Labourers manoeuvre a cart loaded with rice sacks at a mill on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India (Photo: Reuters)
Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - Malaysia has agreed to import 100,000 tonnes of rice from India for 2020.
It is a record amount as the Southeast Asian nation bought around 53,000 tonnes per year on average from India in the past five years.
According to India’s Rice Exporters Association, Malaysia is making substantial purchases from India after a long time, in a further sign of improving trade relations between the countries. The purchases would help trim rice stockpiles in India, the world’s biggest exporter.
The Indian association looks to export 200,000 tonnes of rice to Malaysia this year after the latest deals.
Malaysia relies on rice imports as it gives priority to its palm oil industry instead. The country buys roughly 900,000 tonnes of rice each year, with Thailand being its largest supplier./.
Malaysia and India will work on improving ties that turned sour under former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and badly affected palm oil trade between the countries, Reuters reported on March 1, quoting officials from both nations.
Malaysia announced on May 14 that it will lift a ban on mass prayers in mosques, starting from May 15, as the Muslim-majority country is gradually loosening restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Malaysian prosecutors have dropped money laundering charges linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal against the Hollywood producer Riza Aziz.
Malaysia’s Minister of Defence Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe agreed to further enhance existing defence cooperation between the two countries during their talk on the phone on May 15.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The forum featured two in-depth discussion sessions, engaging representatives from governments, think tanks, and businesses from both ASEAN and China, on how to forge closer ties for a common future.
The new FIFA Hub in Jakarta will not only support football development in Indonesia but also serve as a coordination centre for 21 football associations across Southeast and East Asia.
Minister Counselor Nguyen Hoang Nguyen reaffirmed Vietnam’s principled and consistent stance on the Palestine issue, calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire across the entire Gaza Strip.
PM Anwar Ibrahim affirmed the determination of Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair for 2025, to utilise all viable regional mechanisms of the bloc and work with partners to de-escalate violence and restore a peace process led by Myanmar.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Vietnam’s Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925–2025), Nikulina, who is also a veteran journalist of Russia’s Sputnik News, emphasised the vital role of mainstream journalism in defending the truth and maintaining public trust.
The Ministry of Commerce reported that imports also rose 18% to 29.9 billion USD during the same period, resulting in a trade surplus of 1.1 billion USD. In May alone, Thailand posted a 4.6 billion USD trade surplus with the US and a 4.1 billion USD trade deficit with China.
The World Bank will provide a 2.1 billion USD financing package for Indonesia, focusing oncreating jobs, stimulating economic growth, and enhancing access to clean energy across the country.
Member states also reviewed progress on six priority areas for 2025, including the development of an underground cable framework, the follow-up agreement to the ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement (APSA), the launch of the ASEAN Energy Efficiency Database, and the rollout of an investment platform for sustainable building initiatives.
Labourers manoeuvre a cart loaded with rice sacks at a mill on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India (Photo: Reuters) 
