“Vice Premier: Striving to Negotiate with the US to Prevent the 46% Tariff from Taking Effect”

During the National Assembly questioning session this morning (June 20), Deputy Ta Van Ha (Quang Nam delegation) stated that voters and businesses are very concerned about the US’s announcement of imposing a 46% tax on some of Vietnam’s key export products.

The deputy of Quang Nam province requested that the Permanent Deputy Prime Minister provide specific solutions to support businesses in overcoming these difficulties and asked if there would be any changes in the trade strategy to protect national interests and maintain, promote international trade relations towards stability, equality, and sustainability.

Addressing the Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh during the questioning session on June 20, Vice Chairman of the Culture and Society Committee Ta Van Ha expressed the concerns of voters and businesses regarding the US’s decision to impose a 46% tax on some of Vietnam’s key export products.

In response, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh assured that the two countries are currently in negotiations, with both sides putting in their utmost effort to prevent the 46% tax from being imposed on Vietnamese goods. The General Secretary To Lam has had phone calls with the US President, and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has continuously directed and worked with ministries, sectors, and localities to implement solutions, striving to prevent the US from imposing the 46% tax on Vietnam.

The Deputy Prime Minister informed that the government’s negotiation team is actively negotiating with the US, and the prospects are positive, with both sides understanding each other better and striving to achieve the set goals. This will help alleviate some of the difficulties faced by exporting businesses.

However, given the unpredictable nature of such situations, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh emphasized the need for a long-term strategy, including the proactive restructuring of the economy to take advantage of the free trade agreements that Vietnam has signed with multiple countries. This provides a large room for economic growth and reduces dependence on a single market. “The world is vast, and we are exploring new markets and supporting businesses to export to these markets,” he added.

Additionally, domestic production needs to evolve towards deep processing instead of solely focusing on exporting fresh produce. This will contribute to higher growth. “By diversifying markets and restructuring the economy, we can navigate through unpredictable fluctuations. In case of risks, the government is prepared to provide solutions related to taxes and fees to support businesses,” the Deputy Prime Minister further assured.

Earlier in April, President Donald Trump announced a basic tax and a countervailing tax on imports from countries with a trade surplus with the US. The tax rate for imports from Vietnam was set at 46%. A week later, Trump decided to postpone the imposition of taxes on all countries except China for 90 days.

Following the US’s announcement to delay the countervailing tax and agree to initiate negotiations with Vietnam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh established a government negotiation team, headed by Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien. Since the beginning of May, the Vietnamese technical delegation has been working on bilateral trade negotiations with relevant US agencies.

At the online negotiation session on June 19 with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien expressed Vietnam’s desire to work with the US to build harmonious rules of origin that are compatible with the global supply chain, non-discriminatory, and facilitate businesses from both countries.

Resolving prolonged complaints before June 30

Also, at today’s session, Deputy Tran Van Tien mentioned that while there have been positive changes in handling complaints and denunciations, there remain complex cases that have lasted for many years without resolution, especially those related to land and site clearance… This has caused public dissatisfaction and mass complaints. In some cases, there are signs of avoidance and irresponsibility, without dialogue with the people.

“I request that the Deputy Prime Minister provide key solutions to fundamentally resolve prolonged complaints to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of citizens and maintain social stability,” asked Deputy Tran Van Tien.

In response, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh acknowledged that this is a pressing issue. So far, there have been 226 prolonged and escalated cases. The General Secretary To Lam has requested that these cases be resolved by June 30. The Government has established working groups led by government and government inspection leaders to resolve these issues in various localities.

Many localities have performed well in this regard, such as Nam Dinh and Hanoi, by proactively reviewing and dialoguing with the people to resolve issues according to legal regulations. These localities have gained the people’s consensus. The remaining localities must resolve all issues by June 30.

“I have visited more than 20 localities. Many of the over 200 cases have been resolved, and we will continue to handle them. The spirit is to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the people but also to abide by the law and maintain discipline,” Mr. Binh emphasized.