HCM City hosts fourth int’l seminar on East Sea

The fourth international seminar on the East Sea opened in Ho Chi Minh City on November 19, drawing 200 domestic and international experts and scholars.

The event, themed “East Sea: Cooperation for Regional Security and Development”, takes place at a time when the international community celebrates the 30 th anniversary of the signing of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 10 th year since the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

In his opening speech, President of the Diplomacy Academy of Vietnam Dang Dinh Quy said the East Sea is a region with one of the most complicated disputes in the world.

The situation is mounting due to developments in many countries themselves - economics, politics, military and security - as well as sea disputes and non-traditional security threats such as piracy, pollution, the degradation of maritime resources and climate change, he added.

Therefore, effective measures are needed to realise the results of studies and policy recommendations, he said.

According to Quy, enormous effort has been made by parties directly and indirectly concerned to the dispute, contributing to better cooperation and conflict prevention to preserve the East Sea as an area of peace.

He highlighted the importance of implementing DOC, and the agreement reached between ASEAN and China on building the Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.

At a time of rising tension in the East Sea, diplomatic endeavours by concerned parties as well as by ASEAN and China have not yet been interrupted, Quy noted. He said that scholarly opinions and reports have helped the public understand the nature of the disputes as well as policy makers consider carefully their national interests before making any decision relating to the East Sea.

According to the organising board, the seminar is to exchange study conclusions and discuss the importance of the East Sea from the viewpoints of international law and international relations, the interests of concerned parties and the recent developments in the East Sea.

It also proposes to the governments of directly and indirectly concerned parties to strengthen cooperation to prevent and control conflicts and crises in the East Sea.

The three-day event also recommends ways academic studies can be made useful to leaders in East Sea policy-making.

Vietnam fights money laundering and terrorism

Vietnam is taking measures against money laundering and the financing of terrorism, with a focus on completing a legal framework in line with international standards, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh.

Ninh made the statement at a conference held in Hanoi on November 19 by the Asia-Pacific Group of Money Laundering (APG).

The 2012 APG Typologies Workshop, which will run until November 23, will discuss preventative measures targeting money laundering through trade activities, tax fraud, and terrorism financing. It is expected to contribute to a strategic partnership between the government and private sector.

Deputy PM Ninh affirmed that Vietnam has earnestly cooperated with the international community in combating money laundering and terrorism financing.

After joining the APG in 2007, Vietnam issued an anti-money laundering ordinance and added the offence to the Criminal Code in 2009.

In June 2012, the National Assembly issued the Law on Anti-Money Laundering, which will come into effect from January 1 2013.

The Government of Vietnam has always demonstrated determination to fight money laundering and terrorism, honour international recommendations and commitments including those proposed by financial organisations and the APG.

Nguyen Van Binh, Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), said that money laundering and the financing of terrorism pose significant threats to the transparency of the global financial system. Completing relevant legislation and adjusting anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism policies is essential, he added.

He called for closer cooperation between APG member countries to fight money laundering and terrorism-related crimes.

David Shannon, an APG senior official, said all 44 members of APG are conducting investigations into the “black funds” of criminals and terrorists in an effort to reduce their impact on economic development and social security.

The 2012 APG Typologies Workshop seeks to increase the capacities of and strengthen cooperation among member countries in addressing money laundering and terrorism financing more effectively, he said.

PM meets with RoK, Malaysian leaders

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on November 19 had separate meetings with President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Myung-bak and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on the sidelines of the 21st ASEAN Summit and related summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

During their meeting, Dung and Lee expressed pleasure at the recent results of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially in trade, investment and labour.

The two sides have coordinated in organising a wide range of activities celebrating the Vietnam-RoK Friendship Year and the 20 th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, helping strengthen mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation between the two peoples as well as laying firm foundations for improving bilateral relations.

The PM affirmed that the Vietnamese Government is willing to join hands with the RoK to further elevate the strategic partnership between the two countries.

He suggested the RoK Government continues to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese goods, particularly agricultural products, to enter the RoK market, steadily balancing two-way trade.

The two sides should work harder towards the prompt signing of a memorandum of understanding on labour cooperation, he added.

Lee affirmed that RoK considers Vietnam as its most important strategic partner in the region, and will coordinate with the Southeast Asian country in speeding up the satisfactory settlement of issues of concern.

In another meeting, Dung and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak said they are pleased with the development of the friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries and agreed to bring the relationship to a strategic partnership.

The PMs agreed that both sides should organise the fifth session of the Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation as well as assign their relevant agencies to sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in trans-national crime prevention and an agreement on establishing a joint sea patrol system and a liaison channel between the two navies.

The two sides agreed to create conditions for their businesses to strengthen investment and cooperation in areas of mutual strength.

They promised close coordination in the negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement in which both are taking part.

The Malaysian King will visit Vietnam in 2013, says Najib Razak.

President honours national politics academy

President Truong Tan Sang yesterday, Nov 19, called on the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration to continue its role as the nation's premier institution in providing training and research on the Marxism-Leninism philosophy and Ho Chi Minh thought.

Speaking at the institute on the occasion of national Teacher's Day today, the President praised the institute for having trained thousands of staff and cadres, some of whom had become core members of the Party and the Government.

However, amid societal changes and the resolution of the Party Congress XI that outlined the task of improving the education and training of state cadres whilst upholding morality and ethics, the institute had a major responsibility to improve the quality of training and preventing people from pursuing meaningless qualifications, Sang emphasised.

The President also stressed that the institute should focus on research and work that would further clarify issues related to the Party, socialism and the country's path toward socialism.

He called on the institute to continue building staff members, leaders and researchers who represented a high quality of professionalism and morality.

For more than 60 years, the institute has educated generations of state cadres and party members. It has more than 1700 researchers, including 11 professors and 125 deputy professors.

Deputy Commander of US Pacific Command visits Vietnam

The Vietnamese and American armies should accelerate cooperation in rescue, army medical service, addressing post-war consequences, maritime security and ship-repairing in the near future, high-raking officials from both nations have said.

Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, and Deputy Commander of United States Pacific Command, Lieutenant General Thomas Conant, shared the view at a meeting in Hanoi on November 19.

They suggested the two national armies increase delegation exchanges, experience sharing and cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

NA to discuss adapting for climate change

Impacts of climate change, renewed climate change adaptation details and rising sea level scenarios are expected to be discussed at the 7th session of the 13 th National Assembly, a high-ranking Vietnamese legislative official has said.

Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, made the statement in Hanoi on November 19 at a seminar jointly held by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the NA’s Committee on Science, Technology and Environment and the United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Nguyen Minh Quang, emphasised the impacts that adaptive measures to climate change will have on the country’s sustainable economic development.

The ministry revealed a report on the implementation of climate change adaptation and the impacts of rising sea level and climate change on Vietnam.

The report forecasts that by the end of the century, sea water levels may rise by one metre – submerging 40 percent of the Mekong Delta, 11 percent of the Red River Delta and 3 percent of coastal provinces.

VNN/VNS/VNA