ABAC makes recommendations to APEC leaders; National Day celebrated in Australia; President Triet visits Lam Dong province; Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under construction; Gov’t leader lends helping hand to five provinces

Meeting in Da Nang from August 25-27, officials, CEOs, researchers and policymakers from the 21 APEC member economies said it’s time APEC established a free trade area (FTA) in the region not only to facilitate free trade but also to ensure that none of the economies will lag behind. They suggested that APEC leaders draw up a roadmap for regional FTA negotiations, scheduled to start in 2010.

They said the economies are making every effort to speed up the Doha round of talks with the aim of reaching a final agreement in 2010. The early completion of negotiations will help boost global economic development, investment and the fight against protectionism.

They also made recommendations concerning cooking security, sustainable development, climate change and effects of population growth on the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Hoang Van Dung, Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said APEC plays an important role in Vietnam’s economy. The regional organisation accounts for 60 percent of the country’s trade and 80 percent of its foreign investment capital. By cooperating with APEC, the Vietnamese business community has the chance to access large amounts of capital, new technology and equipment.

National Day celebrated in Australia

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Sydney, Australia, held a meeting on August 26 to mark the 64th anniversary of the August 1945 Revolution and National Day (September 2).

The function was attended by the Governor of New South Wales (NSW), Marie Bashir, the Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly, Richard Torbay and representatives of the local Vietnamese community.

Consul General Vu Hong Nam highlighted the friendly and cooperative ties between Vietnam and Australia and expressed his hope that bilateral ties will further develop in the future.

The Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly, Richard Torbay, stated that cooperative ties between Australia and Vietnam, especially in trade and tertiary education, are developing strongly. More and more Vietnamese students are coming to Australia for advanced study and they will contribute to strengthening relations between the two countries, said the MP.

Both countries signed the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand free trade area (AANZFTA) early this year. Vietnam is one of Australia’s leading trade partners in Southeast Asia.

President Triet visits Lam Dong province

State President Nguyen Minh Triet has praised the Central Highland province of Lam Dong for its all-out effort to overcome economic fallout and ensure social welfare over the past 7 months

Despite the global economic recession, the province has achieved a GDP growth rate of 10.7 percent which is expected to rise to 12 percent by the end of this year. It has generated more than 10,000 new jobs, reducing the rate of poor households to 10 percent.

In another development, Lam Dong has established commercial farming areas specializing in flowers for export, high-quality vegetables, dairy cows, and cold water fish, earning between VND500 million and VND2 billion per hectare per year.

During a working session with local authorities on August 27, President Triet asked them to pay closer attention to poverty reduction in ethnic-inhabited areas and infrastructure development to attract more investors and make a breakthrough in socio-economic development.

While staying in Lam Dong, Mr Triet visited and presented gifts to heroic Vietnamese mother Phan Thi Sen and veteran revolutionary Nguyen Xuan Du.

Cuban newspaper marks General Giap’s birthday

The Granma newspaper, official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, ran a cover story on August 26 to mark Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap’s 99th birthday.

General Giap, a hero to the Vietnamese people, achieved glory as the strategist and leader of the victorious campaign at Dien Bien Phu and again as the chief commander in the resistance war against US aggressors.

In a feature article, the newspaper reviewed the milestones in General Giap’s revolutionary life. In related articles, it covered birthday visits to the General by the top leaders of the Party, Government and Army.

Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under construction

Construction of the new headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs started on August 27 and is expected to be completed in late 2012.

It will include thee 14-storey blocs with environmentally friendly and modern facilities, covering 7 hectares in Me Tri village, Tu Liem district, Hanoi.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pham Gia Khiem said this is a propitious time to begin the project as the country is preparing to celebrate major events, such as National Day (September 2), the 40th anniversary of implementing President Ho Chi Minh’s testament and the 64th anniversary of establishing the diplomatic sector.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said that with a population of more than 80 million, Vietnam is making a great effort to integrate into the world. Vietnam is in the process of national industrialisation and modernisation and has established diplomatic ties with most of the countries and territories in the world. Building this new headquarters will meet the growing requirements of the ministry and also show the importance of the Party and State’s place on foreign affairs in the new period.

