President of Lao National Assembly Pany Yathotou.

The delegation includes representatives from different committees of the Assembly.

After serving as Governor of the Central Bank for eleven years. Yathotou joined the Assembly in 1998, became vice president and member of the NA standing committee in 2002 and president in December last year.

She gained her bachelor's degree in banking in Ha Noi in 1975.

Laos, Vietnam boost border cooperation

Vietnam and Laos have agreed to continue exchanging information about their shared border situation and further cooperation in personnel training in a bid to build a peaceful and friendly borderline.

The agreement was signed in the August 23 meeting between Colonel Siphan Phutthavong, Head of the Border and Cartographic Department under the General Staff of the Lao People’s Army, and Lieut. Gen. Tran Hoa, Commander of the Border Guard High Command of the Vietnam People’s Army.
Hoa led a delegation from the Border Guard High Command to attend the eighth conference with the Lao Border and Cartographic Department from August 22-26.
During the meeting, the two sides reached consensus on enhancing education work to raise border area residents’ understanding about border regulations.
The two countries will instruct relevant agencies and units in border management and protection, thus contributing to boosting their friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation. 

Vietnam sets up ASEAN connectivity committee

The Prime Minister has decided to establish the Vietnam Steering Committee on ASEAN Connectivity Coordination, with the Minister of Planning and Investment as its head. 

The committee’s two deputy heads are the Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. 

Other members include the Deputy Ministers of Transport; Finance; Industry and Trade; Information and Communications; Culture, Sports and Tourism; Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs; Education and Training; Natural Resources and Environment; and Public Security; and a Vice Chairman of the Government Office. 

The committee is responsible for making plans and programmes; organising, steering and supervising ministries, agencies and localities’ implementation of strategies, action plans and national-scale projects in the framework of the “Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity” (MPAC); and proposing mechanisms, policies and measures for the implementation of MPAC to the Prime Minister. 

The committee will coordinate with the ASEAN Connectivity Coordination Committee, ASEAN partners, multilateral development banks, regional and international organisations, Vietnam’s permanent representative to ASEAN and local ministries, agencies and localities to harness resources for the implementation of MPAC.

Party delegation ends visits to Peru, Mexico

A Vietnamese Party delegation, led by member of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee's Secretariat and head of the committee's Commission for External Relations Hoang Binh Quan, concluded its five-day visit to Peru on Monday.

Quan met with Communist Party of Peru-Red Fatherland chairman Alberto Moreno to discuss measures to boost relations between their parties and nations.

The delegation earlier this month visited Mexico at the invitation of the Mexico Labour Party.

ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations highlighted

Vietnamese ambassador to China Nguyen Van Tho and other ASEAN ambassadors on August 23 attended a banquet, held by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ASEAN Committee in Beijing, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations.

Speaking at the event, Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo highlighted the development of friendly and neighbourly relations between the two sides over the past 20 years.

He emphasised the two sides' joint efforts to develop the ASEAN-China strategic partnership, saying that China will continue to support underdeveloped ASEAN countries in achieving their development goals.

China backs the building of an ASEAN Community and its central role in East Asia cooperation, he said.

Mr. Dai said China is willing to work closely with ASEAN member countries to enhance mutual political trust, expand cooperation for mutual benefits in different fields, and implement the second five-year action plan to raise two-way trade to US$500 billion.

The two sides will build up connectivity in ASEAN-China relations and improve security cooperation to turn the East Sea into a region of peace, friendship, and cooperation.

The Chairman of the ASEAN Committee in Beijing, Xisunda, who is also Cambodian ambassador to China, said ASEAN and China will continue to strengthen dialogue relations for mutual benefits

Since ASEAN and China established their dialogue relations, two-way trade has increased by 37 times, from US$7.9 billion in 1991 to US$229.7 billion in 2010.

China is now ASEAN’s biggest trade partner while ASEAN is China’s third biggest trade partner.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA