Vietnam, US sign customs mutual assistance agreement
The Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement between the Governments of Vietnam and the US was signed in Hanoi on December 6 in the presence of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue.
Hanoi (VNA) – The Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement between the Governmentsof Vietnam and the US was signed in Hanoi on December 6 in the presence ofVietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue.
The signatories of the document were Vietnamese Deputy Finance Minister Vu Thi Mai and US DeputyChief of Mission in Vietnam Caryn McClelland.
Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister Mai said that Vietnam attaches importanceto its comprehensive partnership with the US, reflected through the VietnameseGovernment’s efforts to remove obstacles for bilateral economic-trade relationsand facilitate US firms’ business activities in Vietnam over recent times.
As part of the joint efforts in promoting healthy trade ties and cooperationbetween the two countries, in recent years, the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance,through the General Department of Vietnam Customs (GDC), and the US Departmentof Homeland Security, through the US Customs and Border Protection, haveendeavored to finalise negotiations on the Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement.
The agreement offers a legal basis for the official relationship and the cooperation,technical assistance and information exchange mechanism between the two customsagencies, aiming to prevent, detect and handle violations of customs laws.Particularly, in the context of the growing Vietnam-US trade relations,assistance activities based on the agreement will bring substantivecontributions to trade facilitation and contribute to the fight against tradefrauds and the illegal transportation of goods across each other’s territory toevade trade remedies.
For her part, McClelland hailed the agreement as an important document inVietnam-US trade ties, affirming that the US wishes to cooperate with Vietnamin various areas aiming to accelerate bilateral trade ties./.
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Illustrative image (Source: VNA) 
