Trade Pact with Japan to open door wider for Vietnamese exports

A free trade agreement between Vietnam and Japan will bring new opportunities for Vietnamese products to enter the Japanese market thanks to lower tariffs, a senior official says. Phan The Rue, head of the Vietnamese delegation at the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations, says the agreement, when signed, will help increase revenues from many goods exported to Japan. Tax rates imposed on some Vietnamese goods like garments and textiles will be reduced immediately while agricultural products will enjoy lower tariffs in the next five or 10 years. Tropical fruit and some processed agricultural products are currently unable to enter the Japanese market due to both tariff and food safety barriers, but under the EPA these products will have a better chance, he says.
But Japan is very strict about allowing rice, pineapples and some seafood products from other countries to enter its market as it wants to protect its agriculture sector, which is highly developed but accounts for a small part of the whole economy.