Pakistan, Vietnam to hold trade talks
A Pakistani delegation, led by Commerce Secretary Zafar Mehmood, is leaving for Vietnam on Tuesday in a bid to promote exports and achieve market access to the fast developing Southeast Asian country.
According to government officials, Mehmood along with his Vietnamese counterpart will preside over the first meeting of the Joint Trade Commission, which was formed after a trade agreement between the two countries. During the two-day deliberations, Pakistan will raise two key issues which include access for its products to Vietnamese markets and enhancement of trade between the two sides. Officials say they will take up different proposals for boosting trade relations, adding in the next phase they will discuss prospects of reaching a preferential trade agreement and then a free trade agreement.
Vietnam is a key member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and after China, it is considered among the fast growing economies of Asia. If Pakistan gets access to Vietnamese markets, exports will get a big boost and as a result trade deficit will reduce and the economy will grow.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2011.
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