Print article

Weekly press digest – June 30-July 6

July 07, 2014 7:07 AM GMT+7

Gov’t regular meeting discusses East Sea issues

PM Nguyen Tan Dung on June 30 chaired the government's regular June meeting which is held online with the participation of local authorities across the country.

Opening the meeting, the PM said that the event is taking place at a special time when China has still been maintaining the illegal operation of its drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 in Viet Nam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf since May 2, regardless morality, legal grounds and even the friendship between Vietnamese and Chinese people.

China's action not only violates Viet Nam’s sovereignty, sovereign right and jurisdiction, badly affects Viet Nam-China relationship but also seriously threatens the regional peace, stability and security, he added.

Efforts must be made to the fullest, the PM confirmed, pointing to the need to realize solutions suitable with international law to protect Viet Nam’s waters as well as maintain the peaceful and sustainable environment for the national socio-economic development.

Regarding tasks for the second half, PM Dung stressed that inferior levels must be focusing on the dual missions of protecting the country’s marine sovereignty and realizing the socio-economic targets set for this year.

VN, Philippines issue joint press release

Viet Nam and the Philippines on July 2 issued a joint press release on the occasion of the visit to Viet Nam of Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. Del Rosario.

According to the joint press release, the discussions between the foreign ministers of the two countries during the visit covered bilateral cooperative projects, international and regional concerns, and people-to-people ties.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the two foreign ministers discussed the urgent need to address the escalating challenges through peaceful means and in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). 

At their talks, Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh and Philippine FM Albert F. del Rosario agreed to organize the first meeting of the joint foreign ministry-level working group which was set up to develop a roadmap for elevating the Viet Nam-Philippines relations to strategic partnership level, in the third quarter of 2014.

They also highly valued the significance of the realization of the bilateral cooperation agreements and mechanisms, including those on sea, ocean, and fisheries cooperation.

China must immediately withdraw oil rig, escort ships

Viet Nam resolutely demands China immediately withdraw the drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 as well as its escort ships from Viet Nam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, reiterated PM Nguyen Tan Dung.

The Government chief made the statement on Wednesday while meeting with voters in Hai Phong following the closure of the 7th working session of the 13th National Assembly.

He said that the Legislature deliberated China’s move and issued a statement clarifying its stance on the issue, protesting China’s illegal acts and demanding it remove immediately its rig out of Viet Nam’s waters and not to repeat actions violating Vietnamese sovereignty, during the session.

National action plan on green growth kicks off

A national action plan on green growth was launched on July 2 by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MoPI) with the assistance from the UN Development Programme.

The action plan aims to realise the National Strategy on Green Growth by 2020 with a vision to 2050, which was approved by the Prime Minister on September 25, 2012 with a total capital of US$ 30 billion.

First of all, the ministry will review development plans of localities, ministries and sectors with a view to adjusting them along the green growth orientation.

Ministries, sectors and localities are required to develop their own plans of action to promote green growth and seek suitable mechanisms to mobilize funding for carrying out these plans.

Dong Nai opens new bridge, starts new projects

The southern province of Dong Nai on July 4  opened to traffic new Hoa An Bridge spaning over the Dong Nai River and launched the construction of a tunnel at Tam Hiep junction and a flyover at Amata intersection on National Highway 1A.

Present at the event, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai praised the Ministry of Transport and Dong Nai Province for having implemented a series of construction projects which are essential to the modernization of traffic infrastructure and helps connect  Southeastern cities and provinces.

The 1.3-kilometre Hoa An bridge is a key construction project of Dong Nai Province that was commenced in late 2010 with a total funding of more than VND 1.17 trillion (US$ 55.9 million). It is constructed in parallel with another bridge of the same name that serves the transport of 30 million tonnes of goods annually. The distance between the two bridges is 14.80 metres.

The new Hoa An bridge serves as a connection for the north-south traffic passing through Bien Hoa City to Binh Duong Province and HCM City. It is also linked with the Trans-Asia Highway leading to Tay Ninh Province.

Thac Mo hydro-electric power statation expansion project begins

Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai on Saturday pressed the button to begin the expansion of Thac Mo hydro-electric power plant project in the southern province of Binh Phuoc.

Under the expansion project, the plant’s capacity will be increased to 225 MW from the current 150 MW, serving to ensure power supply for the south.

The expanded project requires an investment of around VND 1.5 trillion (US$ 70.5 million) including JPY 5.9 billion (US$ 57.8 million) sourced from the official development assistance (ODA) of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

HCM City’s economy grows steadily

Ho Chi Minh City’s economy has rebounded and grown steadily with high growth rates in gross domestic product (GDP), budget collection and foreign investment attraction in the first half of this year.

These important results created a solid foundation for the city to fulfill socio-economic development targets for 2014, said the municipal People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan.

The city made significant achievements in six months, with GDP grossing VND 378,915 billion (up 8.2% over the same period last year), budget collection fetching VND 121,910 billion (up 14.9%), industrial production index rising 5.6% and total retail goods and services turnover expanding 12.8% to VND 312,147 billion.

HSBC: Viet Nam’s manufacturing growth continues in June

According to the Hong Kong-Shanghai Bank Corporation (HSBC), Viet Nam’s June manufacturing activity saw improvement despite a slow rate of growth in output and new orders.

The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell slightly to 52.3 from 52.5 in the previous month. 

New orders rose for the seventh successive month at a solid rate, but slowed for the second month running. 

Customer demand was improved, while export orders eased albeit moderately. The rate of job creation remained marginal. Some companies had to increase the number of workers as a result of a rise in new orders.

State Duma ratifies space exploration deal with VN

Russia’s State Duma has approved an agreement on cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, Radio the Voice of Russia reported.

The inter-governmental agreement was signed in HaNoi on November 7, 2012 during Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Ha Noi.

The deal creates an institutional and legal framework for cooperation programmes in joint specific areas relating to the exploration and use of outer space, as well as practical applications of space technology for peaceful purposes. 

It also works out measures to ensure the safety and security of products exported by Russia so as to protect technology and prevent users from abusing it improperly.

571,000 students sit tertiary entrance exams

More than 571,000 high school students nationwide began the national university entrance examinations on July 4 seeking a place at one of the 141 universities and colleges.

This begins another nail-biting season that will last throughout July.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, the number of registered applications was nearly 768,000, as one student can make several applications.

HN hosts photo exhibition on Truong Sa

The Viet Nam Fine Arts Association is staging a photo exhibition on Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in HaNoi. 

The photo collection provides the public insight into daily lives of soldiers and people in Truong Sa, who are overcoming harsh conditions to protect the nation’s sovereign integrity over the island.

The photos were taken by a delegation of 30 Vietnamese photographers who recently conducted a fact-finding tour to the area.

A similar event will be held in Hai Phong city from July 24-August 5.

(Source: VGP/VOV/VNA/Nhandan Online)