China asean strategic partnership vision 2030

The article titled “Vietnam should play a major part in Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy” was written by Geoff Donald, the CABC’s advocacy chair and managing director at Asia Engagement Consulting Group.

According to him, with a rapidly growing population that is expected to reach 120 million by 2050 and a strong GDP forecast of 6.5 percent growth in 2021, Vietnam is a high-potential market for Canadian companies especially in key industries such as agro-food.

Since 2015, Vietnam has been Canada’s largest trading partner in Southeast Asia with two-way trade reaching a record 11.2 billion CAD (9.2 billion USD) in 2020. With the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Canadian and Vietnamese exporters and investors now enjoy increased market access and tariff reduction in a rules-based trading environment.

Two-way trade has increased by 12 percent over 2019 and by 37 percent compared with 2018, when the CPTPP began to take effect.

Canada’s and Vietnam’s commitment to multilateral trade through the CPTPP and critical new opportunities such as a potential Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement positions Vietnam as an essential partner for Canada in the decades ahead, the author affirmed

As Canada looks to develop an Indo-Pacific strategy, the CABA urges public policymakers and business leaders to prioritise this relationship by increasing support to small and mid-size enterprises looking to take advantage of the CPTPP; expanding Canada-Vietnam business collaborations in high-growth sectors such as agro-food, aerospace, infrastructure, financial services and digital economy; and negotiating a Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement to increase the overall opportunities for Canada in Southeast Asia.

The CABC acts as the voice of the Canadian private sector in ASEAN, and its members, including many of Canada’s leading firms such as Manulife, have a significant and longstanding presence in Vietnam, and many more companies are following suit.

Source: VNA

Illustrative photo (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi People’s Committee has issued a decision approving the outline for a task of devising the capital’s housing development programme for 2021-2030 , with vision towards 2040.

The programme aims at realising the Resolution of the Hanoi Party Organisation’s 17th Congress for the 2020-2025 tenure and identifying new criteria for the work in line with the local master plan for socio-economic growth to 2030 approved by the Prime Minister.

Accordingly, the city will conduct surveys and assessments regarding the current situation of commercial housing, social housing, resettlement housing, official residence and private housing in urban and rural areas. It will set goals for housing development and make forecasts on demand for housing among social welfare beneficiaries.

The programme will identify local demand for houses and land areas to build different types of housing in the city and links between housing and urban development, among other things.

Hanoi hopes to build a system of suitable solutions to ensure sustainable, modern, and climate change-adaptive housing development, as a basis for the management and implementation of related projects, investment attraction, and the healthy growth of the real estate sector./.

At the talks, General Giang congratulated General Sergey Shoygu on Russia’s National Day (June 12) and extended his best wishes to all officers and the ranks in the Russian Armed Forces.

Giang also thanked the Russian Defense Minister for sending a letter of congratulations to him over his promotion to defense minister and invited the Russian minister to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time this year.

The Vietnamese Defense Minister affirmed that the phone talk will create a new impetus for the further development of bilateral defense cooperation, contributing to strengthening the long-standing traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia.

He said that the Vietnamese Party, State, people and military always bear in mind the valuable support of the Russian armed forces and people to the Vietnamese people’s struggles for national independence in the past and current national construction and defense cause.

For his part, General Sergei Shoigu once again congratulated General Giang on his appointment as defense minister and expressed his belief that in his current post, Giang will continue making significant contributions to developing the relationship between the two nations in general and two militaries in particular.

At the talks, the two sides highly appreciated the history of the two countries’ relationship, including the bilateral defense ties and their willingness to preserve and promote their bilateral traditional friendship as well as the Vietnam – Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

Over the past time, the two defense ministries have effectively implemented high-level agreements and cooperation contents through exerting efforts in building specific cooperation plans and programs as well as strengthening their existing cooperation mechanisms and frameworks.

The two defense ministers agreed to carry out prioritized cooperation contents, including training, participation in multilateral activities hosted by the Russian side, COVID-19 prevention and control, scientific research within the Vietnam-Russia Tropical Centre, and cooperation between the General Department of Political Affairs of the Vietnam People’s Army and the Directorate for Political-Military Affairs of the Russian Armed Forces.

Translated by Tran Hoai

The event was attended by heads of ADSOM+WG of ASEAN member countries, representatives of Defense Ministries of the bloc’s partners (Russia, China, the U.S., Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India) and representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat.

The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was led by Senior Colonel Pham Manh Thang, Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Relations under the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense.

This was the third meeting that Brunei had hosted during the country’s 2021 ASEAN Chairmanship Year.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Head of Brunei’s ADSOM+ WG highlighted the active participation of ASEAN member countries and the bloc’s partners in the event, affirming that their attendance showed  their support for Brunei as ASEAN Chair in 2021. He expressed belief that the meeting will be a success.

As reported, this ADSOM+WG was held to review the final preparations for the 8th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) which is scheduled to take place virtually on June 16.  Delegates discussed and agreed on the agenda and draft joint statement for the upcoming 8th ADMM+.

Translated by Tran Hoai