Government News 14/6 (Hourly Updated) ACMECS, CLMV cooperation promotes integration, development in Mekong basin   A Vietnamese delegation led by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will attend the eighth Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Summit (ACMECS 8) and the ninth Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit (CLMV 9) in Bangkok, Thailand from June 15-16. *ACMECS: enhances cooperation, narrows development gap The ACMECS, also known as the Economic Cooperation Strategy (ECS), was set up in November 2003, named after the three main rivers in the Mekong River basin. Vietnam joined the framework at its first ministerial meeting in November 2004. It now consists of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, aiming to strengthen bilateral economic collaboration, tap comparative advantages of member regions and countries and narrow development gaps.  The ACMECS now covers eight cooperation fields of trade-investment, agriculture, industry-energy, transportation, tourism, human resources development, health care and environment.  Each country coordinates at least one field. Thailand coordinates joint efforts in trade-investment and health care, Vietnam directs workforce development, industry-energy and co-coordinates with Cambodia in environment.  Cambodia coordinates tourism collaboration while Laos and Myanmar direct transportation and agriculture, respectively.  The biennial ACMECS Summit is held alternately in each country. During the ACMECS 2 in 2006, countries agreed to hold a mid-term review on the sidelines of ASEAN high-level meetings.  Vietnam hosted the ACMECS 3 in Hanoi from November 4-7, 2008, which adopted a joint statement on trade, investment, tourism facilitation and prioritised economic connectivity, especially promoting internal trade and investment to cope with challenges and established a working group on the environment.  The Phnom Penh Declaration and ACMECS Plan of Action were adopted during the AMCECS 4 in the Cambodian capital city in 2010.  During the ACMECS 5 in Vientiane, Laos in 2012, leaders adopted the Vientiane Declaration and ACMECS Plan of Action for 2013-2015 which specifies plans for cooperation in industry-energy, tourism, trade-investment, agriculture, workforce development, transport connectivity, health care, social welfare and the environment.  The ACMECS 6 in Myanmar in 2014 passed the Nay Pyi Taw Declaration and Action Plan for the 2016-2018 period with a view to turning ACMECS into a top destination for investment and tourism.  The ACMECS 7, held in Hanoi in 2016, was themed “Towards a Dynamic and Prosperous Mekong Sub-region”. It adopted the Hanoi Declaration and pledged to boost priority collaboration in transportation, trade-investment, industry, tourism, agriculture and environment.  *CLMV: Promotes integration in Mekong sub-region and ASEAN During the ASEAN-Japan Summit in December 2003 in Tokyo, leaders of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam agreed to hold the first CLMV Summit on the occasion of the 10th ASEAN Summit held in Vientiane in November 2004.  The CLMV cooperation is based on the idea of narrowing development gap between CMVL and other countries in the region, thus facilitating their integration into the region’s development. It is also a channel to call for support from other ASEAN countries and development partners for CLMV countries as well as a forum for CLMV to coordinate stances, thus protecting their interests during the process of economic connectivity in ASEAN and between ASEAN and its partners.  CLMV cooperation covers trade, investment, agriculture, industry, energy, transport, tourism and human resources development. The countries agreed to establish six working groups and Vietnam coordinates three of them, namely trade-investment, information technology and human resources development.  The CLMV 1 in 2004 ratified the Vientiane Declaration on enhancing economic partnership and integration within Mekong Sub-region, ASEAN and regional cooperation frameworks.  The CLMV 2 in 2005 adopted the Action Plan that mentioned joint work with Thailand to consider the possibility of combining CLMV with ACMECS coordination to avoid overlapping and improve cooperation efficiency.  The CLMV 3 in 2007 saw the signing of agreements on combining CLMV and ACMECS action plans.  The CLMV 4 in 2008 set orientations for regional collaboration in trade, investment, transport, agriculture, industry, energy, tourism and human resources development. It committed favourable conditions for partnerships across processing industry, mining, hydropower, infrastructure, services and logistics.  Vietnam built the CLMV Scholarship Fund from which tens of scholarships are offered to Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar each year, which will continue till 2020.  The CLMV 5 in 2010 adopted Joint Statement on enhancing cooperation to narrow development gap with other ASEAN members.  The CLMV 6 in 2015 pledged to improve cooperation efficiency and facilitate trade, investment and tourism and strengthen connectivity via developing economic corridors and human resources.  