Prime Minister greets China’s Yunnan Party Committee Secretary

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung hosted a reception for the Secretary of China’s Yunnan provincial Party Committee, Li Jiheng in Hanoi on November 6. 

The PM hailed the cooperation between Vietnamese ministries, sectors and localities with Chinese localities, including Yunnan province, noting that the Vietnamese Government always supports the enhancement of such exchanges and connections, particularly between the countries’ border localities like Yunnan. 

He requested that the two sides actively realise important common perceptions reached by their senior leaders on cementing cooperation between their ministries, sectors and localities, increasing all-level delegation and people-to-people exchanges in border areas, and effectively utilising existing cooperation mechanisms. 

Both sides should strive for result-oriented cooperation in economics, trade, investment and tourism; facilitate the import of Vietnamese goods, especially agro-forestry-fishery products, into Yunnan as well as the Chinese market as a whole; and consider the opening of a direct air route linking Yunnan and Vietnamese localities to boost cultural and tourism activities, he noted. 

The PM urged both sides to continue the close coordination in border and border gate management, explore measures to smooth the path for exchanges, cooperation and economic development in border regions, and work together to ensure peace, friendship, cooperation and development in Vietnam – China border communities. 

For his part, Secretary Li Jiheng promised closer coordination with the Vietnamese side in effectively implementing agreements reached by their leaders and between Yunnan and Vietnamese localities, especially in cooperation in economics, trade, investment, construction of border trade and tourism zones, and building a border of peace, stability, cooperation and amity between the two countries. 

He also suggested Vietnamese and Chinese leaders promote transport connectivity between Yunnan and Vietnamese localities to pave the way for cross-border trading, investment and travel, thus practically benefiting their people. 

Also on November 6, Yunnan Party Secretary Li Jiheng was welcomed by Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, who underlined Vietnam’s consistent policy of tightening the Vietnam – China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. 

Minh called on the two sides to foster the sustainable, balanced and healthy development of their economic-trade cooperation while encouraging Chinese businesses to invest in transport infrastructure of the economic corridor traversing Yunnan’s Kunming city and Vietnam’s Lao Cai province, Hanoi, Hai Phong city and Quang Ninh province. 

They also need to intensify coordination in land border management, cross-border crime prevention, and facilitating customs clearance for people, cargo and vehicle movements via border gates, he added. 

The Chinese Party official said Yunnan treasures its relations with Vietnamese localities and is willing to join hands in stepping up collaboration in all fields, contributing to the Vietnam – China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Foreign Ministry offers National Day greetings to Cambodia

A Foreign Ministry delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung visited the Cambodian Embassy in Hanoi on November 6 to offer greetings on Cambodia’s 62nd National Day (November 11). 

Deputy FM Trung conveyed best wishes from Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh to the Cambodian Ambassador and the Embassy staff on the occasion. 

He expressed thanks to the Cambodian Government and people for their assistance and support of Vietnam over the past time, and reiterated Vietnam’s policy to give high priority to developing the friendship and all-sided cooperation with Cambodia. 

Cambodian Ambassador Hul Phany stressed that in both difficult time and the current national construction, the Cambodian people have always enjoyed the support and assistance from Vietnamese leaders and people both spiritually and materially, and volunteer Vietnamese soldiers even sacrificed their lives for the freedom and independence of Cambodia. 

The two sides agreed that the success of King Norodom Sihamoni’s leisure visit to Vietnam from October 19-22, the 14th meeting of the Vietnam-Cambodia Mixed Committee on Economic, Cultural, Scientific-Technological Cooperation from October 18-19 and the 8th conference on cooperation and development of their border provinces was vivid evidence of the development of bilateral ties. 

They expressed their belief that with good will and efforts of both countries, the demarcation of border line and planting of border markers along their land border line will be completed early, helping build a borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation and development, contributing to further strengthening the neighbourly friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia.

Vietnam attends ASEANSAI Assembly meeting in Cambodia

Deputy Auditor General Nguyen Quang Thanh attended the third ASEAN Supreme Audit Institutions (ASEANSAI) Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 5. 

At the event, ASEAN senior auditors reviewed operations of ASEANSAI committees between 2013 and 2015, elected the executive board and committees, and designed operation plans for the next two years. 

ASEANSAI Vice President in the 2013-15 tenure and Cambodian Auditor General Som Kim Sour affirmed that with joint efforts from member states, ASEANSAI has achieved remarkable things, helping to improve the capacity of auditors, and increase the efficiency and transparency of public administration in ASEAN nations. 

During the meeting, the National Audit Authority of Cambodia was chosen to assume the chair of ASEANSAI for 2015-2017, while the Audit Board of Indonesia will undertake the role as the ASEANSAI Secretary General. 

Vietnam was selected as the President of the Strategic Planning Committee. The country’s State Audit Office will host a conference on land and mineral resources in 2017, and act as chief of the project on poverty reduction and foreign investments, scheduled to be implemented in 2017. 

ASEANSAI was founded in 2011 in Jakarta by Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam, with the objective of intensifying co-operation between state members through information and experience-sharing on public audits, as well as tightening ASEAN’s connections with international organisations in this field.

VNA