The US-ASEAN Business Council hosted the luncheon for Deputy Prime Minister Khiem with an audience of 150 government and private sector leaders. This is the first visit by a high ranking Vietnamese official since their accession to the WTO and the passage of Permanent Normal Trade Relations legislation by the United States last year. Deputy Prime Minister Khiem is in Washington in advance of the trip of President Nguyen Minh Triet later this year.

Prior to the luncheon, the Deputy Prime Minister and his delegation had a roundtable discussion with the sponsoring members of the US-ASEAN Business Council. During the roundtable, the Council commended Vietnam for its highly successful hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in November 2006, and its recent accession to the WTO. The number of companies represented in the roundtable demonstrated the level of US business interest in Vietnam and how now, more than ever, Vietnam is a fertile space for business and investment opportunities.

The roundtable participants included representatives from AES, Alcoa, Black & Veatch, The Boeing Company, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, DIAGEO, GANNON, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Liberty Mutual, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Oracle, National Pork Producers Council, South China Seafood, and Vietnam Partners LLC.

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The US-ASEAN Business Council and affiliates are dedicated to strengthening bilateral and US ASEAN relations and building strong economic and commercial ties. Members of the Council include Fortune 1000 companies in support of promoting trade, investment, and technology cooperation, advancing US ASEAN relations through strong participation in public-private partnerships, and committing to development and corporate social responsibility. The Council's members are represented in diverse industries, including aerospace, agribusiness, automobiles, computers and information technology, consumer goods, energy exploration and development, express delivery services, financial services, health care and pharmaceuticals, media & entertainment, mining, software, and telecommunications.

For information on the US-ASEAN Business Council or general information visit www.us-asean.org.