| Viet Nam looks to further boost relations with
Britain
Viet Nam wants to further develop
multifaceted relations with the UK for the benefit of both sides, said Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday, March 3, while receiving the newly-appointed United
Kingdom Ambassador to Viet Nam, Antony Stokes.
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Photo: VNA | Dung told Stokes that the current US$2
billion two-way trade turnover did not truly reflect the potential for bilateral
collaboration, stressing his hopes that the ambassador would work to encourage
more UK enterprises to invest in Viet Nam. Over 7,000 Vietnamese students had an
interest in studying in the UK, but the application procedure for a UK visa was
still very difficult for many people, he said, adding this was also a barrier
for collaborative projects between the two countries. Dung said he hoped that
Stokes could help solve this issue and accelerate the opening of a UK university
in Viet Nam. Viet Nam had seen strong process in
development during recent years, particularly in maintaining a high economic
growth rate, said Ambassador Stokes, emphasising the need for the two countries
with so much potential to further strengthen their co-operative ties in the
future. He said there would be high-ranking visits
to Viet Nam by members of the UK royal family and leaders to promote
co-operation and investment activities within the framework of the bilateral
strategic partnership agreement. Stokes shared with Dung his view on the
need to raise bilateral trade value and pledged to do his utmost towards
attaining the highest possible effectiveness for UK investment projects in Viet
Nam, including the UK university project in the central coastal city of Da Nang. The ambassador also pledged to exert his
utmost to settle existing issues in the visa application process and said he
hoped to receive assistance from the Vietnamese Government to boost bilateral
ties.
Deputy PM greets
German politicians
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen
Thien Nhan received a delegation of the German Parliament’s ASEAN Committee led
by Thomas Gambke in Hanoi on March 3.
The Deputy Prime Minister warmly welcomed the German members of parliament,
saying the visit had contributed to promoting mutual understanding and
friendship between the two countries. Nhan also praised Germany’s cooperation, including its decision to donate
EUR195 million to Vietnam’s poverty reduction programme over the next three
years. “Vietnam supports Germany’s bid for a seat on the potentially-expanded UN
Security Council, once the issue is put up to discussion by the UN,” said the
Deputy PM. The German parliamentarians praised Vietnam for its economic growth and the
progress it has made in the fight against poverty, as well as its efforts to
complete the legal system, develop infrastructure and invest in human resource
development. Host and guest discussed measures to boost German investment in Vietnam as
well as bilateral cooperation, especially in science, technology, environmental
protection and healthcare. Vietnam has the largest German-speaking community in Southeast Asia, as some
100,000 Vietnamese once worked or studied in Germany and another 100,000
currently live and work there.
Paraguay’s leader to visit VN
Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo Mendez
will begin an official visit to Viet Nam next Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry
announced yesterday. The five-day visit is made at the invitation of President
Nguyen Minh Triet.
Viet Nam expresses outrage over China’s
military drill
Viet Nam has expressed indignation at the
military drill conducted by China near Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago. “The exercise is a gross violation of Viet
Nam’s sovereignty over the archipelago and runs totally against the Declaration
of Conduct in the East Sea (DOC) signed by ASEAN and China in 2002,” the Foreign
Ministry said. A ministry representative on Tuesday met a
representative of the Chinese embassy in Ha Noi, protested China’s act and
underscored the country’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa
archipelagos. Viet Nam demanded that China immediately
cease any act that might further complicate the situation and together with
ASEAN countries strictly implement the DOC, helping maintain peace in the East
Sea. According Chinese news agency Xinhua, on
February 24 a detachment of the Chinese navy conducted an exercise designed to
combat piracy at sea in the waters around Truong Sa Archipelago.
Greater emphasis given to data on sea, island
borders
A national conference reviewing Viet Nam’s
international informational pieces, including publications on sea, islands and
land border demarcation in 2010, and defining orientations and tasks for 2011
was opened in HCM City yesterday, March 3. Attending the event were Dinh The Huynh,
Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, head of its
Commission for Communication and Education; and Deputy Prime Minister-cum –
Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the
two-day conference, Nguyen Bac Son, deputy head of commission, stated that in
2010, the work was carried out with excellence, and promoted the country’s image
and refuted incorrect information and disputes, helping the Party and State with
their key external relations tasks. Dissemination of information on sea and
islands had been stepped up in both content and method and was implemented
widely and systematically amongst cadres, Party members and people, he said. The work had helped improve efficiency and
created changes in awareness among all branches, sectors and strata of people of
the role, position and importance of the sea and islands strategy for the cause
of national construction and defence during the process of integration and
development, he noted. According to the conference, in recent
times the Viet Nam’s international news service and dissemination of information
on sea, islands, border demarcation and landmark planting have produced several
important results, making an active contribution to disseminating the Party’s
policies, the State’s laws and the country’s renewal achievements, as well as
promoting the image of Viet Nam and its people. The work has helped reject incorrect and
distorted information by hostile forces, thus helping raise Viet Nam’s prestige
and position in the international arena and increasing support from the
international community and overseas Vietnamese. Participants also mentioned several
shortcomings in the work and discussed better ways to implement the tasks in
2011 and in the future, including improving public awareness of the importance
of the work, strengthening the quantity and quality of Viet Nam’s international
news services as well as speeding up dissemination of the country’s policies on
building a border of peace, friendship and long-term stability between Viet Nam
and its neighbours.
Lawmakers look to foster closer ties with
Indonesia
The Vietnamese legislative body will work closely with
the Indonesian House of Representatives to contribute to the future development
of the bilateral friendship and comprehensive co-operation.
National Assembly (NA) vice chairman Uong
Chu Luu made the statement at a meeting with Vice Chairman of the Indonesian
House of Representatives Legislation Council, Dimyati Natakusumah, in Ha Noi
yesterday, March 3. The Deputy NA Chairman also appreciated the
working results between the Indonesian House of Representatives Legislation
Council and the Vietnamese NA’s Legal Committee and Institute of Legislative
Research, and suggested that the agencies should boost exchanges and
co-operation. Dimyati Natakusumah expressed his pleasure
at the results of his working session with Vietnamese NA agencies and spoke
highly of Viet Nam’s progress in offering legal aid to the people. He also congratulated Viet Nam on achieving
economic growth and maintaining socio-economic stability, and said he hoped the
Vietnamese Government would continue to create favourable conditions for
Indonesian investors in Viet Nam.
VN cities eager to link up with San
Diego counterparts
San Diego – Numerous cities in Viet Nam are
looking to link with counterparts in San Diego in the US in a bid to boost
relations between the two countries, the Vietnamese ambassador to the US said. Le Cong Phung made the statement during a
recent meeting with San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders in the US. Sanders welcomed the idea of sister cities
and pledged to do all he could to link cities in the Californian state with
their counterparts in Viet Nam. While visiting the city, the Vietnamese
ambassador held meetings with the municipal business representatives university
staff. Phung pointed out to local representatives
that the US was Viet Nam’s biggest export market. Furthermore, he said exports
to the US rose 19 per cent in 2010 against the previous year. He also said that about 1,500 US-invested
projects were currently operating in Viet Nam. The US entrepreneurs, including many of
Vietnamese origin, said that they were interested in doing business with Viet
Nam. Phung pointed out that Viet Nam was doing
all it could to tackle electricity shortages. “Viet Nam is trying to solve its
electricity shortages. We have worked with partners from the US, Japan, France
and Russia on building nuclear power plants,” the ambassador said. While meeting professors and lecturers from
the city’s universities, Phung emphasised the need for more co-operation with
education institutions in Viet Nam.
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