Vietnam News Today (Sep. 19): Conference of Young MPs Helps Promote Vietnam’s Image

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets representatives of the Vietnamese community in the US upon his arrival for UNGA 78 meetings.

PM meets Vietnamese expatriates in the United States

Upon arriving in the US on September 17 (local time) for the UN General Assembly general debate and meetings, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with representatives of the Vietnamese community in their host country.

At the meeting, the Vietnamese representatives thanked the Party and State for paying due attention to the physical and spiritual life of Vietnamese expatriates overseas as well as their position in their host countries.

They expected that the State would introduce more incentives to attract Vietnamese intellectuals back to the fatherland to support national development. They also expressed their desire to increase Vietnamese language teaching for overseas Vietnamese children and enhance connections among Vietnamese elites around the world to contribute to the fatherland.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for his part briefed participants on Vietnam’s major development achievements and especially the recent upgrade of Vietnam – US relations to the comprehensive strategic partnership during US President Joe Biden’s State visit to Hanoi, which he said showed Vietnam’s increasing role and position globally.

He praised the Vietnamese community in the US amounting to 2.2 million for their practical contributions to the fatherland as well as Vietnam – US relations. He said two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and the US last year alone hit US$123 billion, including over US$100 billion worth of Vietnamese exports. Many Vietnamese students are studying in the US, while many other Vietnamese nationals live a successful life in their host country.

The PM encouraged Vietnamese expatriates to strengthen solidarity and make further contributions to bilateral relations amid unpredictable and complicated changes regionally and globally, cited VOV.

There remain ample room for both Vietnam and the US to ramp up bilateral cooperation, especially in trade and investment, following the lifting of the relationship, and it is the Vietnamese community that play an important role in achieving the goal, he stressed.

He also reminded that the community make every effort to preserve and promote Vietnamese culture among young generations of Vietnamese overseas.

The PM acknowledged the expatriates’ proposals and said he would direct relevant ministries and agencies to consider and make viable solutions.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh arrived at San Francisco International Airport, USA, on September 17 (local time) for a working trip to attend high-level meetings of the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) and engage in bilateral activities there.

Conference of young MPs helps promote Vietnam’s image

Participants to the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, taking place in Hanoi on September 14-17, have been impressed by the host’s hospitality, robust development as well as meticulous preparation for the event.

Nigerian Senator Asuquoe Ekpenyong said he is dazzled by Vietnam’s cultural straits together with its rich history of 4,000 years, which bear a lot of similarities with those of Nigeria.

Vietnam is a modern country with dynamic development, the Nigerian Senator, who came to Vietnam for the first time, said.

Highlighting the host’s sound organization of the event, Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania Ana Catauta said she was eager to attend such an important event, with a number of issues tabled for discussion, including measures to make digital technology become a tool that helps the youth prepare their future, according to VNA.

The 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians brings together 500 young parliamentarians from around the world. (Photo: VNA)

Meanwhile, member of the House of Representatives of Indonesia Gilang Dhielafaraez S.H. said he is impressed by Vietnam’s thorough preparation for the young parliamentary conference which was organized under the theme of “The Role of Young People in Promoting the Realisation of Sustainable Development Goals via Digital Transformation and Innovation”.

Regional countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are working together to promote innovation, he said, expressing his hope that Vietnam will have an increasing role to play in the field, making contributions to develop ASEAN into a stronger community.

Returning to Vietnam after ten years, Member of the House of Representatives of Malaysia Mohd Shahar Bin Abdullah, said the country will see more resounding growth in the next decade, especially Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

He added that he wants to enhance connectivity with young parliamentarians in Vietnam as well as many other countries, who play an important role in shaping their countries’ future.

The 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, which brought together 500 young parliamentarians, is an opportunity for Vietnam to popularize its historical tradition, cultural values, effective diplomatic policy, as well as achievements of socio-economic development, thus promoting its position and prestige in the international arena.

Vietnam's proactive and effective participation in international processes

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his delegation left Hanoi on September 17 afternoon for the US to attend the high-level week of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, conduct a host of bilateral activities in the US, and pay an official visit to Brazil from September 17-26 at the invitation of President Lula da Silva.

PM Chinh is accompanied by Minister of Public Security General To Lam, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh, Vice Chairman of the Government Office Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Dung, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN Dang Hoang Giang, and Vietnamese Consul General in San Francisco Hoang Anh Tuan.

The General Debate of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly will take place under the theme of “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.”

Joining the General Debate, Vietnam continues to pursue its external policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, and development, diversification and multilateralization of relations, and further deepening these ties, reported VOV.

