Government News 30/1 Cultural exchanges connect Vietnam, Japan: NA chief    NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Tsutomu Takebe, Special Advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance After four editions, the annual Vietnam-Japan festival has left good impression on Vietnamese people and boosted their understanding about Japan, said National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. Ngan made the remark when receiving Tsutomu Takebe, Special Advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance, in Hanoi on January 29. She praised the advisor’s contributions to bilateral ties via initiating cultural exchange activities, which have been successfully organised in recent years. Ngan said the Vietnam-Japan festival taking place in January this year served as a meaningful curtain-raiser for a host of events in celebration of 45-year relations between the two countries. The Vietnam NA highly values joint projects coordinated by Takebe, such as the Vietnam – Japan University, Vietnam-Japan festival, and other trade connection and human resources training programmes, stated the top legislator. For his part, Takebe lauded the Vietnam U23 football team’s efforts to secure the second place at the recent Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship despite unfavorable weather. He also congratulated Vietnam on successful hosting two major regional events – the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week 2017 and the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum. Highlighting the friendship and cooperation between the two countries’ people as a basis of Vietnam – Japan relations, the advisor said 250,000 Vietnamese students in Japan are key to the future development of the ties. Agreeing with her guest, Ngan said in addition to State and parliamentary diplomacy, people-to-people exchange is also necessary, adding that the NA supports activities held by the Vietnam – Japan Friendship Parliamentarians' Group and the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance. She said she believes with determination of both sides, these cultural exchange programmes will help bilateral ties move toward effectiveness. On the occasion, Takebe gifted his host a book titled “Kyojinka - national capacity enhancement in response to disasters in Japan, Asia and the world”. Congratulations to re-elected President of Czech Republic   President Tran Dai Quang  President Tran Dai Quang on January 28 sent a message of congratulations to Milos Zeman on his re-election as President of the Czech Republic for the 2018-2022 tenure. Vietnam and the Czech Republic set up diplomatic ties on February 2, 1950. Vietnam was among 12 priority markets included in the Czech national export strategy during 2012-20, which was announced in 2012. More than 60,000 Vietnamese are living in the Czech Republic. On July 3, 2013, the Czech Government appointed a Czech representative of Vietnamese origin to the Council of Ethnic Minorities, thus recognising the Czech Vietnamese community as an ethnic minority group in the country. Lao, VN minister vow cooperation to fight crime    Vietnamese Minister of Public Security Sen. Lieut. Gen. Tô Lâm (left) and his Lao counterpart Somkeo Silavong signed a co-operation plan for 2018. General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President Bounnhang Volachith has urged the Ministries of Public Security of Việt Nam and Laos to further their co-operation in fighting crime, especially organised, trans-national, drug and high-tech crimes. At a reception for Vietnamese Minister of Public Security Sen. Lieut. Gen. Tô Lâm in Vientiane on Saturday, the Lao leader praised the outcomes of co-operation between the two ministries in the recent past. Minister Lâm said Vietnamese people in general and the police force in particular are grateful for the valuable support of the Lao people in the past struggle for national liberation as well as for the present cause of national defence and the country’s efforts to ensure social order and safety. The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security will do its utmost to promote comprehensive co-operation with its Lao counterpart, meeting requirements and tasks in the new situation, in order to consolidate the special friendship and comprehensive co-operation between the two countries, for the sake of peace, stability and development in the region and the world at large. Lâm called on the Lao leader to create favourable conditions for competent agencies of the two ministries to intensify their collaboration in fighting crime and protecting national security and safety in each nation. During their talks earlier the same day, Lâm and his Lao counterpart Somkeo Silavong reviewed the close and effective co-operation between the two sides in 2017, including the celebration of the Việt Nam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year. They signed a co-operation plan for 2018, under which the two sides will maintain high-level meetings between leaders of the two ministries, partner with each other to fight hostile forces, implement international agreements and treaties to which both are parties, and consult and support each other at regional and international forums on combating crime. PM urges Bac Lieu to focus on high-tech shrimp farming   Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at a working session with leaders of Bac Lieu.   Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu to promote green development based on fishing, aquaculture and seafood processing, with a focus on high-tech shrimp farming.  The PM met with leaders of Bac Lieu province, the country’s second largest shrimp producer, on January 29 ahead of the investment promotion conference in Bac Lieu on January 30.  Bac Lieu should become the country’s industrial centre of shrimp in terms of both shrimp fry and processed shrimp, he said, suggesting the locality employ methodical planning for the sector. Despite limitations and challenges, with the biggest being the adverse impacts of climate change and sea level rises, Bac Lieu still has better conditions than mountainous localities to grow, PM Phuc said.  “As one of the largest shrimp producers nationwide, Bac Lieu should not be a “low-lying area” of the Mekong Delta,” he stressed, adding that with its advantages in shrimp breeding, renewable energy and agriculture, the province needs to swiftly balance its budget.  Apart from setting forth planning on shrimp farming, solar and wind power development, Bac Lieu should promote its tourism strength by organising package tours, completing the tourism ecosystem, diversifying products and connecting with major tourism projects, he said.  The leader also asked Bac Lieu to enhance its connectivity with the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City.  Applauding Bac Lieu’s achievements in 2017, PM Phuc urged the province to improve the ethics of public servants, prevent group interests, and strive to fulfill its socio-economic targets for 2018.  Bac Lieu has an aquaculture area of 1,290 sq.km. With a coastline of 56 km, three seaports and an economic exclusive zone of 20,742 sq.km, the province has favourable conditions to develop agriculture, fishing and fishery logistics.  Agriculture accounts for 43.14 percent of the province’s gross regional domestic product. Each year, the locality harvests about 210,000 tonnes of aquatic products, of which 115,000 tonnes are shrimp, with shrimp export turnover exceeding 527 million USD.  Last year, the province’s economy grew by 6.5 percent and per capita income reached 37.5 million VND (1,650 USD). The locality contributed more than 2.8 trillion VND (132.2 million USD) to the State budget.  However, climate change and sea level rises caused great losses to local agriculture in recent years. VNS/VNA