Vietnam values ties with Japan

Vietnam attaches importance to cooperation with Japan, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan affirmed while receiving the Mayor of Nagoya city, Takashi Kawamura, on May 23.

Doan, who is in Japan to attend the 18th the Future of Asia Conference in Tokyo from May 24-25, said Japan is now Vietnam’s largest trade partner with two-way trade exceeding 20 billion USD per year.

She said the operation of more than 30 Nagoya businesses in Vietnam and the development of the Vietnamese community in Nagoya are a vivid manifestation of the developing relationship between Vietnam and Nagoya.

According to the Vietnamese Vice President, foreign businesses will realise more advantages while investing in Vietnam, thanks to the country’s political stability and youthful labour force.

Vietnam’s adoption of the public-private partnership (PPP) model and its implementation of tax policies under WTO commitments will provide good opportunities for Nagoya investors, she said.

Doan expressed hope that as the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Year 2013 approaches, Nagoya city will soon set up cooperation with a Vietnamese city, to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

For his part, the Nagoya mayor introduced the city’s potential for cooperation with Vietnam , especially in the auto industry, mechanical engineering, aviation and space, and robotic manufacturing.

Nagoya is cooperating with Vietnam in a number of economic projects, training Vietnamese students and participating in humanitarian medical check-ups and treatment activities in the country, he said.

On the same day, Vice President Doan visited the Toyota Museum of Industry and Technology, where Toyota Group’s products are showcased.

VN highlights achievements at WHO Assembly

A Vietnamese health official has highlighted the country’s achievements in health care universalisation at the ongoing 65th General Assembly of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland.

Speaking at the session on May 22, Vietnamese Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Viet Tien said health care universalisation is a basic goal of Vietnam’s health sector and was represented in the country’s socio-economic and medical development strategy and policy.

According to Tien, over the past 50 years, many national target programmes on health have been carried out widely throughout the country, such as the expanded programme on immunisation, prevention of tuberculosis, malaria and malnutrition, and health care for mothers and children.

Initial health care services have been provided for all people, including those in remote and mountainous areas, he said.

Vietnam strives to spend at least 10 percent of the total budget on health care in the future, he added.

However, Tien pointed out difficulties in reaching the health care universalisation goal, such as mountainous residents’ difficult access to medical services and the low quality of the services, especially those for mothers and children.

Public investment for health care in Vietnam remains low and the universalisation of health insurances faces a lot of difficulties due to a limited State budget and people’s low income, he said.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese health official thanked the WHO and other developmental partners for their financial and technical assistance for Vietnam.

In addition, the Vietnamese delegation took part in a meeting of WHO member countries in the West Pacific region and presented a report on Vietnam’s preparations for the next WHO meeting in October.

The delegation also shared experience with Switzerland on issues relating to reproductive health.

On the sidelines of the session, which will last until May 26, Deputy Minister Tien met with the heads of delegations from ASEAN countries and the Republic of Korea to boost cooperation in health care.

Belgium hosts 21st Global Communist Forum

A delegation from the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, led by the Commission’s Deputy Head Vuong Thua Phong, attended the 21st International Meeting of Communist Parties from May 18-21 in Brussels, Belgium.

Delegates from the 58 parties taking part discussed the global impacts of the current economic recession and the roles that communist and workers’ parties play in their efforts to protect workers.

The Vietnamese delegation met with representatives from Belgium’s Workers Party lead by its President Peter Mertens and visited several industrial centres in the province of Anvers, as well as holding talks about Vietnam’s current situation.

Earlier on May 18, Phong met with the Chairman of the Belgian National Assembly Andre Flahaut, who is also Vice President of the Belgian Socialist Party, to discuss ways of strengthening relations between both countries and parties.

Vietnam, Russia discuss fishery cooperation

More than 50 Vietnamese and Russian experts discussed cooperation in sea fishing, aquaculture and fish fry species research, and post-harvest technology development at a seminar in the central coastal city of Nha Trang on May 23.

Participants also discussed coordination between the two countries in personnel training for the fisheries sector, to meet future research and cooperative objectives.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu said the two countries’ fisheries sectors are keen on protecting aquatic biodiversity while developing aquaculture, post harvest and processing technology.

Vietnam and Russia have engaged in many cooperative programs in the field since 1988, she said, noting that their cooperation had failed to reach its full potential in the absence of suitable and stable cooperative mechanisms for scientific research in fisheries.

VNN/VNA/Tuoi Tre