Vietnam officially set up diplomatic relations with Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday, taking the number of countries that Hanoi has diplomatic ties with to 192. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassadors Dang Hoang Giang and Dennis Francis Smith, heads of the delegations of Vietnam and Trinidad and Tobago, respectively, to the United Nations (UN), signed a joint communiqué on the diplomatic tie establishment on behalf of the two governments at the UN headquarters in New York. The two sides agreed to exchange diplomatic representatives at the ambassadorial level under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. On the same day, the joint communiqué was sent to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for circulation and to UN member countries for information. With the diplomatic ties with Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam has had official diplomatic relations with all 35 countries in the Americas and 190 out of the 193 member countries of the UN, proving the … [Read more...] about Vietnam establishes diplomatic ties with Trinidad and Tobago
Bilateral ties
Lao official highlights Vietnam’s successes under CPV leadership
In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondents in Vientiane, Boviengkham Vongdara, member of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), Minister of Science and Technology of Laos, and President of the Laos - Vietnam Friendship Association (LVFA), highlighted Vietnam's major achievements under the CPV leadership through different periods, including the declaration of independence in 1945, the victories against the French colonialists and the U.S. imperialists between 1945 and 1975. He also spoke highly of the reunification of the country in 1975, and the post-war national construction and recovery after 1975. He said that the most outstanding success of the Party is its leadership over the “Doi Moi” (Renewal) cause, switching from a subsidized economic model to a socialist-oriented market economy, helping bring the country’s economy into the contemporary era. He noted that last year, despite COVID-19 impacts and difficulties from the … [Read more...] about Lao official highlights Vietnam’s successes under CPV leadership
Vietnam’s trade with India hits record in 2022
During the year, Vietnam’s exports to India topped 7.9 billion USD, up nearly 27% year-on-year. Among its export items , mobile phones and accessories posted the highest turnover with 1.5 billion USD. Computers, electronics and parts came next, and they were followed by machinery and equipment. Other staples with the highest value increase were coffee, iron and steel and footwear. Meanwhile, Vietnam imported over 7 billion worth of goods from India last year, a yearly hike of 2%. Its major import commodities from the market were iron and steel with nearly 775 million USD, machinery and equipment and ordinary metals. India is Vietnam’s leading provider of aquatic, garment and textile, leather and pharmaceutical materials. The 1.4-billion-strong Indian market has diverse demands with various market segments - a good condition for Vietnamese exporters. Besides trade, bilateral cooperation in tourism and investment also grew with the resumption and launch of direct … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s trade with India hits record in 2022
Chinese spy balloon flies over the United States, Pentagon says
A Chinese spy balloon has been flying over the United States for a couple of days, U.S. officials said on Thursday, in what would be a brazen act just days ahead of a planned trip to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Fighter jets were mobilized, but military leaders advised President Joe Biden against shooting the balloon out of the sky for fear debris could pose a safety threat, advice Biden accepted, U.S. officials said. The United States took "custody" of the balloon when it entered U.S. airspace and had observed it with piloted U.S. military aircraft, one of the officials told reporters on condition of anonymity. Separately, Canada's defense ministry said a "high-altitude surveillance balloon" was detected and that it was monitoring a "potential second incident", without giving further details, adding that it was in frequent contact with the United States. The news initially broke as CIA Director William Burns was speaking at an event at Washington’s … [Read more...] about Chinese spy balloon flies over the United States, Pentagon says