Day: May 20, 2023

Vietnam’s permanent representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Pham Viet Anh had affirmed the country’s commitment to fully and responsibly implement the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) while attending the Fifth Review Conference to examine the CWC operation held in The Hague from May 15 to 19.

Anh, who is Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands, lauded significant achievements obtained by member states in the destruction of declared chemical weapons and the OPCW’s indispensable role as an important tool to maintain security and peace for a world without chemical weapons in particular and weapons of mass destruction in general.

The ambassador reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent stance on backing non-proliferation of and complete and verifiable disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons. Vietnam condemns any use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, under any circumstances and for any motive, he stated.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese delegation proposed that all activities of the OPCW should strictly comply with the functions and tasks specified in the CWC; their publicity, transparency, objectivity should be enhanced and politicisation prevented; and cooperation and dialogue should be promoted to resolve differences.

Vietnam urged the OPCW to promote its functions and capabilities to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of countries in developing the chemical industry safely and securely, for peaceful purposes; facilitate the utilisation of human resources from developing countries, with a focus on geographical balance; and support the idea of building and scaling up regional centres to pool resources serving the implementation of the convention, including carrying out an initiative to establish an ASEAN regional centre on CWC implementation capacity building.

Vietnam also suggested promoting the role of the Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech) in supporting equipment and training staff for member countries; and opening up more employment opportunities at ChemTech for officials from member countries, especially developing ones.

The CWC was signed in 1993 and came into force in 1997. Vietnam inked the convention from the first day – January 14, 1993. So far, the OPCW has been operating for 26 years and member countries have destroyed more than 99% of the declared chemical weapons under its control. The US has committed to destroy the remaining weapons before September 30 of this year./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received executives of several major Japanese economic corporations in Hiroshima city, Japan, on May 20 on the occasion of his attendance at the expanded Summit of the Group of Seven (G7).

At a reception for Yoshida Akio, Representative Executive Director of AEON Co. Ltd, PM Chinh highly valued the positive and effective contributions of AEON to the development of retail and export sectors in Vietnam.

He suggested that AEON select Vietnam as its global business hub and continue investing in more shopping centres and outlet malls in suburban areas. Furthermore, he encouraged AEON to invest in the construction of shopping centres in more cities and provinces with high average per capita income, dense population and tourism potential like Quang Ninh, Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Thai Nguyen, Nghe An, the Central Highlands, Khanh Hoa, and An Giang.

The PM also proposed AEON bring more Vietnamese goods to the global supply chain, especially goods of Vietnam’s strength such as apparel, footwear, aquatic and agricultural products.

Yoshida, for his part, said Vietnam is the biggest investment destination for AEON globally, with over 1.18 billion USD invested. AEON has opened six shopping centres in major Vietnamese cities and provinces, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Thua Thien Hue, and more.

Agreeing with PM Chinh’s proposals, Yoshida affirmed that in the coming time, AEON will develop about 20 shopping centres in Vietnam, focusing on supermarket and entertainment facilities. It will also expand the import of Vietnamese goods for distribution in over 20,000 shopping centres in Japan while offering scholarships to Vietnam for human resources training, as proposed by the Vietnamese leader.

In the morning the same day, PM Chinh held a working session with Prof. Ochi Mitsuo, President of Hiroshima University; Kazuhisa Matsumoko, CEO of Satake Corporation; Yamasaka Tetsuro, Chairman of Balcom Corporation; and leaders of seven businesses from the central and southern regions of Japan.

He praised the initiatives put forth by Hiroshima University and the businesses from the central and southern regions of Japan to enhance cooperation with Vietnam in various areas in the coming time, especially in agriculture, education and training, human resources development, digital transformation, green transition, climate change adaptation, knowledge economy, circular economy, and private hospitals. The PM wished that Hiroshima University would study the establishment of training facilities and branches in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese leader asked firms from the central and southern regions of Japan to work closely with the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, the Vietnamese Consulate General in Fukuoka, ministries and agencies to materialise their plans.

The Vietnamese Government is committed to providing support and creating favourable conditions for Japanese enterprises, and businesses from the central and southern regions of Japan in particular while doing business in Vietnam, he said.

