Press digests – April 15

Party chief receives Moroccan guest

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong hoped that Viet Nam and Morocco would boost two-way investment and trade cooperation at his reception for Secretary General of the Moroccan Party of Progress Mr. Trong always treasures and expects to foster connections with African nations, including Morocco.

The guest leader voiced his wish that solidarity, friendship and traditional partnership between the two Parties and nations will go stronger.

NA Standing Committee discusses public security law
 
The 27th session of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee turned to its second day with comments focusing on revisions to the draft public security law.

Members were interested in regulations governing public security officers, particularly at lower levels, and the hierarchy of their agencies.
 
Addressing the meeting, NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said the bill should ensure the unity of legal documents, meeting the demands of national security and defence and maintaining the country’s social safety.
 
German Parliament Vice President visits VN

The German Parliament always values its relations with Viet Nam and helps the country develop ties with the European Union, the country’s Vice President Edelgard Bulmahn said, while meeting Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Ha Noi.

Minh, who also acts as Deputy Prime Minister, valued Germany as Viet Nam’s leading trade partner in the EU, and asked the German Parliament to continue encouraging its businesses to invest more in Viet Nam.
 
He praised Germany for choosing Ho Chi Minh City to host the 14th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business in November. 
 
The two sides agreed to closely coordinate in organising activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties in 2015, as well as implementing key projects between the two countries, including the metro line No. 2 in Ho Chi Minh City and the Viet Nam-Germany University.
 
US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator welcomed
 
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception for Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency Gina McCarthy, who is visiting Viet Nam to learn about the impact of climate change on the country.

Phuc affirmed that VietNam always wishes to further its ties with the US for peace, stability and development of each nation, the region and the world as a whole. 
 
McCarthy said that during her stay in Viet Nam, she met Vietnamese partners to discuss deactivating bombs and mines left over from the war and solving the impact of dioxin.

VN establishes fisheries surveillance force

Viet Nam has set up a fisheries suveillance force (FSF) to ensure the fishing law enforcement at sea.The force is also tasked to monitor and manage  fisheries resources in a sustainable manner, as well as ensuring safety for vessels and fishermen.

The force made debut in the central coast city of Da Nang. It directly carries out tasks of patrolling, inspecting, controlling, detecting and handling violations to fisheries legal regulations at the country’s seas.

Addressing the launching ceremony, Deputy PM Hai affirmed the establishment’s significance in realizing legal regulations on fisheries at sea.

Long An brands protected in the US
 
Nang Thom Cho Dao rice and Chau Thanh dragon fruit, which are special food of the Mekong delta Long An province, have received certified trademarks from the United States Patent and Trademarks Office (USTPO). The certificates will be valid for 10 years.

Nang Thom Cho Dao rice is difficult to grow and can only be produced in an area of 500 hectares in My Le because of the specific weather and soil of that area.

Dragon fruit growers in the locality recently have applied production process following the VietNam Agriculture Practice (VietGAP) and Global Agriculture Practice (GbobalGAP) standards to ensure the quality of its products for export.
 
VN-Japan friendship bridge nears completion
 
A ceremony was held in Ha Noi to connect the final part of the new Nhat Tan Bridge , which is deemed as a symbol of the Viet Nam-Japan friendship.

As one of seven bridges spanning the Red River in Ha Noi, the 8.9km bridge with eight lanes is a key traffic project for the capital, as it will link Noi Bai International Airport and downtown Hanoi .

The construction worth VND13.6 trillion ($647.6 million) is partly funded through official development assistance (ODA) by the Japanese Government.
 
VN in global top 10 for foreign remittances
 
The World Bank (WB) has announced Viet Nam is among the top ten overseas remittancerecipients in the world, receiving US$11 billion last year alone.

WB reported that overseas remittances hit US$542 billion globally last year and are expected to rise to US$581 billion in 2014 and US$681 billion in 2016.

India topped the list with US$70 billion, followed by China (US$60 billion), the Philippines (US$25 billion), and Mexico (US$22 billion).

Viet Nam ranked ninth with US$11 billion.
 
VN-Russia trade ties spotlighted
 
Two-way trade turnover between Russia and Viet Nam is growing dramatically, three times higher the world’s average figure, said Russian Deputy Minister of Economic Development Alexei Likhachev.

The Russian news agency Itar-Tass quoted Likhachev as saying that bilateral trade was valued at US$4 billion last year, and is expected to hit US$5 in the near future.

So far, the two sides have carried out 12 projects, and are working on adjustments of six others. As much as US$20 billion has been disbursed, four or five times higher than the set target, said Likhachev.
                

                                                                                    Source: VGP, VNA, VOV