Vietnam boosts friendship and cooperation with Sweden

The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) always attaches importance to its relationship with the Communist Party of Sweden (SKP) and will continue to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two nations.

The statement was made by Ngo Van Du, Secretary of the CPV Central Committee (CPVCC) and Chief of the CPVCC Office, while receiving a visiting SKP delegation led by President Anders Carlssons in Hanoi on August 26.

He thanked the Swedish communists and people for their support for Vietnam’s past struggle for national independence and the current process of national construction and defence.

For his part, President Anders Carlssons highly praised Vietnam ’s achievements in the renewal process, considering them valuable experiences and a great encouragement to the SKP and forces struggling for peace, democracy and socialism all over the world.

He affirmed that the SKP will do its utmost to tighten the relationship between the two countries’ parties and peoples.

Earlier, Hoang Binh Quan, member of the CPVCC and Head of the CPVCC’s Commission for External Relations held talks with the Swedish delegation on issues of common concern and discussed measures to consolidate and strengthen the cooperation between the two Parties and the two countries.

During its stay in Vietnam from August 21-27, the Swedish delegation worked with the Central Theoretical Council, the Nhan dan (People’s) daily, and the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Administration and set off on a fact-finding tour of Hanoi, Phu Tho and Quang Ninh provinces.

HCM City, Lam Dong urged to promote cooperation

Ho Chi Minh City and the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong should have closer cooperation in the fields of health, education and culture for their mutual benefit, said the State President Nguyen Minh Triet.

The State President Triet made the request at a conference held in the resort city of Da Lat on August 26 to review the results of socio-economic cooperation between HCM City and Lam Dong province from 2004-2009.

President Triet said the two localities need to join efforts in attracting more investors, speeding up the reform of investment procedures, sharing experiences in capital mobilisation, project site clearance, human resources development and building investment mechanisms.

Besides creating incentives for business, HCM City and Lam Dong should deal with companies, which have been licensed but have no plans to carry out projects or intend to “re-sell” their projects, he stressed.

Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Le Thanh Hai said that although the results of cooperation have yet to match their potential, the two sides have laid an important foundation for closer cooperation in the years to come.

HCM City and Lam Dong province embarked on their bilateral cooperation programme in 2004. Since then, the two localities have concluded a wide range of deals covering agriculture, industry, tourism, trade, healthcare and education.

The city’s enterprises have to date invested in 212 projects in the Central Highland province. Businesses from the two localities have also worked together to organise numerous fairs, showcasing the latest technology and equipment used in production as well as seminars discussing ways to promote investment and human resources development.

Gov’t leader lends helping hand to five provinces

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on August 26 chaired an online teleconference with leaders from Bac Kan, Thai Binh, Quang Tri, Ninh Thuan and Soc Trang provinces to seek ways and means of achieving socio-economic targets.

To reach this year’s socio-economic development targets and ensure sustainable growth, PM Dung said the provinces should focus on getting over hurdles to production and business activities and boosting exports.

Local authorities need to carefully consider the proposals and suggestions raised by businesses, particularly those related to the use of investment capital sourced from the state budget and government bonds.

The government leader asked the provinces to fulfill the yearly socio-economic development targets while making careful preparations for Party congresses at all levels scheduled for 2010.

In the short-term, the provinces should make a great deal of effort to eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, quickly recover from natural disasters, prevent epidemics and improve district-level healthcare systems.

Speeding up administrative reform, improving access to education for all students, especially those from poor families, building more dormitories for teachers and upgrading schools are also important tasks.

PM Dung also praised the achievements the five provinces have recorded in the first seven months of the year.

PV