Day: June 18, 2023

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on June 17 asked the Mekong Delta province of An Giang to mobilise resources to develop infrastructure for cross-border trade.

During his working session with provincial leaders, Chinh said that An Giang shares a 104-km borderline with Cambodia and has two international border gates, which are favourable conditions for developing border trade with Cambodia and connecting with ASEAN.

"An Giang must build a border of peace, friendship and development, develop a solid defensive area in terms of national security, and promote economic cooperation," Chinh said.

Provincial leaders must drastically and synchronously implement solutions to promote the three growth drivers - export, consumption, and investment, as well as focus on infrastructure planning and development, he added.

PM Chinh also noted that An Giang province should focus on developing digital infrastructure, digital transformation, and an innovation ecosystem; continue to effectively implement the strategy for sustainable agriculture and rural development and the strategy for cultivation, animal husbandry, fisheries, and forestry; accelerate industrial restructuring towards increasing the proportion of processing and manufacturing industries; continue to develop industrial production and gradually create more branded competitive products.

An Giang must promote import and export activities and diversify tourism products to meet new market trends, he went on.

PM Chinh asked the province to strengthen the management of natural resources, environmental protection, and climate change responses.

Besides further investment in healthcare, education, and training, the province needs to effectively implement the National Target Programme on socio-economic development and social welfare for people of ethnic groups, he said, requesting the province to improve its governance and public administration performance indicators (PAPI) and administrative reform index (PAR Index), and strengthen anti-corruption work.

Earlier the same day, PM Chinh ordered simultaneously beginning the construction of four components projects of the first phase of the 188km Chau Doc-Can Tho-Soc Trang expressway.

Crossing the Mekong Delta region, the expressway begins in Soc Trang province’s Tran De port, runs through Hau Giang province and Can Tho city, and ends in An Giang province’s Chau Doc city. It is designed to be 32.25m wide and have six lanes, with its total cost exceeding 44.69 trillion VND (1.89 billion USD) sourced from the central and local budgets.

The project is divided into four sub-projects, whose investment management agencies are the People's Committees of Soc Trang, Hau Giang, and An Giang provinces and Can Tho city. The expressway is expected to be completed in 2026 and the entire project in 2027.

Addressing the ceremony, PM Chinh said the expressway would be the first horizontal axis one in the Mekong Delta, connecting the region with the national expressway system. It was expected to be one of six expressways that change the Mekong Delta as well as connect many economic centres, international border gates and seaports, he added.

The Government leader said that the implementation of the project was a step to realise the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress as well as the guidelines and policies of the Party and State on infrastructure and social-economic development, and on ensuring national defence and security in the region.

He also highlighted the need to build the Mekong Delta into a key economic region with high and sustainable growth, adding that the region has abundant potential but its transport infrastructure remains limited at the moment.

The PM affirmed that the Government always paid attention and worked drastically so that the project and other infrastructure development projects are completed on schedule and with quality, meeting the requirements of socio-economic development and improving people's living standards.

He ordered the construction of the expressway to be done quickly, efficiently, safely and without waste.

The same day, the leader visited An Giang Ethnic Minority Boarding High School and the family of a wounded soldier in Chau Doc city./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Representatives from international organisations, businesses and financial funds in Switzerland raised recommendations for Vietnam regarding green transition towards sustainable development, at a recent workshop held by the Vietnamese mission in Geneva.

Speaking at the hybrid event, Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), WTO and other international organisations in Geneva, affirmed that shifting to the green economy and the circular economy is Vietnam’s priority.

Vietnam has coordinated with international organisations like the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank (WB), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and the World Economic Forum (WEF) in attracting green commercial projects adaptive to climate change, she said.

The participants compared notes on opportunities and challenges for developing countries, including Vietnam, in green transition and impacts of environment policies and measures on trade.

Representatives from the UNDP and the WB pledged to support Vietnam and other developing nations in raising their capacity and connecting with companies in order to consolidate their green economy strategies and push ahead with the just energy transition./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on June 18 issued an order to simultaneously start the construction of three important national transport projects at a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on June 18.

The ceremony was linked to sites in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak and the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The projects comprise Ho Chi Minh City's Ring Road 3, the first phase of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway, and the first phase of the Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot Expressway.

Ring Road 3 running 90 km and costing more than 75.3 trillion VND (3.2 billion USD) will cross HCM City as well as Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An provinces.

It will have six lanes designed for speeds of 80-100km per hour for commuting and two lanes for emergency stops.

The first phase will stretch 76 km with four lanes and each locality is in charge of clearing the site and building the section in their territory.

An overpass will be built to link the ring road with HCM City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway, which links Dong Nai and HCM City and connects with Dau Giay – Phan Thiet Expressway running from Dong Nai to the beach city of Phan Thiet.

The project will also link with four other expressways including HCM City– Trung Luong that connects HCM City with the Mekong Delta; Ben Luc– Long Thanh; HCM City – Moc Bai, connecting the city with Cambodian border; and HCM City – Chon Thanh linking HCM City and Binh Duong.

Meanwhile, the first phase of the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway will run 53.7km with a total cost of over 19 trillion VND, and the first phase of the Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot Expressway will stretch 117.5km with funding of nearly 21 trillion VND. Speaking at the ceremony, Chinh reiterated the target of building around 5,000km of expressways by 2030, with 3,000km set by 2025 and 2,000km for the remaining years.

However, he said, only 1,729 km have been put into service, stressing the huge workload ahead.

The leader hailed efforts by localities in site clearance, compensation and resettlement, and by ministries and agencies in preparations for the construction, especially the Ministry of Construction.

The three projects are scheduled to be completed in 2025 and put into operation in 2026, he continued, noting their special significance as they cross the central, Central Highlands and southwestern regions where not many expressways run through.

He asked relevant sides to ensure the quality and progress of the projects, saying regular supervisions and inspections should be maintained.

The Government will take drastic actions to facilitate the projects and other infrastructure ones, meeting demand for socio-economic development, and raising people’s living standards, he pledged.

He also stressed the need to ensure rights and legal interests of residents, and harmonise interests of the State, people and businesses./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Indonesia plans to launch its carbon exchange in September, with power generation companies the first to trade on it.

The exchange will be operated by Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) under the supervisory of the Financial Services Authority, and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

According to director of the ministry’s department for the mobilisation of sectoral and regional resources Dr Ignatius Wahyu Marjaka, power producers that operate coal power plants and have a level of emissions lower than the level set by the government can sell emission allowances to their less efficient peers.

In February, Indonesia - Southeast Asia’s largest economy and the world’s eighth-largest greenhouse emitter - launched the first phase of mandatory carbon trading for 99 coal power plants owned by 42 companies and supplying electricity to state utility firm PLN.

More than half of the power generation in the country is sourced from coal.

Wahyu said that Indonesia is also looking into companies in the forestry sector that are quite capable and can meet the requirements to take part in the exchange in September.

Forestry and similar sectors linked to land use, together with energy and transportation, make up 97% of Indonesia’s pledge to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.

Late last year, the government enhanced its target to cut emissions by 2030 by 31.89%, or by 43.2% with international financial support.

Wahyu said that Indonesian government is also identifying entities that contributed to removing 577 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) verified under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change between 2018 and 2020. The current identification is geared towards those accounting for 100 million tonnes CO2e of the overall figure, he said./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency