Travellers’ Notes (17-08-2007) New VN-China sea route to open A sea travel route linking the central province of Thua Thien-Hue and Beihei of China’s Guangxi Province will be launched in October. The Tourism Department of Thua Thien-Hue said last week that the Guangxi-based Beihei Cruise Ship Tourism Company had been permitted to co-operate with the Hue-based Huong Giang Co to operate the route. Under an agreement signed between Thua Thien-Hue and Guangxi authorities in April, the new sea travel route will be based on the existing one between Beihei and Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh. When the new route is opened, cruise ships will sail to Chan May Port in Thua Thien-Hue after stopping over in Ha Long Bay. Wine festival planned for HCM City HCM City Tourism Department has unveiled a plan to organise for the first time a wine festival later this year to promote the country’s culture and tourism through gastronomy. The festival will be a unique event … [Read more...] about New VN-China sea route to open
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Nation ponders new world of marine economy
Nation ponders new world of marine economy (16-02-2008) A shrimp raising area at Tam Giang Lagoon in Thuan An township. To develop seafood exploitation, Viet Nam needs to apply new post-harvest technologies and bio-technology. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuan Quyet HA NOI — Viet Nam must renew its thoughts and visions on a marine-based economy, scientists have said. At a recent seminar entitled: Visions on a Marine Economy and the Development of Vietnamese Aquaculture, held by the Viet Nam Institute for Social Sciences and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Professor Do Hoai Nam, President of the Institute, said that one of the key points of a marine strategy would be vision, and that vision should be implemented alongside the strategy’s economic contents. Over the past 20 years, during the doi moi (renewal) process, Viet Nam has attached great importance to the exploitation of marine resources, using them to service the nation’s economic development, … [Read more...] about Nation ponders new world of marine economy
Images show rapid Chinese progress on new South China Sea airstrip
Recent satellite images published on Thursday show China has made rapid progress in building an airstrip suitable for military use in contested territory in the South China Sea's Spratly Islands and may be planning another, moves that have been greeted with concern in the United States and Asia. IHS Jane's Defense Weekly said March 23 images from Airbus Defence and Space showed work on the runway on reclaimed parts of Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratly archipelago, which China contests with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. It said images from earlier in March showed reclamation work on Subu Reef in the Spratlys creating landmasses that, if joined together, could create space for another 3,000-meter (3,281-yard) airstrip. The report said other images suggested China was working to extend another airstrip to that length in the Paracel Islands further north in the potentially energy-rich South China Sea, a vital shipping route through which $5 trillion of trade passes … [Read more...] about Images show rapid Chinese progress on new South China Sea airstrip
China defends island building in East Sea, says not seeking new world order
China's foreign minister on Sunday defended his government's controversial policy of reclamation on disputed isles in the East Sea which has sparked regional concern, and said Beijing was not seeking to overturn the international order. Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping tried to set Southeast Asian minds at ease over the country's ambitions, but Beijing's reclamation work in the Spratlys underscores its drive to push claims in the East Sea -- the Vietnamese term for the South China Sea -- and reassert its rights. China claims about 90 percent of the East Sea, displaying its reach on official maps with a so-called nine-dash line that stretches deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to parts of the potentially energy-rich waters that are crossed by key global shipping lanes. China has already undertaken reclamation work on six other reefs it occupies in the Spratlys, expanding land mass five-fold, … [Read more...] about China defends island building in East Sea, says not seeking new world order
South China Sea tensions surge as China lands plane on artificial island
China's first landing of a plane on one of its new island runways in the South China Sea shows Beijing's facilities in the disputed region are being completed on schedule and military flights will inevitably follow, foreign officials and analysts said. China's increasing military presence in the disputed sea could effectively lead to a Beijing-controlled air defense zone, they said, ratcheting up tensions with other claimants and with the United States in one of the world's most volatile areas. Chinese foreign ministry officials confirmed on Saturday that a test flight by a civilian plane landed on an artificial island built in the Spratlys, the first time Beijing has used a runway in the area. Vietnam launched a formal diplomatic protest while Philippines Foreign Ministry spokesman Charles Jose said Manila was planning to do the same. Both have claims to the area that overlap with China. "That's the fear, that China will be able take control of the South China Sea and it will affect … [Read more...] about South China Sea tensions surge as China lands plane on artificial island