Commerce vice-minister Wang Shouwen tells American firms he hopes they can play a ‘bridging role’ at a time of rising tensions Government also offers extra support for key foreign-funded projects as it seeks to reach out to corporations

The European Union – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) not only promotes trade and investment growth between Vietnam and the EU but also creates a driving force to boost cooperation in improving growth quality, towards sustainable development, experts said.

According to World Bank’s latest Taking Stock report, titled “What will be the new normal for Vietnam? The economic impact of Covid-19”, released ton July 30, although the Vietnamese economy suffered from Covid-19 in the first half of 2020, prospects remain positive for both the short and medium term.

The Japanese government is encouraging firms to relocate manufacturing from China to Southeast Asia. As Tokyo reacts to Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus and aggression in the South China Sea, it might foster stronger relations with ASEAN.

Vietnam exported goods worth a total US$145.8 billion in the first seven months of 2020, up by a slight 0.2% compared with the same period in 2019, according to the General Statistics Office.

Nearly 150 businesses in Hanoi, Binh Phuoc, Ho Chi Minh City and Europe were brought together at an online forum on July 29 to get the latest updates on cooperation opportunities to be presented by the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

The World Trade Organization formed a panel to rule on Japanese export controls on vital chipmaking materials to South Korea, marking the first step in what could be a yearslong process to resolve the dispute.

This the third such panel after the organisation accepted request from the European Union on the same issue

Reforming administrative procedures and improving infrastructure quality are decisive factors in capitalising on the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), heard a dialogue between officials of Ho Chi Minh City and the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) on July 28.

Vietnam's agro-forestry-fishery exports reached US$3.4 billion in July, up 4.6% from the previous month while the sector recorded a trade surplus of approximately US$5.2 billion, an increase of 3.8% on-year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).