The CLMV 7 in 2016 vowed to reinforce trade-investment ties among the four countries, devise new policies to facilitate trade and signed bilateral and multilateral agreements.  The CLMV 8 in Hanoi in 2017 agreed on work to launch projects in transport, trade and investment facilitation, industry, tourism and human resources development. Hanoi pledges to roll out red carpet for Dutch businesses   Chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung (R) receives outgoing Ambassador of the Netherlands to Vietnam Nienke Trooster (Source: http://hanoi.gov.vn) Hanoi is willing to create favourable conditions for businesses from the Netherlands to invest in infrastructure development, clean water supply and wastewater treatment, said a local official. Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung made the remark at a reception for outgoing Ambassador of the Netherlands to Vietnam Nienke Trooster in Hanoi on June 13. He recognised the ambassador’s important contributions to enhancing the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries as well as between Dutch localities and Hanoi over the past years. Chung hoped that in any new position, Trooster will continue serving as a bridge to develop the bilateral relations. While highlighting bilateral cooperation prospects, Chung said Hanoi prioritises applying technologies from European countries, including the Netherlands, to carry out its development plan through 2020. Apart from clean water and infrastructure development projects, Hanoi is partnering with the Netherlands’ Philips Lighting group to implement a project to light up the area around Hoan Kiem Lake, he said. In agriculture, an asparagus growing project in Phu Xuyen district using the seeds from the Netherlands is reaping success, the chairman added. He took this occasion to invite the Dutch diplomat to attend a conference entitled “Hanoi 2018 – investment cooperation and development” at the National Convention Centre on June 17. Ambassador Trooster described Hanoi as one of the most beautiful cities in Asia. Over the years, the two countries’ businesses have worked to promote the bilateral partnership in various fields, she said, adding that their cooperation potential remains huge. Vietnam, Myanmar promote defence cooperation   Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Tran Don (Source: baomoi.com)  Senior military officers of Vietnam and Myanmar have agreed to foster cooperative ties in the defence industry, army logistics and medical services.  During a working visit to Myanmar from June 8-12 by a Vietnamese military delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Tran Don, the two sides discussed measures to deepen bilateral defence links on par with the comprehensive cooperative partnership between the two nations.  The visit aimed to review defence cooperation between the two countries in the recent past, especially after the official visit to Vietnam in March 2017 by Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and the official visit to Myanmar by Vietnamese Minister of National Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich in October 2017.  As part of its trip, the Vietnamese delegation paid courtesy visits to Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and Defence Minister of Myanmar Lieut. Gen. Sein Win, during which the Myanmar officers highlighted the high political trust between the two countries and their armies.  They stressed that defence links between Myanmar and Vietnam in a number of fields have borne fruit, especially in training, military medicine and defence industry.  The Vietnamese delegation also attended a ceremony to launch telecoms service of the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group in the Myanmar market (Mytel). The project is one of highlights of the bilateral defence cooperation in recent times.  At the ceremony and meetings with Vietnamese delegates, Myanmar’s leaders agreed to create favourable conditions for Vietnam enterprises, including defence firms, to invest in Myanmar.  During their stay, the Vietnamese delegation visited the Defence Services Academy of Myanmar, the Vietnamese Embassy and the defence attaché office in Myanmar. Vietnam promotes rights of people with disabilities   Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, Head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations  Vietnam regards equality and non-discrimination as the fundamental principles of ensuring the rights of all people, including those with disabilities. Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, Head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN), made the statement at the 11th session of the Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in New York on June 13. She highlighted Vietnam’s efforts in promoting the participation of people with disabilities in society, including the establishment of independent living support centres for people with disabilities and incentives encouraging organisations to provide financial and technical support for vocational training, education and job generation for disabled people. She welcomed the theme of this year’s session, “Leaving no one behind through the full implementation of the CRPD”. The topic illustrates the close relations between the implementation of the UN Agenda 2030 and the CRPD, looking toward building a better future for all people, she added. The CRPD is one of the most widely-ratified international human rights treaties with 177 ratifications since its adoption in 2006. The convention protects the rights of some 1.5 billion people worldwide. The 11th session, which took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from June 12-14, featured themes such as national fiscal space, public-private partnerships and international cooperation for strengthening the implementation of the CRPD, women and girls with disabilities and political participation and equal recognition before the law. Nine new members of the CRPD for 2019-2022 were elected at the event including Lithuania, Nigeria, Australia, Switzerland, the Republic of Korea, Ghana, Indonesia, Brazil and Mexico. Russia’s National Day observed in Hanoi    The Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association in collaboration with the Russian Embassy in Vietnam organised a ceremony in Hanoi on June 13 to mark the 28th National Day of the Russian Federation (June 12). Congratulating the Government and people of Russian on their National Day and as well as Russia on its hosting the World Cup 2018, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association Trinh Quoc Khanh expressed his delight at the fruitful Vietnam-Russia relations in the past years.  Traditional friendship and cooperation between the two nations have been nurtured by generations of leaders and peoples of both sides, he said, adding that Vietnam always treasures and prioritises to develop relations with Russia in various fields. Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Konstantin Vasilievich Vnukov affirmed that the two countries have diversified the comprehensive strategic partnership with an array of new kinds of collaboration. Cooperation has been expanded from politics-diplomacy, economy-trade, culture, and education to people diplomacy, he said, adding that both nations have paid due attention to bolstering mutual understanding between the youths of the two countries. A special art performance programme was included in the event, featuring Russian songs favoured by Vietnamese people. Two-way trade between Vietnam and Russia topped 3.55 billion USD in 2017, a year-on-year surge of 35 percent. The two countries aim to lift the bilateral trade to 10 billion USD by 2020. Prime Minister receives Mozambican Ambassador   Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) shakes hands with newly-accredited Mozambican Ambassador Leonardo Rosario Manuel Pene  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc received in Hanoi on June 13 newly-accredited Mozambican Ambassador Leonardo Rosario Manuel Pene, affirming Vietnam’s willingness to send experts in agriculture, education and health care to the African country. The PM agreed that the two countries need to organise a session of the Vietnam – Mozambique inter-governmental committee soon to discuss cooperation in the fields of each side’s strength.  He said he wishes Mozambique create conditions for Vietnamese businesses to cooperate and invest in coal and gas fields while supporting Vietnam’s telecom firms to invest in Mozambique. Besides, Vietnam will send a prestigious enterprise in agriculture to Mozambique, he added. Ambassador Pene thanked Vietnam for its sending experts to help Mozambique in agriculture, especially rice cultivation. Thanks to the help, Mozambique’s rice productivity risoe from 2 tonnes to 7 tonnes per hectare. Each year, Mozambique cultivates two rice crops instead of one in the past, he added. The diplomat expressed his wish to boost cooperation with Vietnam in the important areas of health care, education and energy. PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc welcomes new RoK Ambassador   Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) hosted a reception in Hanoi on June 13 for Kim Do-hyun, newly-appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to Vietnam  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception in Hanoi on June 13 for Kim Do-hyun, newly-appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to Vietnam. PM Phuc voiced his hope that with his experience, the new RoK Ambassador will make many contributions to promoting the strategic partnership between the two countries in a more practical and effective manner. He lauded the RoK’s role in the success of the summit between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the US, which took place in Singapore on June 12. Regarding the Vietnam-RoK relations, he said the two countries’ agencies should enhance cooperation in all fields and regularly exchange delegations at all levels, thus laying a foundation to implement bilateral agreements. The two nations also need to promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges as well as exchanges between sectors in order