Day: December 23, 2022

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived back in Hanoi on December 23 afternoon, wrapping up a State visit to Indonesia at the invitation of President Joko Widodo.

 

During the trip, the Vietnamese leader held talks with his counterpart Joko Widodo, had meetings with parliamentary leaders of Indonesia, attended a state-level banquet hosted by the host President, met with representatives of the Vietnamese community, visited the Jakarta-based Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and met with ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi.

 

He also received leaders of the Indonesia-Vietnam Friendship Association, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), and some of the large enterprises of the archipelago nation.

 

The visit was an important milestone in the countries’ strategic partnership as Presidents Phuc and Widodo agreed that Vietnam and Indonesia will soon build an action plan for 2024 – 2028; strive to develop more balanced trade and raise revenue to over 15 billion USD by 2028; step up mutual investment in new fields such as the digital economy, digital transformation, green economy, and renewable energy; and enhance ties in defence, security, education-training, and tourism.

 

They also witnessed the signing and exchange of cooperation documents on drug trafficking prevention, energy, and mineral resources.

 

Talking to the media after their meetings, the two leaders said Vietnam and Indonesia have completed negotiations on the delimitation of their exclusive economic zones in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

 

Visiting the ASEAN Secretariat’s headquarters and meeting the ASEAN Secretary-General as well as diplomats of the bloc’s member nations there, President Phuc stressed Vietnam attaches special importance to the relationship with ASEAN in its foreign policy, and that it will make active contributions to build a united and strong ASEAN and promote the bloc’s centrality in the regional architecture.

 

The visit’s outcomes are expected to serve as an important stepping stone for Vietnam and Indonesia to obtain more positive cooperation results on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership in 2023, and develop bilateral ties in an increasingly substantive, intensive, and extensive manner in the following years./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

Cambodia Angkor Air (CAAir) announced on December 23 that it had successfully launched the first flight linking Cambodia’s Siem Reap and Hanoi of Vietnam.

 

According to its press release, the inaugural flight departed from Siem Reap International Airport and landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on December 22 with 68 passengers on board. It returned to Siem Reap on the same day, carrying 81 passengers.

 

Initially, Cambodia Angkor Air operates three flights a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

 

In addition to the new route, the carrier also operates five routes to Vietnam, including between Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City with two flights a day; Siem Reap and Da Nang with one flight daily; Phnom Penh and Hanoi with three flights per week, Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City with two flights a day, and Sihanoukville and Ho Chi Minh City with one flight daily./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

The State visit to Indonesia by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc is one of the very good stepping stones for the relationship between the two countries, Teguh Santosa, Editor-in-Chief of Republik Merdeka newspaper, said in an interview to the Vietnam News Agency.

 

Teguh Santosa, who is also chairman of Indonesia’s Cyber Media Association, said that Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his  Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc dicusssed many issues, including investment and ways to boost trade between the two countries as well as maritime cooperation during their talks on December 22.

 

Given that Indonesia and Vietnam are the main actors in the region, Teguh Santosa said Indonesia has learnt a lot from Vietnam, especially in promoting economic development. Many Vietnamese goods are already present in Indonesia, while air routes have been established between Hanoi capital city and Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam and Jakarta and Bali of Indonesia, he said.

 

President Phuc’s visit will further enhance the strong understanding among business associations, traders and manufacturers in Indonesia and vice versa.

 

Teguh Santosa emphasised that the two economies are highly complementary. Indonesia is a member of G20 with GDP of 1.3 trillion USD and a population of 280 million people while Vietnam has nearly 100 million people with its rapid growth rate.

 

Regarding measures to promote Indonesia-Vietnam relations in the coming time, Teguh Santosa said that it is necessary for the two sides to organise many exchange programmes between the press, scholars, students, and small and medium enterprises, thereby helping Vietnamese people have a better understanding about Indonesia and vice versa. It will deepen the good bilateral relationship between the two countries, he noted.

