Geneva (VNA) – Ambassador Mai Phan Dung, head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, delivered remarks on May 27 in his capacity as discussant at Japan’s 16th Trade Policy Review (TPR) session held at the headquarters of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The session offers WTO members an opportunity to review and discuss developments in Japan’s trade policy since its previous review in 2023.

Addressing the session, Dung congratulated Japan on its notable economic achievements as the world’s fourth-largest economy and an important pillar of the multilateral trading system.

He also commended the Northeast Asian country’s commitment to advancing trade liberalisation and strengthening the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core.

Japan has remained an active and constructive WTO member across a range of key areas, including WTO reform, the dispute settlement mechanism and negotiations on fisheries subsidies, based on the principles of openness, transparency, non-discrimination and inclusiveness. In addition, Japan has continued to support trade and development initiatives through Aid for Trade programmes aimed at helping developing and least-developed members enhance their capacity for international economic integration, the ambassador went on.

Dung also highlighted several challenges facing the Japanese economy and raised questions concerning the implementation of policies and other issues of interest to WTO members in relation to Japan’s trade policy.

More than 50 members speaking at the review praised the Vietnamese diplomat’s comprehensive and insightful observations which, they noted, had made an important contribution to shaping the discussion content at the session.

The review continues on May 29, when he is expected to deliver concluding remarks assessing the issues raised by members.

Under WTO practice, the discussant is typically an ambassador invited by the Chair of the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB) on the basis of his or her standing and credibility within the organisation. This marks the first time a Vietnamese representative has been invited to serve as discussant at the TPR session of another member.

The appointment reflects the confidence of the TPRB Chair and Japan’s Permanent Mission in Vietnam as well as in the Vietnamese ambassador personally. It also provides Vietnam with an opportunity to further affirm its image as a responsible member while helping to strengthen the sound relationship between Vietnam and Japan.

Vietnam’s participation in the role also demonstrates the country’s active contribution to the organisation’s broader work and its efforts to enhance its voice, role and standing in multilateral mechanisms, in line with the direction set in the Politburo’s Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW on international integration in the new context./.