China trade surplus

As the election of deputies to the National Assembly and People's Councils is approaching, people in Tu Van Village in Thuong Tin District on the outskirts of Hanoi are busy making national flags to meet orders from across the country. A workshop in Tu Van Village is seen busy at making the national flags and banners in preparation for the upcoming general election. (Photo: VNA) Located 30km south of Hanoi, the trade village is famed for its embroidery and weaving and has made millions of national flags over the last 75 years. According to local elderly people, embroidery and weaving first prospered in the village in the 16th century. Many of the villagers even opened shops on Hang Bong and Hang Gai streets in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. The tailors need to be meticulous in their work to make sure each flag complies with regulatory requirements. (Photo: VNA) Ahead of the General Uprising on August 19, 1945, local craftsmen were asked to make national flags, with this historic moment marking the establishment of the national flag-making craft in Tu Van Village. With the development of the market economy, many households in Tu Van Village have switched from traditional embroidery to specialising in making flags, panels and banners. Orders were sent to the village earlier this year in preparation for the upcoming national election, with nearly double the number of the previous year. Therefore, all stages of making national flags from choosing fabrics, operating machines, printing, embroidering and sewing have been implemented urgently to meet high demand. The five-pointed yellow star is embroidered manually. “We all feel happy and proud when our products, the national flags, are hung solemnly in many institutes across the country, even though the work is hard and the income is not high,” said Nguyen Thu Phuong while rapidly but accurately embroidering the five-pointed yellow star on a national flag. A …

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The Government has created conditions for localities and businesses to stimulate the import of Covid-19 vaccines, however, no proposals have been sent to the relevant agencies. Strict conditions have made it difficult for businesses to import vaccines despite the country is dealing with the fourth wave of the Covid-19 outbreak that has caused widespread community transmissions in many parts of Vietnam. A doctor conducts vaccination against Covid-19 at E Hospital in Hanoi. Photo: Cong Hung The Ministry of Health has recently listed 36 businesses qualified to import, transport, and preserve vaccines in Vietnam, however, there are no businesses have registered to take part in this challenging market. To gain green light from the Government and relevant agencies, the vaccine importers need to prove their capabilities in importing, preserving, transporting, and deploying vaccination, along with commitments to fairness, anti-fraud, -dumping and -price hike in the process. An expert from the health sector, who wanted to be anonymous, told The Hanoi Times that the businesses engaged in this big “game” need to prepare the best conditions for their warehouse system and transportation to ensure the quality of vaccines. “The import of vaccines is not like that of normal pharmaceuticals, therefore, it is difficult for businesses to import vaccines to Vietnam even though it has been facilitated,” he said. According to an instruction released by the Ministry of Health recently, the vaccine importers need to have a dossier including Ex Works (EXW) or certificate of quality granted by management agencies, which will be approved by the National Institute for Control of Vaccines and Biologicals within 48 hours, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), to ensure quality and avoid importing vaccines of unknown origin. Vietnam has allowed the import of vaccines, including AstraZeneca from the UK, Sputnick V from Russia, Pfizer from …

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Bac Giang authorities have successfully found outlets for lychee amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Positive signs for Bac Giang lychee On June 8, the authorities in Bac Giang Province held an online meeting with local and foreign experts to discuss ways to distribute lychee. Phan The Tuan, vice chairman of Bac Giang People's Committee, said in 2021, the province had 28,100ha of lychee and harvested 180,000 tonnes so far, an increase of 15,000 tonnes compared to the harvest in 2020. 15,200ha of lychee met VietGAP standards and 82ha met GlobalGAP standards. 218ha of lychee with a harvest of 1,800 tonnes will be exported to the US and Australia. Another 1,800 tonnes will be exported to Japan. Le Anh Duong, chairman of Bac Giang People's Committee said they had built three plans to distribute the lychee. "We still have contacts with regular customers and close connection with overseas partners," he said. Despite difficulties caused by Covid-19, a large number of agricultural products have been exported to Yunnan, China, and the bilateral trade turnover increased by 40%. Tran Kim Nga, PR manager of MM Mega Market Vietnam, said they had launched a discount programme from June 1 to 16 for the lychee from Bac Giang. The fruit will be displayed at prime locations to celebrate the Doan Ngo Festival or Pest Exterminating Festival. They also held a Bac Giang Lychee Week at MM Mega Market An Phu in HCM City. The events and the lychee will be promoted on social media like Facebook and Zalo. It is expected that 500-700 tonnes of lychee will be sold along with pineapples, pumpkins and watermelon. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to Japan Vu Hong Nam said Japan imported lychee from various countries like China, Mexico and Vietnam. Vietnamese fruit had been well received after it was sold at the Aeon supermarkets. "Many Japanese customers gave good reviews and they also bought the lychee for their friends and families," he said. …

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