Vietnam's deputy prime minister, Hoang Trung Hai, proposed to the EU to end anti-dumping duties on Vietnam's footwear industry.

Vice Premier met with some European entrepreneurs in Hanoi in August 28th. He said that the EU's anti-dumping duties over the past two years had great impact on many enterprises, including European companies, especially 1 million local workers.

He also appealed to the European Union to treat Vietnam as a market economy and ask European entrepreneurs to stand up and help themselves, so as to benefit the common development of the two economies.

"Vietnam's social and economic growth in the past 20 years is inseparable from the European economy."

The deputy prime minister said so.

The Deputy Prime Minister also said that Europe has become Vietnam's most important economic partner. The volume of trade between the two sides has increased by 15 to 20 per cent each year, and it has reached 14 billion dollars last year.

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At present, Europe has invested $9 billion in 730 projects in Vietnam.