US embassy cable - 05HANOI234

UNCLAS HANOI 000234 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV AND EB 
STATE PASS USTR FOR EBRYAN 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: ETRD, EFIS, ECON, VM, CVR 
SUBJECT:  VIETNAM:  AMBASSADOR'S CALL ON THE MINISTER OF 
FISHERIES 
 
 
1.  Summary.  On January 26, the Ambassador paid his initial 
call on Minister of Fisheries Ta Quang Ngoc.  The meeting 
focused largely on the benefits of trade and cooperation 
between Vietnam and the United States and the growing 
importance of Vietnam's fish and seafood sector.  Minister 
Ngoc expressed his belief that the United States will not 
only continue to be a strong market for shrimp (despite 
additional import duties imposed on Vietnamese frozen shrimp 
imports stemming from the antidumping case), but that 
Vietnamese shrimp exports to the United States will increase 
in CY 2005 and beyond.  Given the complex laws governing 
U.S. trade, it would be beneficial for both Vietnamese 
public officials and private traders to learn more about the 
U.S. legal system, Ngoc noted.  Commenting on the January 8 
incident between Vietnamese fishing boats and Chinese sea 
police that left nine Vietnamese dead and seven arrested, 
Ngoc said that it is in the best interest of both China and 
Vietnam to come up with a peaceful solution based on a 
fishing rights agreement ratified between the two countries 
last year.  End Summary 
 
2.  On January 26, the Ambassador paid his initial call on 
Minister of Fisheries Ta Quang Ngoc.  The meeting focused 
largely on the benefits of trade and cooperation between 
Vietnam and the United States and the growing importance of 
Vietnam's fish and seafood sector. 
 
U.S.-Vietnam Trade in Fish and Seafood 
-------------------------------------- 
 
3.  Minister Ngoc said that the basa (catfish) and shrimp 
antidumping cases brought against Vietnam have prompted the 
Vietnamese to learn more about the complex laws that govern 
U.S. trade.  He predicted that bilateral trade would grow, 
so it would be beneficial for both Vietnamese public 
officials and private traders to learn more about the U.S. 
legal system.  Ngoc readily acknowledged that the import 
duties imposed on Vietnamese shrimp imports by the United 
States were significantly lower than those imposed on China, 
noting that this was due to the fact that Vietnamese 
companies provided the U.S. government with good cost-of- 
production data and were able to demonstrate that Vietnam's 
fish sector does not benefit from government subsidies. 
Currently, the United States is Vietnam's second largest 
market for fish and seafood, after Japan.  Shrimp and 
seafood exports to the United States will recover quickly 
from the dip in this sector experienced in 2004 and will 
increase in 2005 and beyond, Ngoc declared.  The Minister 
stressed the importance of the fish and seafood sector to 
Vietnam's economy, especially the revenue it generates to 
poor fish farmers in the Mekong Delta and to fishermen along 
the coasts of Vietnam. 
 
China-Vietnam Fishing Incident 
------------------------------ 
 
4.  The Ambassador expressed his condolences to the families 
of the Vietnamese fishermen killed in the January 8 incident 
between Vietnamese fishing boats and the Chinese sea police. 
The Minister commented that the incident is quite serious 
and regrettable, but added that China and Vietnam are 
working together to understand clearly what transpired.  He 
added that a solution to this incident should be based on an 
agreement signed between Vietnam and China in July 2004 that 
clearly stated fishing boundaries and rights. 
 
Bilateral and Multilateral Relations 
------------------------------------ 
 
5.  The Ambassador urged Minister Ngoc to contact U.S. 
Embassy staff in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City regarding issues 
of concern to his Ministry.  The Minister said that 
cooperation between the U.S. Embassy/USG and his Ministry 
has been very fruitful over the years, noting the beneficial 
exchange of information between his Ministry and the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), for 
example. 
 
6.  At 60, Minister Ngoc has a broad background in 
fisheries.  He was a teacher at the Nha Trang Fisheries 
University from 1966-84, rising to the rank of Minister of 
Fisheries in 1996.  Minister Ngoc is a cogent and practical 
individual, who appeared to understand the U.S. 
justification for filing antidumping suits against 
Vietnamese shrimp and "catfish" and who made clear his 
desire to continue to forge closer relations on fisheries 
issues between the United States and Vietnam. 
 
MARINE