Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Japanese counterpart Kishida Fumio discussed in-depth Vietnam and Japan’s bilateral relations, as well as international and regional issues of mutual concern, during their talks in Hanoi on May 1. The two government leaders expressed their joy at the great strides in the Vietnam-Japan relationship and reached an overall agreement on the major orientations, as well as measures to deepen cooperation in all aspects, opening up a new development stage in the extensive strategic partnership between the two countries. They reached a consensus on continuing to enhance political trust through maintaining high-level visits…
Author: Asia News Network
Officials began cleaning up booths at the two border checkpoints in Tak province on Sunday as the country prepares to fully reopen now that the Covid-19 situation is improving. The two checkpoints are expected to reopen by Thursday, officials say. The booths being cleaned on Sunday were at the Mae Sot-Myawaddy checkpoint at the foot of the first Thailand-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Rim Moei village and at the foot of the second Friendship Bridge in Ban Wang Takian Tai village. Both villages are in tambon Thai Sai Luad in Tak’s Mae Sot district. Border officials said they were coordinating with…
Vietnam’s import-export turnover during the first four months of 2022 reached over $242 billion, of which exports totalled $122.3 billion and imports $119.8 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $2.53 billion, according to the latest report released on April 29 from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO). The four first months of the year have seen the Southeast Asian country’s exports increase by 16.4 per cent and imports by 15.7 per cent. The $2.53 billion trade surplus recorded for the period was a marked improvement over the same period last year at $1.5 billion. GSO’s report said Vietnam’s…
The North Sumatra Police and the Natural Resources Conservation Agency have arrested five people and foiled the illegal sale of an endangered orangutan in Deli Serdang, Indonesia. The suspects, aged 17 to 20 – including a female teenager, were arrested during a transaction in Cemara Asri residential complex in Percut Sei Tuan. All of them are from Binjai city. “The four-month-old orangutan was priced at 23 million rupiah [$1,583],” North Sumatra Police spokesperson Hadi Wahyudi said on April 29. Hadi said the arrest was part of an investigation by the North Sumatra Cyber Crime Special Unit into orangutan sales via…
Hundreds of human-trafficking cases are recorded in Thailand every year despite its concerted effort to tackle the problem in a bid to improve its status in the US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. Thailand was demoted from Tier 2 to Tier 2 Watchlist last year in the annual evaluation and the government hopes its efforts to combat this problem will help get the country reinstated to Tier 2 this year. Countries are placed on Tier 2 for failing to fully comply with minimum standards of the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act but are making significant efforts. Countries on Tier 2…
The Lao government has agreed in principle to increase the minimum wage in a bid to ease the hardships suffered by many people amid the rising cost of living. The agreement was reached at the government’s monthly meeting held in Vientiane on April 26-27, chaired by Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh and attended by cabinet members. However, the government has yet to make a decision regarding the exact amount of the pay rise and the timeframe for its rollout. The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare was instructed to further discuss the matter with the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and…
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held talks with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday, kicking off an overseas tour that will also include summit meetings in Vietnam and Thailand. As the only Asian member in the Group of Seven nations, Japan hopes to serve as a bridge between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the G7, which is united on sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Kishida is expected to seek understanding from the Southeast Asian leaders regarding increased pressure on Russia. “We are confronted with many challenges, including situations in Ukraine, in the East and…
Ho Chi Minh City’s (HCMC) economy is rebounding strongly, raising confidence among people and businesses, heard a recent meeting on the local socio-economic situation. Speaking at the meeting on April 26, municipal Department of Planning and Investment director Le Thi Huynh Mai said the southern Vietnamese city’s Index of Industrial Production (IIP) in April expanded some two per cent from the previous month and 9.7 per cent year-on-year. Its total retail sales of goods and services also jumped 3.2 per cent month-on-month and 6.2 per cent year-on-year. Lodging and catering services increased by more than 12 per cent and travel…
A non-fungible token (NFT) trading platform, OpenLive NFT Marketplace, was inaugurated in Ho Chi Minh City on April 25. Developed under the OpenLive project, it is the first digital technology platform in Southeast Asia to exchange, buy and sell NFT assets. OpenLive is not just an NFT digital asset trading platform, but will also help conserve Vietnam’s cultural heritage as blockchain digital technology helps to convert works of art into digital assets that are unique and belong to only one owner on the internet. There, the digital works will be kept and preserved forever. The launch of OpenLive NFT Marketplace…
Malaysia will remove Covid-19 testing for all inbound travellers who are fully vaccinated or under the age of 12, and make it optional to wear masks outdoors and check in before entering premises, as it further eases pandemic measures from next month. For Hari Raya Puasa, visiting and open houses will be allowed, with no cap on the number of visitors to a household. There was a limit of 15 people at any one time during last year’s celebrations. The further easing of measures announced on Wednesday (April 27) follows a decline in hospitalisation rates and demand for intensive care…