WTO General Council approves Vietnam’s membership

The Communist Party of Vietnam opened its tenth national congress in Hanoi. Delegates reviewed the first two decades of Đổi Mới and set economic and political priorities for 2006–2010. The congress...

The congress concluded after electing a new Central Committee and adopting its political and socioeconomic program. Its agenda linked industrialization and poverty reduction to continued market...

The governments announced an agreement in principle on bilateral market access, a step toward Vietnam’s WTO accession and U.S. congressional consideration of permanent normal trade relations. The...

The agreement formalized bilateral terms negotiated as part of Vietnam’s WTO accession. It moved the two states toward expanded trade after decades of war and a U.S. embargo, but accession also...

The working party accepted the documents spelling out Vietnam’s accession rights and commitments after more than eleven years of negotiations. Completion did not itself make Vietnam a member: approval...

Leaders from APEC economies met in Hanoi and issued a declaration on trade, regional cooperation, and sustainable development. Hosting the summit signaled Vietnam’s expanding diplomatic role in...

The National Assembly approved the protocol and directed agencies to review and align domestic law with Vietnam’s commitments. Ratification made the choice to join legally effective within Vietnam;...

Congress approved legislation enabling permanent normal trade relations with Vietnam. President George W. Bush described it as a step in normalizing relations and sharing in the benefits of...

Bush signed the law authorizing permanent normal trade relations with Vietnam. The act completed a major part of the U.S. side of Vietnam’s WTO accession process, connecting postwar diplomatic...

Accession integrated Vietnam into the global trade regime after years of negotiation. It accompanied export-led growth and changes in labor, agriculture, and investment. Membership brought new...