Day: July 5, 2022

The Agreement on the Indonesia-United Arab Emirates (UAE) Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IUAE-CEPA) is expected to boost trade and Indonesia’s investment performance with Gulf and Middle Eastern countries.

The trade deal was signed by Indonesian Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan and Minister of Economy of the UAE Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri on July 1, on the sidelines of President Joko Widodo’s working visit to Abu Dhabi.

The Indonesian President positively welcomes the completion of the IUAE-CEPA, said Trade Minister Hasan in a statement. This agreement is Indonesia’s entry point to the UAE, which is a hub for increasing exports to non-traditional destination countries, such as the Gulf, Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.

The signing of the IUAE-CEPA is also a historic moment, as it is the first time that Indonesia has a trade agreement with a country in the Gulf region.

He said he hopes that when the IUAE-CEPA takes effect, improvement of the performance of the trade and investment sectors, driven by the IUAE-CEPA, can further accelerate post-pandemic economic recovery and increase Indonesia’s competitiveness.

Meanwhile, Director General of International Trade Negotiations at the Indonesian Ministry of Trade Djatmiko Bris Witjaksono remarked that the IUAE-CEPA negotiations were immensely beneficial for Indonesia, one of which was market access to the UAE through reducing and eliminating import duty rates of around 94% of the total tariff posts.

The issue of Islamic economics in the IUAE-CEPA has also become a historical record for Indonesia. This is because, for the first time, the issue of Islamic/sharia economics has been included as one of the scopes of a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with Indonesia’s trading partner countries.

In 10 years, Indonesian exports to the UAE are projected to rise by 844.4 million USD, or an increase of 53.90%. In addition, Indonesia’s imports from the UAE are projected to increase by 307.3 million USD, or around 18.26%

Total trade between Indonesia and the UAE in 2021 had reached 4 billion USD, an increase of 37.88% as compared to 2.9 billion USD2 in 2020.

Indonesia’s main exports to the UAE are jewelry and parts thereof, palm oil and its derivatives, motor vehicles, electronic equipment for cellular telephones, and reception apparatus for television.

Indonesia’s imports from the UAE last year reached 2.1 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 27.33 percent, with imported semi-finished products made of iron or steel, unforged aluminum, gold, sulfur, and propylene polymer./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Republic of Korea (RoK) and Malaysia jointly held a virtual subpanel session within the framework of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+ ) on July 5 to discuss cybersecurity cooperation, Seoul’s defense ministry said.

According to the Yonhap news agency of the RoK, the experts’ cybersecurity working group of ADMM kicked off the two-day session as Seoul seeks to deepen cooperation with the regional bloc on multiple fronts, including security.

The RoK and Malaysia are the co-chairs of the working group for a three-year term ending in 2024.

Participants in this week’s session plan to discuss joint responses to cybersecurity threats and look into plans for cybersecurity training among member countries slated for October.

ADMM is a major defense dialogue platform involving the 10 ASEAN members as well as other key regional players, including the United States, China and Japan. Under the platform, there are various working groups handling cybersecurity, maritime security, counter-terrorism and other issues./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The 3rd ASEAN Consumer Protection Conference (ACPC) has taken place under the theme “Building a Fair and Future-Ready Marketplace for Consumers in ASEAN”.

It brought together consumer protection agencies, consumer associations, international organisations, academicians, private sectors, and the general public from within and beyond ASEAN.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Economic Community Satvinder Singh said: “The conference is timely as ASEAN is currently addressing emerging issues resulting from the advent of the digital economy and the increase of cross-border trade. Digital transformation pushes ASEAN focus on e-Commerce, develop regional B2C dispute resolution and to further strengthening consumer movement in ASEAN.”

“We are already living in a new era where the concerns on consumer protection raised are pressing,” remarked Dr Moe Moe Thwe, Chair of the ASEAN Committee on Consumer Protection (ACCP). “We need to expedite the implementation of our initiatives and action plans across sectors, grow consumer movement and inspire a new generation of well-informed consumers who will have no second thought on taking action to deal with the challenges of the new economy that is before us to preserve the environment and sustain the planet that we live in for future generations.”

