Vietnam firms peeved at government’s WTO silence
Vietnamese enterprises are desperate to know what commitments the government has made to other countries to achieve WTO membership.
Their concerns have been rising since May when the country concluded bilateral talks with the US over membership.
The Trade Ministry had said then the commitments were still being finalized.
The draft texts of commitments were being circulated to other countries whose approval was first needed and it would thus be a violation if they were made public, it had said.
Ngo Trung Khanh, a member of the Vietnamese negotiating team, said the situation had not changed until now: the draft package was yet to be completed.
The WTO Secretariat and Vietnam were translating bilateral deals into lengthy detailed commitments, also known as schedules, he said.
Deep concern
Tran Quoc Manh, director of the Ho Chi Minh City-based Sadaco, a leading furniture manufacturer, said since the wood industry’s revenues were mainly from exports, WTO accession would bring more opportunities than challenges.
It would enable domestic firms to access promising markets that had hitherto raised tax barriers – like the US and EU.
Most businesses did not have a clear understanding of the situation yet or the challenges and opportunities that awaited them.
Despite being deputy chairman of the HCMC Association of Wood Processors he knew about the WTO commitments only through the media, he said.
Nguyen Duong Thanh Hoang, director of another city-based company, electronics firm Son Ca, said WTO membership offered excellent opportunities for electronics producers.
But they would have to understand international laws, particularly intellectual property laws, something at which domestic enterprises remained sketchy.
The government’s commitments should be made public as soon as possible so that local businesses could know what they had to do to prepare for the fierce competition post-WTO.
By Nguyen Hang - Thanh Nien - September 27, 2006.
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