review of Thailand for the 2016 – 2020 period held in Geneva, Switzerland, from November 24 – 26. The event provided an opportunity for WTO member states to comprehensively review Thailand’s trade, economic and investment policies over the last five years.

In her remarks, the Vietnamese ambassador highlighted strong trade relations between the two countries, given that Thailand has remained as one of the major trade and investment partners of Vietnam over the past decade and both have recently become signatory parties to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement.

She urged Thailand to take necessary measures to enhance transparency in legal provisions in several areas concerning cross-border trade, such as procedures for import licencing and quality control, Technical Barrier to Trade (TBT), Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), among others.

From the perspective of regional cooperation, Vietnam thanked Thailand for its close coordination with ASEAN member states and five dialogue partners in concluding and singing the RCEP on November 15, she said.

It sends a strong message on the region’s support for rules-based multilateral trading system, she noted, adding that Vietnam hopes the trade deal will facilitate the development of regional supply chains and contribute to the economic recovery post-COVID-19.

An ASEAN representative, meanwhile, spoke highly of Thailand as a major trade partner within ASEAN, the country’s significant contributions to strengthening the WTO and its proposal and participation in initiatives to promote the negotiations and formulation of new rules in the new areas of trade./.VNA