to facilitate for the successful cooperation in many fields, including tourism, he added. PM Phuc noted that two-way trade increased by more than 15 percent in the first quarter of 2018. The RoK is currently the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam and the second largest provider of official development assistance (ODA) for the country. Emphasising the importance of setting the target of 100 billion USD in bilateral trade by 2020, he said the two sides need to take measures to ensure a more balanced trade in the coming time. Vietnam has been stepping up the equitisation of State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in many important sectors, the PM said, expressing his wish that RoK firms will become strategic investors of these SOEs, as well as transfer advanced technology to Vietnamese companies. For his part, Ambassador Kim said Vietnam holds great potential to become an economic hub in Southeast Asia as the country has emerged as one of the world’s major manufacturing centres. He highly evaluated the Vietnamese government’s efforts to promote the country’s socio-economic development, which brought in important achievements. Agreeing with the PM’s proposals, the ambassador expressed his hope that more Vietnamese businesses could participate in the global production chains of RoK firms. He also pledged to contribute to the development of Vietnamese start-ups. President voices support for stronger Vietnam-India defence ties   President Tran Dai Quang (right) and Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman The Party and State of Vietnam will create optimal conditions for the Vietnamese and Indian Defence Ministries to cooperate closely and effectively, thus deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, said President Tran Dai Quang. At a reception in Hanoi on June 13 for Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, President Quang urged leaders of the two ministries to actively instruct competent agencies to comprehensively and effectively implement defence cooperation contents, including delegation exchange and collaboration in personnel training, defence industry, information-technology, strategic research and UN peacekeeping operations.  The partnership would help maintain peace and development in each country and the region as well, he said, asking the ministries to continue their mutual consultation mechanisms at regional and international forums.  Noting with pleasure the enhancement and comprehensive development of the Vietnam-India comprehensive strategic partnership, President Quang stressed that Vietnam backs the Indian Government’s “Act East” policy.  The Vietnamese State, people and army highly appreciate good sentiments and great spiritual and material support from their Indian counterparts over the past time, he said.  Recalling his state visit to India in March, the President said the two sides reached many important common perceptions in order to reinforce the comprehensive strategic partnership in the time ahead.  The leader believed that the bilateral friendship and cooperation will be consolidated thanks to the high political resolve of senior leaders of the two countries along with mutual trust and will for cooperation and development, for the sake of their people, as well as peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.  In reply, Minister Sitharaman briefed the host about the outcomes of her talks with Vietnamese Defence Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich, during which the two sides emphasised the significance of maintaining and expanding bilateral cooperation in training personnel and developing IT and defence industry.  India always treasures and wants to beef up the comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam, she said, adding that the two nations still boast substantial potential for stronger cooperation, especially in security-defence. Anti-corruption law high on agenda of parliament on June 13   Deputy Nguyen Minh Duc of Ho Chi Minh City speaks at the fifth session of the 14th National Assembly  Draft revisions to the Anti-Corruption Law were the focus of the National Assembly (NA) on June 13, part of the ongoing fifth session of the 14th parliament. At the plenary debate, most of lawmakers agreed on the necessity to amend the law. They gave opinions on the expansion of the bill’s scope to the non-State sector, the inspection and examination of the non-State sector, the agencies controlling assets and income, and persons subject to asset and income declaration. They also discussed the settlement of dishonestly declared assets and income or those whose origin is not explained reasonably. Inspector General of the Government Inspectorate Le Minh Khai also provided additional information to clarify some issues mentioned by NA deputies. On June 14, the parliament will vote on a law on amendments and supplements to some articles of the Law on Physical Training and Sports and the law on surveying and mapping. They will also look into the draft revised Law on People’s Public Security Forces and the draft law on animal husbandry. VNN