The Ministry of Industry and Trade focuses on many solutions to promote integration

Dear Minister, how has the participation of FTAs in the past time affected the trade balance of Vietnam?

One of Vietnam's top priorities when negotiating, signing and implementing FTAs is to improve its trade balance, facilitate investment and production, and contribute to boosting the economic growth.

With a series of important bilateral and multilateral FTAs that have been signed and came into effect recently, including five ASEAN FTAs with six partners: China, Korea, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand; Four bilateral FTAs are the Vietnam-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement; Vietnam-Chile FTA, Vietnam-South Korea FTA and Vietnam-EU FTA, Asia-Europe Economic Coalition, in 2016 and 2017, the trade balance of Vietnam has shifted from deficit to surplus. Specifically, in 2016, Vietnam's trade surplus was $US 1.78 billion and in 2017, its surplus estimated to reach $US 2.67 billion.

2018 is an important milestone in the process of economic integration of Vietnam, so could you tell us about, what are the solutions that the Ministry of Industry and Trade will promote to effectively exploit the FTAs and minimize the negative impacts?

In order to ensure the effective implementation of signed FTAs, in 2018, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will focus on implementing 6 solutions.

Firstly, continue reviewing and assessing the impact of the signing and implementation of FTAs in each sector in order to adjust the sectoral development strategy accordingly and to deal quickly with urgent problems arising during the implementation of the commitments.

Secondly, strengthen administrative reform, improve the business environment to enhance the competitiveness of the industries and the business community in the country.

Thirdly, consult the Government for policies promulgation to promote the increase of value added in all sectors, giving priority to important sectors of the economy such as processing industry, especially agricultural product processing, supporting industries and business support services; step up the implementation of the "Overall Strategy on International Integration to 2020, with a vision to 2030" in almost all sectors and deploy the project on boosting the support for enterprises to make full use of existing FTAs and reduce trade deficits from some FTA partners in the region, making trade more balanced and more profitable for both parties.

Fourthly, continue to persuade partners, especially big partners, to recognize early Vietnam's market economy status and effectively deal with economic and trade disputes and problems in order to ensure the interests of workers and businesses.

Fifth, develop the new way of international integration, determine the focus of foreign affairs in the coming time and new measures, new ways of doing things, closely cooperate with national defense and security, economy... to serve more effectively the goals of development and protection of national security.

Sixth, continue to actively participate in negotiating a number of other FTAs to expand the export market and promote opportunities to participate in regional value chains for our businesses such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Vietnam-Israel FTA.

Good implementation of the National Single Window (NSW) has been considered as one of the factors contributing to the reduction of time, effort but increasing the competitiveness for enterprises in economic integration. What have the results of NSW implementation in the fields of the Ministry of Industry and Trade achieved, Minister?

Over time, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has coordinated with the General Department of Customs to bring administrative procedures of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and applied them to the NSW; built and put into operation 5 administrative procedures with good effect, including: Granting preferential form D; Licensing imported large displacement motorcycles; Licensing of imported ozone depleting substances; Granting the Kimberley Process Certificate for rough diamonds and licensing industrial explosive materials.

In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has been coordinating with the General Department of Customs to connect 6 new administrative procedures with the NSW, including: (1) Procedures for licensing import and export of industrial explosive pre-substance; (2) Procedures for granting licenses for import and export of pre-substances for industrial use; (3) Procedures for declaration of imported chemicals; (4) The procedures for importing cigarettes for non-commercial purposes; (5) Procedures for requesting the issuance of approval to participate pilot of self-certification of origin in ASEAN; (6) Procedures for notification of quota for tobacco raw materials, cigarette paper.

As a result, the Ministry of Industry and Trade together with the General Department of Customs successfully connected the electronic form D with the ASEAN Single Window (ASW) to four countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. For the remaining 4 administrative procedures, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has upgraded the technical system of other procedures of the Ministry, ensuring that 100% of dossiers are made in electronic environment.

Could your share more clearly about what are the solutions that the Ministry of Industry and Trade will apply to improve the implementation’s efficiency?

In the coming time, in order for NSW to operate more efficiently and contribute more to economic growth, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will actively coordinate with the General Department of Customs to continue reviewing, improving the legal basis and administrative procedures serving for the implementation of the NSW, ASW and other related contents, including:

Firstly, perfecting the legal corridor that is more adequate for the use of electronic vouchers, electronic records in administrative procedures; Completing the legal framework for the implementation of the NSW, ASW and specialized inspection activities in a way that facilitates and simplifies procedures and allows the exchange of electronic documents with international trading partners to promote trade and logistics.

Secondly, further strengthening the simplification of documents that need to be submitted/ presented in the direction of making full use of the available databases of relevant state management agencies, avoid filing multiple times for the same type of paper...

Thirdly, further improve the efficiency of specialized inspection of imported and exported goods; apply risk management methods in specialized inspection of export and import goods; enhance post-test.

Fourthly, increase investment in facilities, resources, improve the quality and effectiveness of specialized inspection activities; intensify communication and training activities, and raise the capability of specialized inspection activities for export and import enterprises as well as units and organizations involved in the specialized inspection of import and export goods.

Lastly, actively promote the training, propaganda and support the relevant management agencies, people, and enterprises in the implementation of administrative procedures on the National Single Window.

Thank you, Minister!