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Viewing cable 06VIENTIANE564, USTR VISIT TO LAOS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06VIENTIANE564 2006-06-22 09:48 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Vientiane
VZCZCXRO7073
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHVN #0564/01 1730948
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 220948Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0036
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 0415
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENTIANE 000564 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EB AND EAP/MLS 
DEPT PASS TO USTR FOR DAVID BRISBEE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD KIPR EFIN LA
SUBJECT: USTR VISIT TO LAOS 
 
 
VIENTIANE 00000564  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
1. Summary. On June 21 and 22 USTR Director for Southeast 
Asia and Pacific, David Bisbee, met with GoL officials from 
the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC), Customs and 
Tax Officials from the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the IPR 
officers in the Science, Technology and Environment Section 
in the Office of the Prime Minister, and the Committee for 
Investment and Planning.  With all his interlocutors, Bisbee 
emphasized the need to quickly and fully implement the 
Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the US, and to improve 
the business and investment climate generally. On behalf of 
US companies, he also made specific points regarding 
outstanding IPR and level playing field issues. End Summary. 
 
Ministry of Industry and Commerce 
--------------------------------- 
2. At MIC, Mr. Bisbee emphasized the USG's desire to engage 
with the Southeast Asian Region economically, especially in 
ASEAN contexts. He urged the GoL to keep an eye on the 
progress of Vietnam's BTA, and to emulate it. An improved 
investment climate and BTA implementation have been key to 
Vietnam's progress toward WTO accession, and should be for 
Laos, as well. He told his interlocutors that national 
treatment and IPR are among the primary BTA components, and 
that the Lao services sector, particularly, needs outside 
competition.  Countries who undertake to reform the service 
sectors benefit quickly. He reminded them of their 
obligation to share drafts of laws and regulations 
affecting trade, so that the USG may comment on them in a 
timely manner. He inquired about progress toward Lao entry 
into the World Customs Organization (WCO). MIC officials 
said that they are in the process of entering WCO, and are 
currently running a series of workshops intended to 
facilitate the process. 
 
3. The MIC praised Embassy sponsored NTR/BTA seminars 
conducted during 2005, and suggested that more such 
activities would be useful in educating the Lao business 
and official communities. They maintained that Laos is 
indeed moving forward on BTA implementation and does intend 
to eventually enter the WTO, with a second working group 
meeting before the end of 2006.  They are currently working 
to answer the questions put by the USG and Australia during 
2004-05. After mentioning that some of the items in Annex A 
of the BTA are no longer controlled, and may be removed, 
they inquired about the long-awaited (USG-produced) 
authoritative Lao Language version of the BTA, which they 
need to post on their website. 
 
STEA: Intellectual Property 
----------------------------------- 
4. At STEA, the first order of business was IPR violations 
by Lao Telecom, which has illegally acquired and retailed a 
UBC signal with American content from a Thai source. STEA's 
Director of Intellectual Property, Khalansy Keobounpanh, 
responded positively, saying that upon being informed of 
the matter by the Embassy, he had begun an investigation. 
His first approach was parried by Lao Telecom's legal 
section, which claimed to have a valid agreement with UBC 
for the signal (but did not produce it). He said that he 
will make a second approach, with greater ministerial and 
law enforcement support, beginning with an 
inter-ministerial meeting on June 26. 
 
5. In response to questions about the IPR Law, Keobounpanh 
replied that the draft law, covering patents and copyrights 
is in now in the National Assembly, but is unlikely to pass 
in this session due to the confusion of setting up a new 
government. The law will contain both civil and criminal 
sanctions and will be TRIPS compliant. Meanwhile, 
supporting regulations are also being drafted, and he 
agreed to furnish these to the USG.  He praised the 
training given him and his assistant by USPTO and hoped 
that the USG will keep it up.  Bisbee replied that an 
American IPR legal expert will shortly take up residence in 
Amembassy Bangkok, and that her expertise will be available 
to IPR enforcement offices throughout the region. 
 
Customs 
------- 
6. In response to Bisbee's questions regarding Lao Customs 
procedures, Lao Customs officials, led by Bounthoum Lomany 
complained of inadequate staff and asked for assistance in 
publishing their laws and regulations (something that can 
be done adequately on the internet). They complained of a 
lack of training and equipment. Lao Customs would welcome a 
closer relationship with US Customs, in order to build its 
 
VIENTIANE 00000564  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
capacity. Referring to the NTE, the Lao wished that US 
would take cognizance of the fact that many of the 
personnel doing customs work around the country are not 
actually Customs officials, but come from other offices and 
ministries. Bisbee remarked that the procedures they 
described were unduly cumbersome, whoever was applying 
them, and discourage commerce. When asked about tariffs 
they referred to three extant tariff schedules, newly 
revised, for ASEAN, the BTA, and regular MFN. When asked 
for clarification on any differences between the BTA and 
MFN, they promised to furnish us with the schedules. 
(Comment: Post does not expect to find differences between 
the 
BTA Annex Tables and MFN, and has told the GoL in the past 
that we expect US products to enter the country at 
the lowest rate, regardless of whether that is defined as 
an ASEAN rate or MFN.) 
 
7. The Tax Office Deputy Director, Maniwon Insisiangmai 
met with Bisbee separately to explain the GoL's impending 
switch to a VAT, and the abandonment of the current tax 
structure, which has a turnover tax that disadvantages 
imported goods and therefore violates National Treatment 
clauses in the BTA.  The law and implementing regulations 
are being drafted.  She seemed taken aback by a request to 
examine the drafts, but upon being told that this is a BTA 
requirement, she promised to request permission from the 
new Minister ASAP. 
 
CPI 
---- 
8. At the Committee for Planning and Investment (CPI) 
Bisbee took up the question of a level playing field for 
all potential investors, with special reference to an 
American soft-drink company whose application was recently 
denied for unclear reasons. Thongmy Phomvixay, the CPI 
Vice-President, insisted that all investment, especially 
American, is welcome and he outlined in detail the steps 
CPI has taken to ensure this. He referred particularly to 
the amended Investment Law, which is indeed liberal on 
paper. He claimed that investment is up (citing only the 
large Nam Theun II Hydropower Project and Australian 
Oxiana's gold and copper mining in the south-central part 
of the country), and claimed that many Americans have 
inquired about investing, though admittedly thus far only 
on small scales. He professed to be keen to further reform 
the investment climate and to attract higher levels of 
FDI. 
 
9. Bisbee maintained that the treatment afforded the 
American company in question was emblematic of the opaque 
investment climate in Laos, and strongly urged the GoL to 
reconsider their application, should they re-apply.  The 
Americans then heard from the Director of the Investment 
Office (with whom we have had previous dealings on this 
issue), who said that the market is still too small to 
absorb the products of more soft drink ventures, and that 
they should wait until 2008 or 2009. The American side 
replied that that was far too long for business purposes, and 
that in any case, this is a business decision for investors 
to make - and not properly within the purview of 
government. (Comment: The new President of CPI, Soulivong 
Daravong, who was out of the country when Bisbee visited, 
has proven to be forward thinking in the past.  Post will 
pursue this matter with him ASAP.) 
 
11. The American side mentioned an impending visit of the 
US-ASEAN Business Council in late July as an opportunity 
for the CPI to put its best foot forward and demonstrate 
that the investment climate is indeed improving. 
 
12. Bisbee departed Post before being able to clear this 
message. 
BAUER