In her keynote speech, Ann Claire C. Cabochan, Assistant Secretary for the Consumer Protection Group of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) of the Philippines, stated: “Although consumers in ASEAN are moderately empowered, new consumer protection challenges and the continuing global and economic crisis we are facing due to the persistence of the pandemic, requires us to further empower consumers.”

She urged the member states to collectively plan to address these challenges so as to build a fair and future-ready marketplace in ASEAN.

The 3rd ACPC covers three thematic sessions which are: Laying the Foundation for Inclusive Digital Transformation in ASEAN; Scanning the Horizon – Towards the ‘New Normal’ for B2C Dispute Resolution in ASEAN; and Empower Consumers – Strengthening the Consumer Movement in ASEAN.

The conference was co-organised by DTI of the Philippines, the ACCP and the ASEAN Secretariat. The convening of the conference was supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, under the “Consumer Protection in ASEAN” (PROTECT) project./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

An exhibition of Vietnam’s cultural heritage space will open in Hoi An city, the central province of Quang Nam, from July 8 to 13.

A total of 160 photos on display will introduce UNESCO-recognised heritages, national special relic sites and intangible heritages in Vietnam such as the Dien Bien Phu battlefield in Dien Bien, Hung Temple in Phu Tho, water puppetry, and Binh Dinh martial arts.

Green tourist destinations and a trend of environmentally friendly tourism will also be featured.

In another part of the exhibition, visitors will be treated to images of and items from traditional craft villages across the country.

Every day during the course of the event, an exchange programme spotlighting folk art and culture is scheduled.

As an activity to welcome the Visit Vietnam Year 2022 hosted by Quang Nam under the theme of green tourism, the exhibition will go online from July 12 at http://trienlamvhnt.vn./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

On behalf of the Politburo, Permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Vo Van Thuong has signed off Directive No. 14-CT/TW on the continued enhancement of the Party’s leadership over the Vietnam Lawyers’ Association (VLA) in the new context.

The directive noted that over the past years, under the 8th-tenure Politburo’s Directive No. 56-CT/TW and the 11th-tenure Secretariat’s Conclusion No. 19-KL/TW on the VLA, all-level Party committees, organisations, and administrations have boosted the development and activities of the VLA chapters at all levels.

It pointed out shortcomings in the VLA’s apparatus, especially at the grassroots level, some members’ limited expertise and sense of responsibility, and ineffective activities in some places. Notably, some Party committees and organisations have yet to be fully aware of the VLA’s position, role, and specific characteristics in the political system, so they haven’t paid due attention to the association’s activities.

Given this, to continue enhancing the Party’s leadership and further bring into play the VLA’s role in the new context, the Politburo demanded all-level Party committees and organisations improve their awareness of the VLA’s position, role, and responsibility; consolidate the VLA’s apparatus; step up personnel training in political thought, morality, and expertise; and promote member examination and supervision.

The VLA was requested to strongly reform activities; improve the quality of its participation in the lawmaking process; increase disseminating the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws; actively give legal advice and assistance to people, especially low-income earners and those in remote areas; proactively take part in judicial and administrative reforms, corruption prevention and control, and the selection and training of judges and procurators.

In addition, the Politburo ordered promoting the VLA’s role in people-to-people diplomacy, expanding the association’s cooperation with progressive organisations and people in the region and the world, popularising the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws to other countries to reject hostile forces’ wrongful arguments and distortions, and encouraging overseas Vietnamese lawyers to contribute to the homeland’s development.

The VLA was also asked to proactively consider and advise the Party and State about legal grounds for sovereignty and territory safeguarding to help defend national interests, according to the directive./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The State Bank of Vietnam set the daily reference exchange rate for the US dollar at 23,144 VND/USD on July 5, up 23 VND from the previous day.