In a separate meeting with Hamamoto Hirotaka, President & CEO of Mitsui Oil Exploration Co., Ltd, PM Chinh hailed the corporation to pursuing the project on natural gas exploitation at Block B for many years, and expressed hope that the natural gas from Block B would soon serve Vietnam’s O Mon thermal power plants. He suggested Mitsui continue cooperating with and investing in Vietnam, especially in the development of green and clean energy that align with global trends and contribute to Vietnam’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Earlier on May 19 evening, the Vietnamese PM also hosted Fujimoto Masayoshi, CEO of Sojitz Corporation which has 17 joint ventures in Vietnam and an estimated revenue of around 1 billion USD.

He hoped that with its strong potential, Sojitz will continue expanding its operations in Vietnam, contributing even more to the socio-economic development, particularly in industrial parks and renewable energy.

The leader asked Sojitz to work closely with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and relevant localities to address any difficulties and obstacles during the implementation of projects, as well as create favourable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises, especially small and medium-sized ones, to join Sojitz’s supply chain./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has suggested the International Monetary Fund (IMF) continue with policy counselling for the Vietnamese Government regarding economic management and improvement of tools and policies related to fiscal, monetary and financial restructuring.

PM Chinh made the suggestion during a meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in Hiroshima city on May 20 on the occasion of his attendance at the expanded Summit of the Group of Seven (G7) countries.

The PM shared with his guest Vietnam’s success in various areas, including a stable financial market and an elevated national brand worth 431 billion USD in 2022, with the country achieving the fastest growth worldwide in brand development in the 2020-2022 period. Vietnam also climbed 12 places in the World Happiness Report 2023.

The two sides engaged in frank discussions on issues of mutual interest and raised new concerns amid ongoing global economic challenges.

Georgieva, for her part, spoke highly of Vietnam’s socio-economic management policy and affirmed that she and the IMF strongly support and will partner with Vietnam during its development process.

Meeting Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Mathias Cormann, PM Chinh suggested both sides continue promoting cooperation, firstly in preparing for the Ministerial Conference of the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme.

He sought OECD’s support for Vietnam in adapting to new areas that require a new mindset and new approaches in the future, especially in issues such as the global minimum corporate income tax, energy and food security, climate change, knowledge-based economy and circular economy.

The OECD Secretary-General commits to continue cooperating with Vietnam, supporting its recovery and economic development, particularly in areas of Vietnam’s interest such as building investment policies aligned with the global minimum corporate income tax, green economy, circular economy. He hoped that Vietnam will join in the Inclusive Forum on Carbon Mitigation Approaches (IFCMA) to contribute to the development of a comprehensive approach to global carbon reduction at the global level./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had separate meetings with his Canadian and Indian counterparts Justin Trudeau and Narendra Modi, and President of the Union of Comoros Azali Assoumani on May 20 in Hiroshima, Japan, as part of his trip to attend the expanded Summit of the Group of Seven (G7).

In their discussion, Chinh and Trudeau expressed their delight at the sound growth of the Vietnam-Canada comprehensive partnership, notably the over-7-billion-USD trade turnover posted last year. Given that the nations are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations this year (1973-2023), they agreed to promote multifaceted cooperation, contact, dialogue, the exchange of delegations at all levels, and people-to-people exchange.

The Vietnamese PM recommended the two sides continue to promote trade-investment ties toward raising the bilateral trade value to 10 billion USD soon. He proposed Canada cooperate with Vietnam in new areas such as digital transformation, green transformation, circular economy and innovation; and sign bilateral agreements to promote cooperation in areas where the two sides have strengths and demand.

Chinh also suggested Canada further create conditions for more Vietnamese goods to be exported to its market; and support and improve the legal status of the Vietnamese expatriate community.

The Canadian PM stated Canada values Vietnam’s role and position in the international arena and spoke highly of the Vietnamese community’s contributions to his country’s development.

He highly agreed with Chinh’s proposals on measures to boost the nations’ relations, including the promotion of their economic and trade ties within the framework of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and other frameworks.

Highly appreciating Vietnam’s participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council, Trudeau also asked Vietnam to support Canada in strengthening the cooperation with ASEAN and the region. He affirmed that Canada always upholds international law and a rules-based order, and supports ASEAN’s stance on the East Sea.

Chinh took the occasion to invite Trudeau to soon re-visit Vietnam.

