Vietnam, Japan hold first security dialogue Vietnam, Japan hold first security dialogue  A Vietnam-Japan security dialogue at the deputy ministerial level, the first of its kind between the two countries, was held in Hanoi on November 26. The meeting was co-chaired by Deputy Minister of Public Security of Vietnam Tran Viet Tan and deputy head of the Japan National Police Agency Kanetaka Masahito. Both sides discussed measures to strengthen cooperation in defending national security, maintaining social order, and combating trans-national and cyber crimes, as well as protecting big political and cultural events to be held in each country. They examined ways of supporting Vietnamese and Japanese nationals living in each other’s territory. Counterterrorism in Southeast Asia and Japan’s experience in the field were also discussed at the dialogue. The dialogue took place in a friendly, constructive and trustful spirit. Kanetaka Masahito expressed hope the success of the meeting will deepen fine relations between the two countries. Viet Nam delegation attends regional partnership forums A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Phuong Nga yesterday, Nov 26, wrapped up a two day trip to the 12th Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Ministerial Meeting and the 3rd ASEAN and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Ministerial Meeting in Manama, Bahrain. The 12th ACD Ministerial Meeting attracted delegates from 33 member countries and aimed to promote stronger partnerships among Asian nations. The agenda focused on regional cooperation in areas including trans-national infrastructure, energy, bilateral regional and free trade agreements, investment and poverty reduction. Delegates also devoted time to discussing improvements in technological sharing, climate change adaptation, food security, counter-terrorism and and maritime security. Addressing the event, Nga emphasised the role of the ACD in promoting dialogue and cooperation and building mutual trust to overcome common development challenges. She proposed cooperation in tourism, transport connectivity, trade, natural disaster prevention, and the sustainable management of water resources. She also affirmed Viet Nam's commitment to strengthening cooperation with other member countries for peace, prosperity and development. Outcomes from the meeting included the adoption of the Manama Joint Declaration titled "Promoting Asia Tourism Cooperation", which aims to boost ACD cooperation and support initiatives boosting ties between Asia and Europe. The 13th ACD meeting is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia next year. Attending the third ASEAN–GCC Ministerial Meeting, delegates lauded recent developments in bilateral ties, highlighting outcomes from the 2010-2012 Action Plan and the ASEAN–GCC Declaration on Vision adopted in 2009. Delegates also acknowledged the importance of fostering bilateral ties in areas including trade, investment, education, energy and tourism. Delegates also vowed to coordinate more effectively at multilateral forums to combat global epidemics, terrorism and crime, emphasising the need for joint security efforts along sea straits and maritime routes. Nga used the occasion to call for more private-public partnerships and promote cooperation in the banking and financial sectors, backing Viet Nam's pledge to favour GCC businesses investing in the country. Party delegation visits China A delegation from Deputy Head of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education Pham Van Linh paid a working visit to China from November 20-25. Linh and Permanent Vice Minister Luo Shugang and Vice Minister Wang Xiaohui of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee’s Propaganda Department shared experiences in communication and personnel training and discussed urgent issues that need to be resolved. They applauded the outcome of the bilateral cooperation and stressed the need to deepen mutual understanding as well as strengthening publishing connections. Linh said he hopes the agreement will progress and visits by journalists will be facilitated to educate young generations about the traditional friendship between Vietnam and China. The Chinese guests briefed the Vietnamese delegation on the consensus reached at the third plenum of the 18th National Congress of the CPC, ways to raise public awareness of resolutions and press and publishing management. Luo expressed his hope that during the 2014 theoretical workshop between the two Parties in Vietnam, the two sides will gain good experience in Party building, theoretical research and communication and personnel training. During its stay, the Vietnamese delegation worked with CPC officials, authorities and their counterparts in Nanjing, Changzhou and Shanghai and visited several Chinese media agencies. China-Viet Nam Youth Gala enlivens co-operation The second China-Vietnam Youth Gala opened yesterday (Nov 26) in Nanning, the capital city of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping sent congratulatory letters to the event. The event saw the attendance of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF), Central Committee President Nguyen Thien Nhan, Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao and nearly 10,000 youngsters from both countries. Speaking at the event, Nhan said the festival showed the positive developments of the two nations' friendship and co-operation. It offered chances for youngsters to renew Viet Nam and China's traditional friendship, contributing to ties between the two Parties and States. He called on the two countries' communist youth unions to further their practical co-operation to forge their traditional friendship. Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao reiterated that China–Viet Nam relations were shared by the two peoples, voicing his hope that both countries would forever act as good neighbours, friends, comrades and partners. He also called on youths from both sides to embrace the time-tested friendship, pass on the baton of friendly relations from generation to generation, and join hands in creating a bright future for the two countries. Following the success of the first Vietnam-China Youth Gala, the second event has helped the younger generations to understand the importance of the Viet Nam–China comprehensive co-operation and friendship to each country's development as well as regional peace, friendship and mutual development. Both sides considered this year's event as a landmark for their peoples and youths, and a catalyst for people-to-people exchanges in the future. During the festival, Vietnamese youngsters took part in activities such as tree planting, painting, writing calligraphy and visiting Chinese people. PM sends condolences to Latvia Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday (Nov 26) conveyed his condolences to his Latvian counterpart Valdis Dombrovkis over the recent supermarket collapse in the capital city of Riga. The accident occurred on November 21 and caused multiple casualties. Viet Nam, Sri Lanka target $1 bln trade by 2015 Viet Nam always attaches importance to its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Sri Lanka and will work together to raise two-way trade value to US$1 billion by 2015, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said in Colombo yesterday. In meetings with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne and Speaker of Parliament Chamal Jayantha Rajapaks, and talks with Foreign Minister G. L. Peiris, Minh expressed his belief that Sri Lanka would soon fulfil the set targets in its Mahinda Chintana programme. This would turn it into an important economic, trade, aviation, maritime and intellectual centre in the region, making contributions to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world at large, he added. The two sides spoke highly of positive developments in bilateral relations in the recent past, especially in economics, trade, culture and education and the significance of President Truong Tan Sang's state-level visit to Sri Lanka in October 2011. They shared the view that both sides should further strengthen exchanges and meetings at all levels between political parties, legislative bodies and people. They also agreed that they maintain valid co-operation mechanisms like joint committees, hold political consultations, and set up sub-committees for co-operation in specific areas. They agreed to encourage and create conditions their enterprises to do business in each other's country, especially in tea production and processing in Viet Nam, and the exploration and supply of oil products in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan leaders said Minh's visit would help deepen bilateral relations. They spoke highly of Viet Nam's development achievements, saying they hope to benefit from the country's experience and support in agriculture and aquaculture. Sri Lanka is willing to help Viet Nam in legal and international justice issues, they said. They also congratulated Viet Nam on its election to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2014-2016 tenure and affirmed they want Viet Nam to play a more important role in international forums, such as the UN and the Non-aligned Movement. Earlier the same day, Minh attended the inaugural ceremony of President Ho Chi Minh's statue in Colombo. Development partners pledge support for Vietnam Vietnam’s partners will continue to support the country in achieving its development targets in the coming years, said Country Director of the Asian Development Bank Tomoyuki Kimuara at the seventh Aid Effectiveness Forum in Hanoi on November 26. Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen The Phuong highly valued relevant parties’ efforts to build and implement the Busan Partnership Document and the Vietnam Partnership Document to make development cooperation and aid more effective. At the forum, held annually by the ministry on the threshold of the Vietnam Development Partnership Forum (VDPF), participants discussed Vietnam’s prospects for development cooperation on the basis of 20-year ties between the country and donors in the new stage of its development. Donors and international non-governmental organisations noted that although Vietnam is a middle income country, it still needs aid to ensure its sustainable development and avoid the “middle income” trap. Vietnam should have better orientations, policies and solutions to effectively use fewer preferential loans and exploit other financial resources for development, when ODA is on the decline, they added. They also suggested the country foster technical cooperation, share experience and transfer technologies through north-south cooperation between developing and developed countries, south-south among