 

He said he hopes there are more Indonesian journalists visiting Vietnam, and more Vietnamese journalists visiting Indonesia.

 

As a businessman, he expected that Vietnam will be further open to products from Indonesia and Indonesia will be more open to goods from Vietnam./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s State visit to Indonesia has obtained comprehensive, substantive, and concrete outcomes, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son said on December 23.

 

The trip, made at the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo from December 21 to 23, held great significance as it marks a new milestone in the Vietnam – Indonesia strategic partnership, helping consolidate the political foundation and giving a new impetus to bilateral cooperation in all fields, the Foreign Minister told media.

 

It obtained comprehensive, substantive, and concrete outcomes, especially in important areas, he noted, elaborating that leaders of the two countries reached high consensus on enhancing political trust through frequent meetings and mutual visits at all levels, promoting ties in all aspects and effectively carrying out the signed agreements, toward building an action plan for the implementation of the strategic partnership for 2024 – 2028.

 

The two sides signed and exchanged important cooperation agreements on fighting terrorism; combating the trafficking of drugs, psychoactive substances, and precursor substances; and the energy and mineral resource sectors.

 

The two Presidents highly valued their countries’ completion of negotiations on the delimitation of exclusive economic zones in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Son said.

 

Another notable outcome was that bilateral economic, trade, and investment ties were given more momentum as both sides affirmed their determination to boost balanced and sustainable trade growth and raise the revenue to 15 billion USD or higher by 2028.

 

Bilateral trade increased strongly to approximate 13 billion USD in the first 11 months of 2022, the highest level so far, compared to the 11.5 billion USD recorded in the whole 2021.

 

President Phuc asked Indonesia to remove trade barriers and trade remedies against Vietnamese goods, further open its market to Vietnamese exports, and cooperate to develop the Halal industry.

 

The two sides agreed to facilitate Vietnamese and Indonesian enterprises’ investment in new and potential areas such as digital economy, digital transformation, renewable energy, and sustainable development.

 

They affirmed the continuation of close cooperation in other important fields, particularly defence, security, maritime cooperation, and connectivity between the countries’ peoples, localities, and businesses, according to the Foreign Minister.

 

In addition, the Vietnamese and Indonesian leaders straightforwardly exchanged views on regional and international issues of common concern, including the East Sea issue.

 

They agreed on major orientations for reinforcing coordination at regional and international forums, especially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations, and fostering sub-regional connectivity and cooperation within ASEAN to help guarantee energy and food security.

 

President Phuc underlined Vietnam’s support for Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN in 2023 so as to promote the bloc’s solidarity and centrality.

 

With the abovementioned achievements, the visit has opened up new opportunities for bilateral cooperation and demonstrated the leaders’ determination to develop the Vietnam – Indonesia strategic partnership to a new height, thereby generating practical benefits for the two peoples and contributing to a united and self-reliant ASEAN Community for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world at large, FM Son added./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

 

Japan wishes to expand cooperation with the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho in agriculture and human resources.

 

The information was revealed at a working session between leaders of Can Tho city and a Japanese delegation led by Wantanabe Michitaro, Mayor of Nasushiobara city of Tochigi prefecture on December 23.

 

Wantanabe told the hosts that Japan had planned to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation with Can Tho in the fields of agriculture and human resources exchange in July 2020. However,  it was delayed due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

 

As the pandemic is basically under control, Japan wants the two sides to hasten the signing of the MoU, paving the way for trade expansion, especially in agriculture.

 

Nasushiobara boasts strength in agriculture, with dairy cow and rice being key products. Livestock farming accounts for 70% of the city’s agricultural production structure.

 

For his part, Pham Van Hieu, Chairman of municipal People’s Council, said farming land makes up 80% of Can Tho’s total area and hi-tech agriculture is currently one of its strengths.

 

This year, 172 labourers in the locality were sent to work in Japan, he added.

 

He hoped that more activities will be conducted by the two cities next year on the occasion of 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency