Vietnam today pitched for reviewing and upgrading of the India-ASEAN free trade agreement, as the Southeast Asian country sought to deepen its economic engagement with India.
Vietnam's Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh said bilateral ties were on an upswing with several visits of dignitaries exchanged between the two countries recently and an expected "high-level" visit from India slated for later this year.
He also said the India-Vietnam defence dialogue will be held here soon and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will visit Vietnam for the joint commission meet.
Ton said there is a lot of potential for expanding trade between the two countries, especially in the textile sector.
Trade between India and Vietnam last year was USD 6 billion, but this is very small in comparison to Vietnam's trade with the world, he told reporters during an interaction at the Indian Women's Press Corps here.
"Last year, Vietnam's trade with the world was USD 420 billion. So we want to increase our trade with India," he said.
Asked if the India-ASEAN free trade agreement should be upgraded, Ton said, "It should be upgraded, it should be reviewed."
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