* China and India should firmly follow the right path of mutual trust and cooperation between neighboring major countries, and not go astray with suspicion and distrust nor fall back on a road of negative retrogression, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday. Wang made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, stressing that the two sides should maintain the strategic consensuses reached by their leaders. * As COVID-19 transmission rates seemingly decline across the European Region, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge expressed health concerns over "long-COVID" or "post-COVID" symptoms at a virtual press conference on Thursday. * Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Armenia in a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday, the Kremlin said. * The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that the US military had conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria. The Pentagon called the operation a "proportionate military response" carried out after consultations with coalition partners. * China approved two more vaccines for public use, raising the number of domestically produced vaccines that can be used in China to four. * Japan on Friday is preparing to lift the state of emergency over COVID-19 for five prefectures where the situation has improved, although the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area will likely be kept under the emergency period for the time being, according to government sources. * The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines reported on Friday 2,651 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since Oct. 17 last year, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 571,327. * Leaders of the European Union (EU) called for an accelerated production and delivery of COVID-19 …
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Police break up cross-border infant trafficking ring
The police searched houses on February 25 to investigate traders hired to take care of the newborn babies before selling them on to China. Four mothers were arrested on suspicion of getting involved in the trafficking ring, while four babies were also rescued. During the operation, the police also discovered an eight-month pregnant woman who had intended to sell her child once the baby is born, along with two other pregnant mothers who had been brought to China. The police said the large-scale nature of the newborn trafficking ring involves the participation of both domestic and foreign suspects. At present, the four babies are now being taken care of by a social welfare centre operated by the Vietnam Women's Union. The police are expanding the scope of investigation. …
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Mutual merit in Australian investment
Dr. Craig Emerson, director of the Australian APEC Study Centre Vietnam’s success in containing COVID-19 with minimal economic fallout compared to other nations has improved its already-strong reputation for competent governance. The government has been liberalising Vietnam’s economy for decades and is now reaping the benefits of rapid growth. Vietnam has stood to gain from the recent US-China trade conflict with many companies relocating at least some of their production facilities there. Vietnam is also rapidly adopting digital technologies to deploy automation, smart manufacturing, and big data analytics. Competent economic management, consistent reforms, swift digital uptake, and effective COVID-19 containment make Vietnam a very attractive destination for trade and investment in 2021 and beyond. Economically, Vietnam is becoming a manufacturing powerhouse, particularly for electronics and apparel. It is also becoming a focal point for regional value chains with preferential access through free trade agreements (FTAs). It has taken up trade deal commitments and accepted assistance to develop the institutional and regulatory environment, infrastructure, and facilitation to attract investment. The country is also actively working on non-tariff barriers to trade including intellectual property protection, food safety regulations, restrictions on the internet and digital economy, and other governance issues to accelerate the absorption of investment. Vietnam needs to be considered in terms of its unique qualities and context. It is following its own development path in a new time, with different conditions, drivers, and realities. Comparisons can be made to Japan with its appreciation of tradition; to Singapore with its open trade policies and architecture; China’s southern Guangdong province in population scale and economic activity; and Indonesia in terms of benefits from a demographic dividend. Vietnam has a web of FTAs that make it a strategic …