developing countries, and triple-sided cooperation between developing countries with financial support from donors. Participants discussed and agreed on the forum’s activities in the 2014-2016 medium-term plan, which emphasises the role of Vietnam’s contributions to regional and international aid effectiveness forums, especially the Global Partnership Summit in Mexico next April and the UN post-2015 Development Agenda. They also adopted the forum’s message to the VDPF held in Hanoi on December 5. Mekong Delta, HCM City look to boost cooperation Leaders from 13 Mekong Delta localities and Ho Chi Minh City met at a November 26 conference in Vinh Long Province to seek ways to beef up their cooperation and connectivity. During the event, as part of the ongoing Mekong Delta Economic Forum (MDEC - Vinh Long 2013), the leaders reviewed their cooperation outcomes over the past years, while directly talking with local enterprises. The Mekong Delta region with its advantages has acted as a supplier of material and labour to HCM City – a major cultural and economic hub of the country. Over the past years, Mekong Delta localities and HCM City have enjoyed growing cooperation in various fields including agriculture, fisheries and production support services, ensuring food safety for the Mekong Delta region and the whole country. During the 12 years of ties, the city’s firms have invested in 23 industrial zones in the region with over 1,000 projects totalling 260 trillion VND (12.22 billion USD). However, the Steering Committee for the Southwestern Region admitted that the projects have faced slow progress, leading to poor efficiency. HCM City’s leaders suggested that the Mekong Delta localities organise a conference to review cooperation in the 2001-2013 period and subsequently hold the event every five years. Meanwhile, cooperation with the city’s enterprises should be extended, while more bilateral cooperation mechanisms should be built to strengthen the responsibilities of each side, they said. They also called on the steering committee for closer coordination to remove obstacles during the cooperation process. Leaders of HCM City and the 13 Mekong Delta localities proposed that the Government should prioritise ODA for the development of key transport projects, irrigation systems and environmental protection in the region. They also asked for more policies to utilise all natural and human resources to attract investment to the region. The Mekong Delta region comprises of 12 provinces and one centrally-run city with a total area of 40,000 square kilometres and a population of 18 million. It is the largest granary of the country. The same day, a seminar themed “Developing and expanding the green agriculture model in the Mekong Delta region” was held, focusing on assessing the value chain of agricultural products as a strength of the region. It aims to promote regional localities’ access to the model, allowing them to apply it in their specific situation, thus gradually multiplying the green and hi-tech agricultural production process. Some localities also introduced typical value chains of products like fruit and tra fish, large-scale rice field and production to VietGap standards. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the Mekong Delta region has 3.8 million hectares of farmland and enjoys the best conditions for farming the country. The region generates 40 percent of the country’s total agricultural production value, 54 percent of aquatic products, 62 percent of rice export turnover and 85 percent of catfish export value, it said. However, the ministry warns of unsustainable agriculture production in the region as it has mainly depended on natural resources. MARD Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam said the ministry will propose to the Government mechanisms and policies to solve difficulties for the region in investment size and sources, market and production area planning, aiming to boost green agriculture. In the future, Mekong Delta green agriculture will be associated with aquaculture and mangrove forest conditions, contributing to coping with climate change, he added. Brussels seminar talks Vietnam-Belgium cooperation A “Café Vietnam” seminar was held in Brussels on November 25 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-Belgium diplomatic ties. Addressing the event, Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg Pham Sanh Chau pointed out the potential for further cooperation, especially in higher education and partnerships between Vietnamese localities and the East Flanders province of Belgium. Meanwhile, many Belgian enterprises offered updates on their ongoing cooperation projects in Vietnam, including one to develop a cocoa material area for chocolate manufacturing in the Mekong Delta by Puratos Group and another to grow flowers in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong by Denis Plants company. Professor Van Huylenbroeck from the Bioscience Engineering Faculty at Ghent University – the event organisers said the university has shared a long-standing history with Vietnam. Every year, the university receives dozens of Vietnamese postgraduates with 100 students currently studying there, the professor said, adding that the event is also a chance for them to get a greater understanding of the Vietnam-Belgium ties. VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA