HANOI, July 2 (Xinhua) -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam on Wednesday welcomed a new trade agreement with the United States during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, Vietnam News Agency reported.

He urged Washington to soon recognize Vietnam as a market economy and to lift export restrictions on certain high-tech goods.

The two leaders also discussed major directions and measures to further strengthen the Vietnam-U.S. comprehensive strategic partnership in the coming years. ■