As part of his trip to the US from September 17-23, Chinh will conduct a wide range of bilateral activities to deepen the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, materialize outcomes of the recent visit to Vietnam by President Joe Biden, and carry out agreements and commitments made by the high-ranking leaders of the two countries in the spirit of the joint statement on elevating the Vietnam-US relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development.

As an active and responsible member of the international community, and with positions in numerous major multilateral mechanisms, Vietnam has made effective and substantial contributions to multiple fields at the multilateral forums, especially the UN.

PM Pham Minh Chinh departs Hanoi for the US to attend the high-level week of the 78th session of the US General Assembly, and pay an official visit to Brazil.

Vietnam also holds important responsibilities at many major multilateral mechanisms of the UN such as the Human Rights Council, UNESCO Executive Council, and International Law Commission, and has announced its bid to continue running for election to a number of UN agencies and positions. The nation also has candidates for the position of Director of the Western Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Regarding Vietnam - US relations, after 28 years since their establishment of diplomatic ties and 10 years of the Comprehensive Partnership, Vietnam - US relations have made great strides and developed extensively, substantively, and comprehensively in all important fields and at all three levels bilaterally, regionally and internationally, thus actively contributing to security, peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world at large.

For Vietnam, the US is one of its strategically important partners. The two sides have become comprehensive partners in politics-diplomacy, economics, education, science-technology, and defense-security.

On the occasion of the recent State visit to Vietnam by US President Joe Biden, at the invitation of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the two countries decided to upgrade their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, security, and sustainable development. This is viewed as an important historic milestone in the relationship between the two nations.

PM Pham Minh Chinh's business trip to the US this time takes place immediately after President Joe Biden's state visit to Vietnam and is of great significance for concretizing and implementing agreements and commitments reached between both nations’ senior leaders.

During this business trip, the Vietnamese Government leader will make an official visit to Brazil from September 17 to September 26 at the invitation of Brazilian President Lula da Silva.

The Vietnam - Brazil Comprehensive Partnership has continued to see positive development in recent times. The South American nation is Vietnam's largest trade partner in Latin America with last year's trade turnover reaching US$6.78 billion, representing an increase of 6.6% on-year.

Both nations have paid special attention to promoting fields of cooperation such as agriculture, science-technology, culture, sports, and national defense, while maintaining coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, especially at the UN.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva actively supports Vietnam-Brazil relations while PM Pham Minh Chinh met President Lula da Silva during the expanded G7 Summit held in Hiroshima, Japan in May 2023.

This business trip by PM Pham Minh Chinh conveys the strong messages of the Party, State, and Government of Vietnam to the US, Brazil, and international friends about a Vietnam of peace, cooperation, and integration as the nation is participating more actively, proactively and effectively in international processes, and making important contributions to the country’s relations with the UN, the US and Brazil.

Japan hails Vietnam’s performance in hosting CEPPP

As the co-chair of the Competency Evaluation Programme for Prospective United Nations Peacekeepers (CEPPP) together with Vietnam, Japan has highly evaluated Vietnam’s preparations and organization of the event.

Director for Defense Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region at Japan’s Ministry of Defense Matsuzawa Tomoko, who is also the co-chair of the PKO-EWG, thanked the Vietnamese side for the warm welcome for the Japanese delegation as well as other international delegations.

The CEPPP is an activity under the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts’ Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations (PKO-EWG) Cycle 4, which is taking place on September 13-21.

Matsuzawa Tomoko said that Vietnam and Japan have worked together for three years to achieve the targets of the current cycle. Thanks to the active cooperation from Vietnam and member countries, the two sides have successfully organized many important activities, noted the Japanese official, expressing her gratitude for consultations and support from UN experts and assistance from member countries.

Highlighting the overall purpose of the CEPPP in fostering the partnership among member countries while performing missions within the framework of the UN peacekeeping operations at the tactical level, the official said that Japan and Vietnam have focused on ensuring the practicality of the activities and the integration of viewpoints regarding gender equality.

Delegates at the CEPPP (Photo: VNA)

Matsuzawa Tomoko underlined the achievements that the two sides have gained in promoting the role of women in peace and security, which is one of the major targets of the current cycle.

She noted that Japan has formed a platform for women in peace and security and conducted a series of conferences in the field by inviting prestigious experts from UN peacekeeping missions and UN headquarters. For the CEPPP, Vietnam, and Japan have included practical circumstances and factors regarding the role of women in the activities to prepare participants to perform their missions.

Expressing her confidence in the engagement and contributions of Vietnam, Matsuzawa Tomoko said she believes that the programme will complete all of its targets, contributing to strengthening the collaboration among all ADMM-Plus member states.

She also called for all ADMM-Plus members to work together to achieve all CEPPP goals.

The CEPPP, drawing nearly 300 experts, trainees and observers from ADMM-Plus member countries, is the last activity of the PKO-EWG Cycle 4 within the framework of the ADMM-Plus.

The co-hosting of the CEPPP has shown Vietnam’s role and responsibility in multilateral and bilateral cooperation mechanisms in the field of UN peacekeeping operations within the ADMM-Plus framework. Through the activity, Vietnam hopes to make contributions to the enhancing of efficiency of UN peacekeeping operations by ADMM-Plus member states.

Most annual growth targets are on track: MPI

As many as 10 out of a total of 15 socio-economic development targets for 2023 are on track, according to a recent report released by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).

Given the current global economic downturn and difficulties, it's still unclear whether all targets can be met by the end of the year, said the ministry.

Some targets such as GDP growth, GDP per capita, the share of manufacturing and processing industries in GDP, labor productivity growth rate, and the proportion of agricultural labor in the total labor force will need more time to catch up. If said targets, which are among some of the most important indicators of Vietnam's economy, cannot be met by the end of 2023, measures shall be taken to achieve the highest possible improvement instead.

However, meeting all of the targets will likely be challenging. For example, achieving the GDP growth target of 6.5 percent this year. While the economy has been steadily recovering, especially during the last quarter, some obstacles cannot be overcome within a short period of time, according to Nguyen Chi Dung, minister of planning and investment.

According to the report, macroeconomic indicators for the first eight months indicate that the economy has been still facing significant challenges. Exports and imports have continued on a declining trend by 10 percent and 16.2 percent respectively, compared to the same period last year; the country's Industrial Production Index (IIP) was still down by 0.4 percent.

Workers at a factory in the northern province of Bac Ninh. Photo: VNA

Meanwhile, credit growth remains sluggish, the number of businesses temporarily ceasing operations is increasing, and the growth of business investments is slowing down, with fewer large-scale industrial processing and manufacturing projects, which will likely hinder not just short-term growth but also the capacity for long-term economic development.

"Our GDP growth in the first half of 2023 was only 3.72 percent, lower than the set target. This has created significant pressure on the last six months of the year, during which we must maintain a 7-8 percent GDP growth rate," said Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong.

Slower growth for the economy has been forecast. For instance, in the updated macroeconomic report for August 2023, the World Bank predicts that the Southeast Asian economy's growth could reach just 4.7 percent for the year, significantly lower than the previous forecast of 6.3 percent.

The country's top priority for the remainder of the year from this point on is to make all possible efforts to achieve the highest possible level of growth. In a recent government meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh issued a directive to all governmental agencies to seek and implement solutions to boost growth while ensuring macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation, and addressing major imbalances in the economy.

There have been signs that the economy is in a prime position to make a strong comeback. The country's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for August 2023, according to a recent announcement by S&P Global, has risen to 50.5 points after continuously staying below the 50-point threshold for six months, indicating both production and new order quantities are increasing, VNS reported.

"The new PMI for Việt Nam's manufacturing sector paints a brighter picture of its health compared to recent months, with increased production, new order quantities, export activities, and purchasing activities," said Andrew Harker, Director of Economics at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

He, however, remained cautiously optimistic as the overall improvement was still weak while demand remains fragile.

"It is still too early to say that the manufacturing sector has fully recovered," he said.

Economist Pham The Anh from the National Economics University said that while the economy has somewhat recovered from its worst position since the COVID-19 pandemic, growth has not returned to the pre-pandemic level and may remain sluggish in the short to mid-term.

Anh said some of the hardest hit were the industrial sector, especially manufacturing and processing for export, and related industries tied to real estate in the domestic market. To make matters worse, some of the world's largest economies look to maintain high-interest rates at least until the end of the year.

Given the current situation, policies to support businesses and stimulate demand must be implemented, he said.

A healthy budget and relatively low public debt are among a few of the silver linings, allowing fiscal policies and government spending stimulus measures, including public investment, to be the important growth drivers for the economy.

Deputy Phương said a viable option for the remainder of the year is to focus on three major growth drivers: the service sector, the agriculture sector, and the domestic market.

Earlier, in a report by the BIDV Training and Research Institute, the economy was forecast to grow by 4.4-4.5 percent in the most pessimistic scenario and by 5.5-6 percent in the most optimistic one.

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