July 23, 2001
The Honorable
United States Congress
Washington, D.C.
Dear Representative,
As members of a coalition of American businesses, farm groups, and associations,
we urge you to support the Jackson-Vanik waiver for Vietnam and the passage
of annual Normal Trade Relations (NTR) before the August 2001 recess.
The United States and Vietnam concluded a comprehensive Bilateral Trade
Agreement (BTA) on July 13, 2000, opening the door for granting annual
NTR to Vietnam. The BTA was submitted to Congress on June 8 and now awaits
approval.
Congressional passage of the trade agreement will extend annual NTR to
Vietnam for the first time since the Vietnam War, thereby creating new
opportunities for American business and agriculture. The BTA addresses
trade in goods and farm products, trade in services, intellectual property
rights and foreign investment. This will create greater market access,
increased transparency and lower tariffs for U.S. exporters and investors
in Vietnam. These provisions will enable American companies and products
to compete effectively in the Vietnamese market, which will benefit American
entrepreneurs, workers, farmers and consumers. At the same time the United
States will extend to Vietnam the tariff treatment it grants to virtually
every other country in the world.
Timely Congressional approval of the U.S.-Vietnam Trade Agreement is
important not only to U.S. business interests and the overall trade agenda,
but to U.S. foreign policy interests as well. These include cooperation
on MIA, immigration and other bilateral issues. It is important for the
U.S. to demonstrate its support for Vietnam’s integration into the
global economy. Secretary Powell’s planned visit to Vietnam July
25 for the annual ASEAN Regional Forum meeting is an excellent opportunity
to convey this message to the new leadership of Vietnam. This will be
an important time to show progress on both annual NTR and the Jackson-Vanik
waiver. The State Department has urged prompt Congressional action on
this agreement.
We would like to thank you for your favorable consideration and look
forward to working with you on expeditious passage of annual NTR with
Vietnam, and renewal of the Jackson-Vanik waiver.
Sincerely,
3M Vietnam
ABB
ACE INA Insurance
AIPF
Amata (Vietnam) Co. Ltd.
American Apparel and Footwear Association
American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, Hanoi Chapter
American Chamber of Commerce in Japan
American Chamber of Commerce of Malaysia
American Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka
American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines
American Express Company
American Feed Industry Association (AFIA)
American Forest and Paper Association
American Home (Vietnam) Ltd.
American Insurance Association
American International Assurance Company Vietnam, Ltd.
American International Group, Inc
Anheuser-Busch Companies
Ann's Tours
Antieri & Associates
AON Inchinbrok Insurance Services
APEX Vietnam
APL Limited
Asia Injury Prevention Foundation
Automotive Trade Policy Council
Avon Products, Inc.
Baker & McKenzie, Vietnam
Bank of America
BD Services Company
Bechtel Corporation
Bio-Rad Laboratories
Black & Veatch Corporation
Boston International Trade Group, Inc.
BP Vietnam
The Boeing Company
Bridgecreek Development
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
C&G Furniture
California-Asia Business Council
California Council for International Trade (CCIT)
Cargill, Incorporated
Carrier Vietnam Ltd.
Caterpillar
CDM International Inc. (USA)
Chicago Bridge & Iron Co
The Children's Place Retail Stores, Inc.
Chinook Trading Co.
CHS Cooperatives
The Chubb Corporation
Cisco Systems
Citigroup Inc.
The Coca Cola Company
Conoco Vietnam
Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Controls, Inc.
Craft Corporation
Crane International Inc.
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Delta Equipment & Construction Co.
DianeMcCree Associates
Direct Selling Association
DKT International
Eastman Kodak Company
Elken Design LLC
Emergency Committee for American Trade
Fashion Garments Ltd.
Fashion Manufacturing & Trading Co., Ltd
Federal Express Corporation
FOCAL
Footstar, Inc.
Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America
Ford Vietnam Ltd.
Fund for Reconciliation and Development
The Gap
General Electric Company
Genesco Inc.
Global Standards, Inc.
Global Village Foundation
Halliburton Oil Services Vietnam Ltd.
Hanoi Horizon Hotel
Heart to Heart International
Herbalife International
Hills & Company, International Consultants
Hilton Hanoi Opera
HPH Development Co., Ltd.
Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA)
Indochina Capital
Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)
Ingersoll-Rand Company
Inkstones USA
Intel Corporation
International Association of Drilling Contractors
International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses
International Business Machines
International Development Enterprises
International Marketing & Agribusiness
International Mass Retail Association
J. P. Morgan Chase & Co.
J. Ray McDermott Middle East Inc.
Johnson & Johnson
KHM Inc.
Kimberly Clark Corporation
Kmart Corporation
Le Viet Canh & Vuong Ngoc Quyen Foundation
LIG Products Ltd
The Limited, Inc
Linmark
Liz Claiborne, Inc
LukeMax Company
Manolis & Company Asia
Mansfield Toserco
Marriott International, Inc.
McDermott, Inc.
Mercury International Trading Corporation
Meridian Compass Ltd.
Monsanto
Morgan Stanley
Motorola
National Association of Chain Drug Stores
National Association of Manufacturers
National Center for APEC
National Electrical Manufacturers Association
National Foreign Trade Council
National Oilseed Processors Association
National Retail Federation
New York Life International
NFO Vietnam
NIKE
North American Export Grain Association
Northwest Airlines, Inc.
Northwest Horticultural Council
OKTAVA Ltd.
Oracle Corporation
Pacific Architects and Engineers Inc
Pacific Basin Partnership Hanoi
Pacific Ventures Inc
Pacific View Partners, Inc
Payless ShoeSource, Inc.'s
Pepsi Co., Inc.
Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association (PESA)
Port of Los Angeles-Vietnam Office
Port of Seattle
Price Water House Coopers, Vietnam
Procter & Gamble
Qualcomm
Quantum Enterprises, Inc.
quantumStream Systems Inc
Raytheon Company
Reebox
Republicans Abroad Vietnam
Robert J. Goldstein & Associates, Inc.
Russin & Vecchi
Samuels International Associates, Inc.
San Francisco Mayor's Office of International Trade and Commerce
Shonac Corporation
State of Oklahoma - Department of Commerce
State Street Bank and Trust Co., Boston
SWA Vietnam Company Ltd.
Taylor Nelson
Texas International Trade Alliance
The Topline Corporation
Tropic Dane Company
US-ASEAN Business Council
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
U.S. Trade Assistance, Inc
U.S.-Vietnam Trade Council
U.S. Wheat Associates
Unisys Corporation
United Industries Vietnam
United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (US-ITA)
United States Council for International Business
United States Technology
United Technologies Corporation
UNOCAL Corporation
United Parcel Service
USA Groups
Viamko Trading Inc.
Viet Ha
Viet-Sin International Hanoi
Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped
Vietnam Energy Recovery, Inc.
Vietnam Enterprise Group
Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation
Vietnam Veterans of Massachusetts, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc
Warnaco
Washington Council on International Trade
Western Flavors and Fragances, Inc.
Wheat Export Trade Education Committee
World Food Logistics Organization
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