6 months from 18th november 2020

The ministry said it is collecting opinions from other ministries and departments on a draft report on measures to combat Covid-19 in the "new normal" situation for submission to the government. The latest assessment comes more than two months after the PM had asked the health ministry to work on declaring Covid-19 an endemic. The ministry said that from March until now, the number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths has "stably decreased," and the number officially registered with the national database has stayed at fewer than 1,000 cases each day in recent times while the death rate has fallen to 0.06 percent of the total number of infections. Vietnam has covered almost 80 percent of its 96-million population with two vaccine doses; and the group of those from five years old are to receive the second doses within June. Despite this, the ministry said it was not the right time for Vietnam to consider Covid-19 endemic because the novel coronavirus is constantly changing and it is … [Read more...] about Not time yet to declare end of Covid-19: health ministry

Reciprocating her sentiment, her Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son welcomed Wong’s choice of Vietnam as her first Southeast Asian destination since taking office last month. He said her visit would strengthen and boost bilateral relations. Wong will conclude her official visit to Vietnam on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. She said Australia has always valued Vietnam's role in the region and that the new government was committed to further strengthening the strategic partnership with Vietnam. The two ministers agreed that it was important the two countries strengthen cooperation in sectors and industries hit hard by the pandemic like tourism, education, and labor cooperation, as well as traditional areas like trade, investment, defense and security. They also agreed that the two countries would expand collaboration in climate change, green growth, and sustainability. Son wanted Australia to continue contributing to regional cooperation with … [Read more...] about Australia values Vietnam’s partnership, regional role: FM

Marcel Schröder, Economist, Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department Asian Development Bank At the beginning of the conflict, the crude oil price breached $130 per barrel in March, the highest since 2008. Since then, it retreated to about $100 in April, before rising again to $120 following the European Union’s partial ban on Russian oil in May. Some worry that the oil price could spike to $200 per barrel in the coming months and how such a shock would impact the economic prospects of Asia’s developing countries. While many institutions, including ours, project a significantly higher oil price in 2022 compared with 2021, these predictions do not foresee $200 per barrel because they attach a low probability of a sudden shock to the global oil supply. A sudden shock is unlikely given the EU’s decision to gradually phase out Russian oil imports by the end of 2022, allowing an orderly transition to alternative supplies and keeping prices stable and affordable for … [Read more...] about Additional oil spike impacts cannot be ruled out