Evidence of meeting #56 for International Trade in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was tpp.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Linda Lapointe Liberal Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Thank you for being with us today. We greatly appreciate your being here.
Many of your companies are state-owned. What effect would the TPP have on your companies if the agreement were signed?
4 p.m.
H.E. Duc Hoa Nguyen
Do you mean how it will affect our business?
4 p.m.
Liberal
4 p.m.
H.E. Duc Hoa Nguyen
It will have an effect.
Like you here, we also have some competition among government agencies, and between government and business. It's hard to estimate or analyze how much of an impact it will have on business. I think it will have an impact, but I cannot give you an exact answer as to how much, because TPP has not been implemented. In my personal thinking, the impact will not be so much, but it has not yet been implemented. In reality it has not yet been signed, so I cannot give you the exact measure and impact of this.
4 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Mark Eyking
We're going to move over to the NDP now.
Ms. Ramsey, you have the floor.
February 14th, 2017 / 4 p.m.
NDP
Tracey Ramsey NDP Essex, ON
Thank you.
Thank you, Ambassador, for being here today and for answering our questions.
We certainly heard from many people in our travels around our country here about the benefits of the TPP that they see in the markets of Vietnam. We certainly heard that from the seafood sector and from some of the others that you mentioned. We heard them mention that this was the market in a country that they would like to increase trade with.
My question is along the lines of my colleague's. It's about the United States and the announcement of its withdrawal. I'm wondering now whether the Government of Vietnam intends to ratify the agreement.
4 p.m.
H.E. Duc Hoa Nguyen
Before I came here, the TPP was brought to our national assembly for consideration. I think that at the time it seemed that our government would go ahead.
4 p.m.
NDP
Tracey Ramsey NDP Essex, ON
That's good to know.
I have another question. If you're facing other negotiations in this regional comprehensive economic partnership that you're in the process of negotiating as well, I'm wondering how Canada-Vietnam trade relations would be affected if you achieve this free trade agreement with the countries of that regional comprehensive economic partnership. What would be the impact if the TPP does not come into effect? How would that affect the trade between our two countries?
4 p.m.
H.E. Duc Hoa Nguyen
On our economies, I cannot say, but I think that no matter whether we have or don't have the TPP, we are optimistic about our bilateral relations and trade.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Your Excellency and gentlemen, thank you so much for being here today.
I have four questions. I'll be very fast.
The first one is about looking at international education. You mentioned that as one of the areas. We're seeing an influx of Vietnamese students in Canada. Are you able to tell me the typical area of study that your students are most interested in?
4:05 p.m.
H.E. Duc Hoa Nguyen
My colleague will answer.
4:05 p.m.
Hung Son Nguyen Minister Counsellor, Political and Economic, Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Canada
Thank you for your question.
From our observations, many of the Vietnamese students who come to Canada would like to learn things that are very popular in Vietnam, so that they can easily find a job in Vietnam. For example, areas such as banking, business administration, and some technical areas such as computers, engineering, and IT or information technology, are the most popular.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Thank you.
I represent a riding in eastern Canada, so I'm very pleased to say that we are very significant players with the lobster and snow crab that hopefully are coming your way.
I want to congratulate you. I was reading about Vietnam and looking at its poverty reduction. I read that the poverty rate has been reduced from about 58% to 11%. How much would you relate that to the significance of trade? In terms of the more you are involved in trade, do you see a relationship to that in your reduction of poverty in Vietnam?
4:05 p.m.
H.E. Duc Hoa Nguyen
Of course, it is very important that we have trade to make a contribution to our poverty alleviation, and to increase and to lift a great number of Vietnamese people out of poverty. I think that's why our government has demanded a consistent policy, a policy that we be open to the outside world. This has remained unchanged. It is absolutely consistent. It's very important for our country's development: for trade, economic development, climate change and environmental issues.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Looking at trade agreements in general, we're certainly living in a time of rising protectionism. How important are these trade agreements to Vietnam as you see the future in the next 10 to 20 or 30 years?
4:05 p.m.
H.E. Duc Hoa Nguyen
It's very difficult now, I think, because our economy now is less competitive compared to other economies in our region. If protectionism is growing, it's very difficult for our businesses, particularly for our SMEs. Our government now has a policy to support SMEs, and we need Canada and other countries' support and assistance to help us with our Vietnamese SMEs. A few days ago, I had a talk with a Canadian institution, which talked about how to support our Vietnamese start-up companies and enterprises. I absolutely agreed.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Mark Eyking
Thank you.
We're wrapping up our time, but the Conservatives only took a couple of minutes.
My understanding is that Mr. Van Kesteren has a short question, so you can take the floor for minute here, if you want.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Dave Van Kesteren Conservative Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON
Ambassador, thank you for coming.
One can't have anything but the utmost respect for the Vietnamese. You suffered a horrendous war with the Americans, and shortly thereafter, I believe it was in 1976, there was a border skirmish with the Chinese as well. We certainly view you as a tenacious and a fierce country.
I'm curious. When I think about the geopolitical situation in southeast Asia, is it important for you to have this trade agreement to hedge yourself from an increasingly expansionist mainland China? Is that part of the importance of this agreement as well?