Thanks to joint efforts by China and ASEAN, regional economic integration keeps growing, Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Hou Yanqi told media in Jakarta on June 15.
Jakarta (VNA)♐ – Thanks to joint efforts byChina and ASEAN, regional economic integration keeps growing, ChineseAmbassador to ASEAN Hou Yanqi told media in Jakarta on June 15.
The diplomat said that China and ASEAN are each other's largest tradingpartners. In the first five months of this year, trade turnover between the twosides reached 2.6 trillion yuan (about 364 billion USD), up 9.9% over the sameperiod last year. Regarding multilateral economic frameworks, the negotiationround on China-ASEAN Free Trade Area Version 3.0 has officially started,while the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has come intoeffect in all member states, entering a new phase of full implementation. Regarding connectivity cooperation, the two sides have maderemarkable progress. The China-Laos railway line has started serving cross-borderpassengers. Major projects such as the China-Thailand Railway, the East CoastRail Link project in Malaysia, and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridorproject are progressing smoothly. The joint operation and testing of theJakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Indonesia has been completed. Besides, othercooperation areas between China and ASEAN are being rapidly resumed after theCOVID-19 pandemic. The Ambassador said that 2023 is the year of China-ASEANcooperation in agricultural development and food security. Accordingly, manyactivities have been implemented, strongly promoting the development ofhigh-quality agriculture on both sides. In addition, the two sides held a series of exchangeactivities relating to youth, communications, and sustainable development, andwitnessed more frequent interactions between delegations at all levels. Interms of tourism, more and more Chinese tourists are returning to SoutheastAsia, bringing a strong recovery to the region's tourism industry./.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has sent a working group to China’s Guangxi and Yunnan provinces to seek measures to promote the trading of agro-forestry-fisheries products between Vietnam and China, one of the major export markets of Vietnam, said Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam.
A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam has visited and held meetings with the administrations and customs departments of China’s Guangxi and Yunnan provinces in an effort to facilitate farm produce exports via northern border gates of Vietnam.
The international road passenger transport route between the Mu La Thang border gate in Vietnam’s Lai Chau province and the Jin Shuihe border gate in China’s Yunnan province has been opened to traffic following a ceremony on June 13.
The northern province of Bac Giang organised a ceremony on June 15 to mark the first shipment of 56 tonnes of Luc Ngan fresh lychees to China from Kep railway station.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
Illustrative photo (Photo: The Jakarta Post) 