With the current trading band of +/-3 percent, the ceiling rate applicable to commercial banks during the day is 23,838 VND/USD and the floor rate 22,450 VND/USD.

The opening-hour rates at some commercial banks also went up.

At 8:30 am, Vietcombank listed the buying rate at 23,180 VND/USD and the selling rate at 23,490 VND/USD, both up 50 VND from July 4.

BIDV also raised both rates by 30 VND to 23,190 VND/USD (buying) and 23,470 VND/USD (selling)./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A delegation of 23 Vietnamese entrepreneurs, led by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai, attended the Vietnam-Mexico Business Forum in Mexico City on July 4, aiming to seek cooperation opportunities with the host country’s partners.

Undersecretary for Foreign Trade in Mexico’s Secretariat of Economy Luz Maria de la Mora spoke highly of the bilateral economic and trade relations, affirming that Mexico considers Vietnam a strategic market in the Asia-Pacific region.

She expressed her hope that the two countries’ authorised agencies will continue strengthening close coordination in the coming time and their businesses will effectively take advantage of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), contributing to promoting bilateral trade turnover as well as post-pandemic economic recovery.

The official affirmed that the Mexican Secretariat of Economy will create all favourable conditions and provide maximum support for the two business communities.

For his part, Deputy Minister Hai stated that Mexico is currently Vietnam’s second largest trading partner in Latin America, and Vietnam is Mexico’s eighth largest trader in Southeast Asia.

He quoted statistics of the General Department of Vietnam Customs as saying that two-way trade turnover grew positively in 2021, reaching 5.06 billion USD, up 37.5% year-on-year. The figure hit 2.33 billion USD in the first five months of 2022, up 21.9% year-on-year.

Vietnam wishes to further increase the trade and investment value with Mexico, with a focus on energy, telecommunications, high-tech agriculture and high value-added industries, said Hai.

Earlier, the two officials reviewed the outcomes of the third session of the joint committee, and discussed measures to promote bilateral economic and trade ties in the coming time./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the 15th meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on July 5 amid the appearance of the BA.5 sub-variant of Omicron.

Opening the teleconference with the 63 localities nationwide, PM Chinh, who is also head of the committee, pointed out that the pandemic remains unpredictable around the world with the emergence of the BA.5 sub-variant of Omicron in many countries.

In Vietnam, after the pandemic was brought under control nationwide, some have lowered their guard, especially in vaccination, while authorities have shown slackness in examination. Meanwhile, the country still has to fight against other disease outbreaks and care for people’s health amid the shortage of medicine and medical supplies, he added.

Since the start of 2022, Vietnam has recorded over 9 million infections of COVID-19, more than 8.3 million of whom have recovered and over 10,000 succumbed to the coronavirus disease (equivalent to 0.1%).

Total infections now stand at 10,748,639, including 9,708,984 recoveries (90.3%) and 43,087 deaths (0.4%), according to the national steering committee. Over the last six months, the daily number of new cases was around 600 – 700 while severe cases and fatalities continued to decline. During the last 30 days, the numbers of new infections and deaths have respectively fallen by 4.5 times and 10 times compared to the previous month, and Vietnam recorded no deaths in 24 days.

By the end of July 3, Vietnam had administered over 233 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine with almost 80% of its population given two shots, the rate of people aged 18 and above given the third shot doubling the global average, and the rate of children aged 5 – 11 given primary shots higher than some European countries, making it one of the nation with the largest vaccine coverage, statistics show.

At the meeting, participants said BA.5 has been reported in Vietnam, and this sub-variant is 12% more transmissible than the dominant BA.2 in the country at present. Therefore, BA.5 infections in the community may increase in the time ahead, leading to a rise in the number of new cases.

Given this, the anti-pandemic response system from the central to local levels needs to press on with disease prevention and control measures, the administration of booster shots to vulnerable groups, as well as communications to raise public awareness, the committee noted./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency