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/ November 19, 2020

Vietnam calls for US investments in energy, industry and infrastructure

The Hanoitimes - Given Vietnam’s rapid economic growth in the past few years, opportunities for US companies spread in all fields, from healthcare, aviation, to agriculture or education. The Vietnamese government welcome US investments in fields with high added value, including energy, industry and infrastructure, that can help Vietnam further go up in the global value chain, according to Vice Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai. Overview of the conference. Source: MoIT. An unstable global trade environment as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic is putting pressure on multinationals, including US corporations, to look for the formation of new supply chains, state Mr. Hai at the Vietnam – US Trade Forum 2020 held on November 18. During this context, a growing number of enterprises are investing in backup supply chains in different locations to ensure sustainability and continuity in operation, he noted, adding many US investors consider Vietnam as a key and safe choice for the global value chains. Vice Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai speaks at the conference. Source: MoIT. According to Mr. Hai, this is the right time for Vietnam to continue pushing for greater improvements in the business environment to attract investment from the US and take a higher role in the supply chains. US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Marie Damour said given Vietnam’s rapid economic growth in the past few years, opportunities for US companies spread in all fields, from healthcare, aviation, to agriculture or education. Four sectors with the highest potential are energy, infrastructure, digital economy and hi-tech manufacturing, she added. Mr. Hai pointed to the complementary nature between the two economies as key factor to maintain mutual benefits in bilateral cooperation, therefore placing the US among Vietnam’s top trading partners. The vice minister also urged Vietnamese enterprises to import more …

/ May 5, 2017

Tillerson urges ASEAN to cut North Korea funding, minimize ties

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Thursday to do more to help cut funding streams for North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and to minimize diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. In his first ministerial meeting with all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Tillerson also called on nations with competing claims in the South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea, to cease all island building and militarization while talks aimed at creating a maritime code of conduct were under way. Patrick Murphy, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said Tillerson stressed Washington's security and economic commitment to the region, amid doubts raised by President Donald Trump's "America First" platform and withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact. Tillerson called on ASEAN countries to fully implement U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang, which is working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States, and to show a united front on the issue, Murphy said. "We think that more can be done, not just in Southeast Asia," he told reporters. "We are encouraging continued and further steps across all of ASEAN." Last week, Tillerson called on all countries to suspend or downgrade diplomatic ties with Pyongyang, saying that North Korea abuses diplomatic privileges to help fund its arms programs. Tillerson also warned that Washington would sanction foreign firms and people conducting business with North Korea if countries did not act themselves. All ASEAN members have diplomatic relations with North Korea and five have embassies there. Murphy said Washington was not encouraging ASEAN states to formally cut ties, but to examine the North Korean presence "where it clearly exceeds diplomatic needs." He said some countries were already doing this and also looking at the presence of North Korean workers, another significant revenue earner …

/ May 8, 2020

US beefs up FONOPS in South China Sea since Trump presidency: Carl Thayer

The Hanoitimes - The latest patrols took place on April 28-29 without encountering any unsafe or unprofessional behavior from Chinese military. Since Donald Trump became president of the US in 2017, the US Department of Defense has stepped up the number of freedom of navigation operational patrols (FONOPS) in the South China Sea, according to Carl Thayer, Emeritus Professor at The University of New South Wales and Director of Thayer Consultancy. Carl Thayer, Emeritus Professor at The University of New South Wales and Director of Thayer Consultancy. Photo: VnExpress According a Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, May 1, 2020, the US Navy conducted six FONOPS in 2017, five in 2018, nine in 2019, and four in the first quarter of 2020. The frequency is much higher than that under the Obama administration. The Obama administration presided over four FONOPs in the South China Sea near Chinese possessions, Ankit Panda wrote for The Diplomat in September 2017. Their irregularity made them appear subservient to political and diplomatic interests, undermining their legal signaling utility. Under the National Defense Strategy of the United States in 2018, US military forces are enjoined to ‘Be strategically predictable, but operationally unpredictable’. This was demonstrated by two unprecedented back-to-back FONOPS in the South China Sea conducted in late April. On April 28, the guided missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG52) conducted a FONOP in the waters around the Paracel islands. The next day, on April 29, the guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG52) conducted a similar patrol in waters around Gaven Reef in the Spratly islands. According to a spokesperson for the US Navy’s 7th Fleet, the USS Bunker Hill “asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the Spratly islands, consistent with international law.” USS Barry (DDG52), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, commissioned in 1992. Photo: Navalnews China …