Vietnam News Today (May 12): Vietnam regards Japan as strategic, long-term and leading important partner

	Vietnam News Today (May 11): President vows to fulfil responsibilities as a representative of the people
	Vietnam News Today (May 10): PM promises voters to work hard for stronger national development
	Vietnam News Today (May 8): PM names four challenges facing Viet Nam

Vietnam regards Japan as strategic, long-term and leading important partner

In its external policy, Vietnam always considers Japan to be a strategic, long-term and leading important partner, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc told Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide during their phone talks on May 11.

The Japanese PM congratulated Phuc on his election as President of Vietnam, adding that his nation will go ahead with its closer cooperation with and assistance to Vietnam in the development process in the time to come.

In that spirit, the Japanese government has decided to offer a cold storage system for COVID-19 vaccines worth 200 million JPY (US$1.84 million) as non-refundable to the Southeast Asian nation.

Japan will also provide marine scientific research vessels for Vietnam, and open its Consulate General in the central city of Da Nang in 2022, Suga Yoshihide said.

In response, President Phuc expressed his appreciation for PM Suga’s selection of Vietnam for his first overseas trip since taking office last October, and showed his elation at the strong and comprehensive development with high political trust of bilateral ties.

President Phuc took this occasion to invite the Japanese Emperor and Empress to visit Vietnam in the time ahead.

He hailed Japan’s effective and practical cooperation in Vietnam’s socio-economic development, including its donated cold vaccine storage equipment. He also called for Japan’s collaboration and support in COVID-19 vaccines to facilitate Vietnam’s vaccinations and assistance to the Vietnamese community in Japan.

PM Suga affirmed Japan’s readiness tol assist and cooperate with Vietnam to ensure necessary vaccines, and further support Vietnamese apprentices in his country.

The pairs consented to intensify exchanges and meetings at all levels, and improve the efficiency of cooperation mechanisms, VOV reported.

Vietnamese, French Presidents hold phone talks

The Presidents of Vietnam and France underlined the importance of further strengthening the cooperative framework between the two countries to respond to global issues and regional challenges, during their phone talks on May 11.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed satisfaction with the development of Vietnam-France ties, including the implementation of outcomes reached during the France visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. He affirmed that France is among leading partners in Europe of Vietnam, and suggested that the two countries continue working closely together towards the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship and 10th year of their strategic partnership in 2023.

President Emmanuel Macron said he appreciates the steps of development in the France-Vietnam strategic partnership, particularly the official visit to France in 2018 by Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong. He reiterated France’s policy on closely cooperating with Vietnam to further develop their relations.

The two leaders exchanged views on specific measures to promote bilateral ties. They agreed that their ministries and sectors should maintain existing mechanisms of exchange and push ahead with the joint work in important projects and priority fields of cooperation, such as COVID-19 prevention and control, security-defence, economy-trade-investment, energy, transport, aerospace, environment, culture, education-training and local cooperation towards a conference on cooperation between Vietnamese and French localities slated for late 2022, VOV reported.

Viet Nam confirms 34 new COVID-19 cases

The Ministry of Health confirmed 34 new COVID-19 cases, including 33 local infections on Wednesday morning, raising the national caseload to 3,571.

The community infection cases were reported at the Ha Noi-based National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (four), Vinh Phuc (13), Da Nang (seven), Bac Giang (six), Ha Noi (one), Lang Son (one), and Nam Dinh (one).

The other is a Vietnamese national repatriated from Russia on April 21, as reported by VGP.

A healthcare worker wearing protective suit walks past as local residents wait at a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) testing center in Hanoi, Vietnam Aug 10, 2020. (Reuters)

Ministry expects to provide 5G coverage nationwide in 2022

The Ministry of Information and Communications’ new mission is to lead national digital transformation process in order to build a digital Viet Nam, including digital government, digital economy, digital society and digital media.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung made the above statement at a working session with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Tuesday.

Nguyen said digital economy, which accounted for 8.2 percent of Viet Nam’s GDP in 2020, will open up a new space for the country’s economic growth. Viet Nam expects to raise the GDP share of digital economy by 20 percent within the next five years.

In 2018, a report by Google and Temasek referred to Viet Nam’s digital economy as a “dragon being unleashed.” Two years later, the same report put Viet Nam and Indonesia as countries the forefront of Southeast Asia’s digital economy growth.

(Photo: Vietnam Insider)

The ministry also set goals to increase the number of digital enterprises from 58,000 to 100,000 by 2025, and provide 5G coverage nationwide in 2022, according to Nguyen.

He said that one of the ministry’s immediate tasks is to propose amendments to laws on post, telecommunications, and e-transactions in the direction of enriching contents on digital economy and digital infrastructure.

Speaking at the session, PM Pham urged the ministry to mobilize all resources for the development of strategic infrastructures and spearhead sectors, according to VGP.

VN presents 100 ventilators to India

Minister of Information and Communications and Chairman of the Viet Nam-India Friendship Association (VIFA) Nguyen Manh Hung on May 11 presented 100 ventilators to Indian Ambassador to Viet Nam Pranay Verma in an effort to support India’s fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Nguyen said that the assistance demonstrates the friendship, cooperation and mutual support between the Governments and people of Viet Nam and India, including joint efforts in battling the ravaging pandemic.

Minister of Information and Communications and Chairman of the Viet Nam-India Friendship Association (VIFA) Nguyen Manh Hung (center) presents 100 ventilators to Indian Ambassador to Viet Nam Pranay Verma (left) in an effort to support India’s fight against COVID-19, Ha Noi, May 11, 2021

He said in April 2020, the VIFA handed over 100,000 anti-bacterial masks to Indian people and asked the private conglomerate VinGroup to offer 100 ventilators worth over VND10 billion (US$434,000) to the South Asian country.

The minister expressed his belief that under the leadership of the Government and with the solidarity of the entire people, the pandemic in India would be put under control soon.

In turn, Indian Ambassador to Viet Nam Pranay Verma underlined the importance of the event in boosting co-operation ties between the two countries in the health sector and in deploying COVID-19 prevention activities, VGP said.

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