* Meeting his Indian counterpart Modi, Chinh proposed the nations continue to strengthen their multi-faceted cooperation, with priority given to the enhancement of political and diplomatic relations and joint work in fields of mutual needs such as trade-investment, services, finance-banking, tourism, science-technology, innovation, and response to common challenges amidst the global crises and uncertainties.

Lauding the positive growth of the two countries’ bilateral trade with a turnover of nearly 15 billion USD in 2022, Modi affirmed that Vietnam is one of the most important strategic partners in India’s Indo-Pacific strategy and “Act East” policy. He held that economic-trade cooperation will continue to be an important pillar in the countries’ relationship.

The two sides agreed to further promote the bilateral consultation and dialogue mechanisms; expand cooperation in fields of complementary advantages; closely coordinate and share stances on international and regional issues of common concern at international and regional forums, especially the UN as well as ASEAN-led mechanisms and the framework of the Mekong–Ganga Cooperation.

The two PMs underscored the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight; and upholding international law in the East Sea. They called on all sides involved to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon finalise a substantial and effective Code of Conduct (COC) in the waters in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), creating conditions to settle disputes in the East Sea by peaceful means.

Modi invited Chinh to visit India at an appropriate time this year and the Vietnamese PM accepted the invitation.

* At their meeting, the Vietnamese PM and the Comoros President said the countries share a traditional friendship but their cooperation remain modest and has yet to reflect their true potential. They agreed to step up the exchange of delegations at all levels and the sharing of information on each nation’s economy, trade, investment, opportunities and strengths.

Vietnam attaches importance to relations with African friends, including the Comoros, Chinh stated, proposing the Comoros facilitate access of some of Vietnam’s key products such as rice, food, consumer goods, textiles, footwear, and machinery to its market.

The PM suggested that the two sides strengthen their cooperation in agriculture, including tripartite agricultural development cooperation projects; their discussion and coordination at international organisations and multilateral forums.

Highlighting Vietnam’s desire to cooperate with and support the African Union (AU) to realise its vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa for the people, he affirmed Vietnam is willing to be a bridge to promote cooperation between the union and ASEAN.

Stating his wish to deepen relations with Vietnam in his posts as the president of the Comoros and the AU, Assoumani agreed with Chinh’s suggestions and proposed Vietnam share experiences with the Comoros in ensuring food security, energy, and health serving its plan and vision to become an emerging economy by 2030.

The president agreed that the two sides would soon negotiate and sign a number of important documents, such as an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders, to create a favourable legal basis for their bilateral cooperation.

Regarding multilateral collaboration, the Comoros will continue to work closely with Vietnam to support multilateralism and the role of international law, he stated./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 20 said that nine persons carrying Vietnamese identification papers are among 11 victims killed during a severe road accident in Jingxi city, China’s Guangxi , at 6:30 am on May 19, citing reports from the Consulate General of Vietnam in China’s Nanning city.

Immediately after receiving the information, the Vietnamese Consulate General contacted local authorities to verify information and actively took necessary consular measures. It has requested Chinese authorities to ensure legitimate rights and interests if the nine people are confirmed to be Vietnamese citizens.

The Foreign Ministry has also coordinated with domestic authorities to verify the identities of the victims, and soon notify the families of the victims and relevant localities.

In the meantime, the Consular Department and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Nanning are closely monitoring the case and coordinating with Vietnamese and Chinese agencies to take necessary measures to protect citizens and assist victims’ families in handling relevant procedures./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnam-Russia Traditions and Friendship Foundation and Herzen University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support the operation of the Russian open education centres opened by the university in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Addressing the signing ceremony in Russia’s Saint Petersburg on May 19, Rector of Herzen University Sergei Tarasov said the document will create practical conditions for developing the teaching of the Russian language in Vietnam and of the Vietnamese language in Russia.

The chairpersons of the foundation and of the Oversea Vietnamese Association in Russia, Do Xuan Hoang, said the increasing number of those knowing the Russian language helps expand communication and understanding between the peoples.

The signing ceremony took place in conjunction with the end of a Vietnamese Week programme held by the Saint Petersburg authorities.

Earlier, Sergei Tarasov had a working session with the Vietnamese delegation involved in the pact to discuss comprehensive cooperation and partnership development matters. It is expected that first classes teaching the Russian language to Vietnamese people will be opened by Herzen University in the fall of this year./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency