On October 25, 2024, Seminar on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement and Opportunities to Boost Vietnam's Agricultural Exports was organized by the Multilateral Trade Policy Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade.

This event is in the series of seminars held by the Multilateral Trade Policy Department aimed at disseminating information about the commitments under the RCEP Agreement. The seminar was chaired by Ms. Nguyễn Việt Chi, Deputy Director of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, with the participation of Mr. Lê Huỳnh Minh Tú, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade.

Mrs. Nguyen Viet Chi, Deputy Director of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade, delivered the opening speech at the Seminar on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement and Opportunities to Boost Vietnam's Agricultural Export

Presentations were made by Mr. Lê Thanh Hoà, Deputy Director of the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development and Director of the SPS Office of Viet Nam, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, along with representatives from various functional units of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (Multilateral Trade Policy Department, Agency of Foreign Trade, Trade Promotion Agency). The seminar also had the participation of businesses interested in RCEP markets in Ho Chi Minh City.

During the seminar, the representative from the Multilateral Trade Policy Department presented an overview of the RCEP Agreement and its commitments, especially those related to agricultural products. He introduced tools for businesses to look up tariff commitments in FTAs that Viet Nam is a member on the Vietnam Trade Respiratory (vntr.moit.gov.vn).

Mr. Quyen Anh Ngoc, Director of ASEAN Division, Multilateral Trade Policy Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade, introduced an overview of the RCEP Agreement and commitments in the RCEP Agreement

Subsequently, the representative from the Ho Chi Minh City Import-Export Management Office delved into the analysis of tariff differences in the RCEP Agreement. The Deputy Director of the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development and Director of the SPS Office of Viet Nam, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also provided insights on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures in the RCEP Agreement. Finally, the representative from the Trade Promotion Agency (former Trade Counselor of Viet Nam in China) presented the opportunities, challenges, and recommendations for businesses when accessing the Chinese market—the current largest agricultural export market for Viet Nam.

During the discussion, businesses raised numerous questions related to food safety requirements for exports to RCEP markets such as Japan, certification mechanisms for specific products, and how to participate in Vietnam's National Pavilion on Alibaba.com, among others. All questions were answered in detail by the guest speakers.

The seminar was a great success, contributing to helping agencies, associations, and enterprises in the city better understand the RCEP commitments and the opportunities and challenges they pose for their fields, thereby enabling them to effectively leverage the benefits of the Agreement.

**Multilateral Trade Policy Department**
The presentations from the seminar could be downloaded at the following link: https://bit.ly/TailieuRCEPVNTR.