Decision No. 50/2002/QĐ-TTg On the establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group for the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area

DECISION OF THE PRIME MINISTER

Regarding the establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the decisions of the heads of state and government of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and senior leaders of China at the ASEAN-China Summit on November 6, 2001, in Brunei;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Trade and the Chairman of the Government Office,

DECISION:

Article 1. Establish the Inter-Ministerial Working Group to coordinate with ASEAN member countries in negotiating with China regarding the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area.

Article 2. Members of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group include:

1. A Deputy Minister of Commerce shall serve as the Head of the Working Group and a Department-level official from the Ministry of Commerce shall serve as the Chief Negotiator for Vietnam.

The Head of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group may appoint additional Deputy Heads from among the members of the Working Group.

2. Members of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group are Department-level officials from the Ministries of Commerce, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Planning and Investment, Industry, Agriculture and Rural Development, Fisheries, Science and Technology, Environment, and the General Department of Customs.

Members of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group may be changed or supplemented with representatives from other Ministries and sectors to ensure suitability with the requirements and content of each negotiation session.

The above Ministries and sectors are responsible for nominating competent, specialized, and experienced officials in international economic and trade negotiations who are fluent in English to participate in the Inter-Ministerial Working Group.

Article 3. Attached to this Decision is the Regulation on the operation of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area.

Article 4. The operating expenses of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group shall be provided by the Ministry of Finance and included in the annual budget of the Ministry of Commerce.

The Ministry of Commerce is responsible for preparing the budget for the Inter-Ministerial Working Group within the annual budget of the Ministry.

Article 5. The Inter-Ministerial Working Group shall commence operations from the date of this Decision until the conclusion of the negotiations on the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area.

Article 6. This Decision takes effect from the date of signature.

Article 7. The Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, and Heads of government agencies shall be responsible for implementing this Decision./.

Regulation on the operation of the Inter-Ministerial Working Groupon the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area

(Issued together with Decision No. 50/2002/QĐ-TTg dated April 17, 2002 of the Government Prime Minister)

I. TASKS.

The Inter-Ministerial Working Group on the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area has the following tasks:

1. To develop the content and negotiation strategies of Vietnam regarding the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area and submit them to the Prime Minister for approval.

2. To negotiate directly with China alongside ASEAN negotiation teams based on approved strategies and proposals, and with internal ASEAN agreement.

II. RESPONSIBILITIES AND AUTHORITY.

The Inter-Ministerial Working Group has the following responsibilities and authorities:

1. The Head of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group has the following responsibilities and authorities:

a) To direct and manage the activities of the Working Group in researching and developing negotiation contents and strategies based on approved proposals.

b) To assign tasks and monitor the implementation of duties by members of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group.

c) To convene and chair meetings of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group.

d) To directly work with Ministries, provincial People's Committees, research institutes, and other relevant agencies to collect and compile information and research results related to negotiation contents and strategies.

đ) Depending on the requirements and content of each negotiation session, to proactively request relevant Ministries and sectors to supplement or replace representatives participating in the negotiation team in accordance with the working tasks of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group.

e) The support staff for the Inter-Ministerial Working Group are relevant departments under the Ministry of Commerce.

2. The Chief Negotiator, a Department-level official from the Ministry of Commerce, has the following responsibilities and authorities:

a) To be directly guided by the Head of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group in preparing negotiation contents and implementing negotiation work.

b) To lead the Vietnamese negotiation team alongside ASEAN negotiation teams in negotiating directly with China and bear primary responsibility for negotiation work based on approved contents and strategies.

c) To propose negotiation team members suitable for each negotiation session.

d) To regularly report the results of negotiation work to the Prime Minister.

3. Members of the negotiation team work on a part-time basis and have the following responsibilities:

a) To propose negotiation strategies related to their respective fields for consolidation into a comprehensive strategy.

b) To participate in negotiation sessions after being assigned by the Head of the Working Group and to advise the Chief Negotiator on issues related to their respective fields.

c) To perform other tasks related to negotiation work as assigned by the Head of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group.