KUALA LUMPUR — Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên on Sunday had a working session with US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jacob Helberg on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The two officials discussed bilateral economic and trade relations as well as potential areas for deeper cooperation. They agreed that despite difficulties, the Việt Nam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has continued to grow fruitfully.

The year 2025 will mark 30 years since the normalisation of diplomatic relations (1995–25) and two years since the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2023–25). Diên said this milestone reflects the remarkable progress of the bilateral relations and opens up a new stage of more substantive and strategic cooperation between the two countries.

Helberg expressed strong interest in promoting collaboration with Việt Nam in artificial intelligence (AI), building resilient supply chains, and developing new energy sources.

Diên emphasised that AI is not just a technology but a key driver of productivity and national competitiveness. Therefore, Việt Nam wants to advance AI cooperation in a practical way, focusing on training, standards and technology transfer.

He added that Việt Nam has adopted policies encouraging innovation and is eager to learn from and cooperate with advanced partners such as the US. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is ready to study the potential for joint projects in this field.

On supply chains, the minister stressed that Việt Nam is actively diversifying its sources of input materials for manufacturing industries to ensure stability and resilience.

In the energy sector, Diên briefed the US side on Việt Nam’s energy development policies and called on the US to continue supporting Việt Nam in developing large-scale renewable and new energy projects associated with green financial mechanisms and technology transfer.

He raised Việt Nam’s concerns over the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s decision not to grant equivalence recognition to 12 seafood harvesting methods. This move threatens livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of labourers, undermines the international reputation of Việt Nam’s seafood industry and limits supply options for US consumers, Diên noted.

The Vietnamese minister also urged the US to consider Việt Nam’s request for early recognition of its market economy status and to remove Việt Nam from the D1 and D3 lists, which restrict exports of high-tech products. The US side took note of the proposals and said they would be carefully considered.

Both sides agreed to assign technical teams to study concrete cooperation plans and explore future joint initiatives. — VNA/VNS