Summary of the 4th Round of Negotiations on the Japan-Vietnam Economic Partnership Agreement

August 2007

1. The 4th round of negotiations on the Japan-Vietnam Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) was held from July 18 (Wed) to 21 (Sat), 2007 in Hoi An, Vietnam.
2. Participating in this round of the negotiations were: for the Japanese side, Mr. Jun Yokota, Ambassador for International Trade and Economic Affairs and the Chief Negotiator for Japan, and officials from relevant ministries and agencies of Japan; and, for the Vietnamese side, Mr. Phan The Rue, former Vice Minister of Trade and the Chief Negotiator for Vietnam, and officials from relevant ministries of Vietnam.
3. A summary of the discussion is as follows:
   • (1) Overview
     • (i) In the round, the overall negotiations were assessed in the plenary meeting at the chief-negotiator-level and such areas as trade in goods (market access, general rules, rules of origin, customs procedures), general provisions, trade in services, intellectual property, cooperation, and improvement of business environment were brought up to further deepen the discussion.
     • (ii) The 5th round of negotiations will be determined through diplomatic channels.
   • (2) Details
     • (i) Trade in Goods
       • Regarding the market access of trade in goods, both sides discussed their goods of interest with regards to both industrial goods and agricultural, fishery and forestry goods, as well as internal circumstances.
       • Views were exchanged in the areas of general rules, rules of origin and customs procedures based on the draft texts.
     • (ii) Other Areas
       • Discussions were also made in other areas, based on the draft text.