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Vietnam regrets defeat of US trade bill, hopes for new vote soon |
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| Mr Le Dung, spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Ministry |
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Vietnam expressed disappointment Tuesday at the initial defeat of a key trade bill in the US Congress, and a government spokesman said he hoped the measure would be passed soon.
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The Republican leadership of the US House of Representatives failed Monday to round up the two-thirds majority needed to rush through permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Vietnam.
The measure received 228 votes for passage and 161 against, falling short of the two-thirds needed for the passage in the 435-strong chamber under special rules to pass it without a debate.
"It is very regrettable that the US House of Representative has not approved the bill," said Le Dung, spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Ministry who said the early defeat failed "to meet with the interest and aspiration of the two countries, especially the interest of US business."
Vietnam was approved last week to become the 150th member of the World Trade Organization. However, until normal trade relations are approved, the WTO rules will not apply to trade between the United States and Vietnam.
Without the WTO regulations, Vietnamese exports - including garments, its largest non-oil export - would still be restricted in the United States while American companies could not take advantage of hard-fought WTO concessions in opening up Vietnamese markets.
The initial defeat came a few days before US President George W Bush, who has endorsed normal relations with Vietnam, is to arrive in Hanoi for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Congressional leaders have said they would resubmit the bill this week under normal debate rules, which would require a simple majority.
The same 228 votes would allow the measure to pass by simple majority in the House, but the bill would still need to be approved by the US Senate, where lawmakers seeking to protect US textile industries or punish Vietnam's human-rights record could still block its passage.
"We hope that the US Congress will approve PNTR to Vietnam at an early date, thus contributing to promoting the relations between the two countries," Dung said Tuesday.
On Monday, the Bush administration formally endorsed the bill. The president's Office of Management and Budget said in a statement that the bill would allow the United States and Vietnam to enjoy the benefits of Vietnam's membership in the WTO.
Vietnam has been hoping President Bush would arrive to normal trade relations when he attends the APEC summit in the capital city of Hanoi Saturday and Sunday.
The United States is now Vietnam's largest export market with nearly US$6 billion in exports last year.
The United States exported only about 1 billion dollars in goods to Vietnam, a trade deficit that contributes to lingering opposition to easing trade restrictions for Vietnam.
Source: German Press Agency |
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