Sang calls for greater US trade co-operation   Viet Nam President Truong Tan Sang (right) meets US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for comprehensive talks about trade between the two nations. WASHINGTON, DC (VNS)— President Truong Tan Sang yesterday asked the US to remove any barriers preventing Vietnamese goods from entering the country during a meeting with US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Sang met the pair as part of his ongoing three-day visit to the US. During the encounter, he emphasised that the future Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) must take into account the differences in the development levels of member countries. The president received assurances that the US would speed up TPP negotiations and praise was offered for the progress so far. Vilsack said the US would further help Viet Nam develop human resources and agricultural training. Sang declared that commerce and trade are the vital to US-Viet Nam bilateral relations, and requested that all effort is undertaken to ensure that the rights of Vietnamese workers and companies are protected. The Vietnamese leader stressed that cases of price dumping had negatively affected millions of Vietnamese farmers and the country's efforts in poverty reduction. He also asked the US to soon recognise Viet Nam's market economy status. Sang is scheduled to meet US President Barack Obama later during the trip. - VNS