Goodwill ambassador

At the event (Photo: baoquocte.vn) Washington D.C, (VNA) - The US will bolster support for countries in the Mekong subregion through the Mekong-US partnership, US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Atul Keshap said at a recent online seminar to reveal results of a report on transboundary rivers and addressing challenges in Mekong River. He said the support will focus on the management of transboundary water resources, regional economic connection, human resources development and response to non-traditional security challenges, including those in the health sector. The report was based on outcomes of a virtual Indo-Pacific conference on enhancing management of transboundary rivers hosted by the East-West Centre last October. Speakers at the event said that the Mekong subregion is facing challenges in security, development and climate change. Keshap expressed the US ’s concerns over impacts of hydropower dams in the Mekong River ’s upper reaches on food security, economic development and environmental conditions of countries in lower reaches. The US highly appreciates Vietnam’s efforts in pushing ASEAN’s cooperation to help the Mekong subregion cope with such challenges, he said. Congressman Ted Lieu also affirmed that the US Congress wants the US government to further boost cooperation with the Mekong sub-region via the US-Mekong partnership. Since the launch of the Lower Mekong Initiative in 2009, the US has earmarked 3.5 billion USD for countries in Mekong River’s lower reaches. At the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc underscored the significance of water security, especially transboundary water resources, to peace and prosperity in the region. Countries in the Mekong subregion share responsibilities for the use and management of Mekong River’s water resources in a sustainable manner in a bid to offset impacts on development and the environment, he added. …

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In his interview granted to the press on the occasion of the European Council’s June 25 decision to entrust the European Commission to sign the two deals with Vietnam in Hanoi on June 30, the diplomat said that they are the first new-generation trade and investment deals that the EU has reached with a middle-income country. The deals, once signed and ratified, will bring about huge benefits to both sides, as their economic products do not compete, but complement each other. With 99 percent of tariff lines to be removed, the EVFTA will create favorable conditions for Vietnam’s goods to access the 512-million-consumer EU market. Two-way trade hit USD 55 billion in 2018 and will surely surge in the time ahead, Quang said, adding that European enterprises will also intensify investment in Vietnam, especially in the fields the EU has strength such as high technology, clean energy, finance-banking, transportation and logistics, thus helping Vietnam in economic restructuring and growth model shifting in an inclusive and sustainable manner. Quang, who is also Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium, said that on June 25 last year, the two sides had reached a high consensus on all contents of the two agreements. In the past year, Vietnam has exerted efforts to canvass the EU to speed up internal procedures of the deals. The canvass work has been conducted in not only Hanoi, but also capital cities of EU member states and at international conferences at all levels. As a result, the two deals were adopted by the European Commission on October 17, 2018 and by all EU member states at the council’s meeting on June 25, 2019. Regarding the ratification process, the diplomat stated that after the signing ceremony, both sides will conduct procedures for their parliaments’ ratification. For the Vietnamese side, relevant committees of the National Assembly will study and contribute ideas to submit the two documents to the legislature for approval in line with the ratification …

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MPI proposes a draft decree on procurement bidding under CPTTP MPI proposes a draft decree on procurement bidding under CPTTP The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has summited to the Government a draft decree on amending Decree 95/2020/ND-CP providing guidelines on procurement bidding under the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTTP). According to the MPI, the draft decree will amend and supplement some articles of Decree No 95. It aims to guide State companies to execute bidding packages under the CPTTP agreement and EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). However, per the Government's Resolution No 190/NQ-CP on the provisional application of the UK-Việt Nam FTA (UKVFTA), Việt Nam agreed to temporarily apply the UKVFTA from January 1, 2021. The agreement was negotiated based on the principle of inheriting commitments in the EVFTA with necessary adjustments to ensure compliance with the bilateral trade framework between Việt Nam and UK. By doing so, the draft decree will avoid amending Decree 95/2020/NĐ-CP many times. The MPI has asked the Government to revise Decree No 95 as follows. The first option aims to implement international treaties on bidding and the second option is to execute the bid for public procurement of goods under the CPTTP, EVFTA and UKVFTA. To boost competitiveness in bidding, the draft decree has stipulated the implementation of bidding related to consultancy services, non-consultancy services and construction services. In the draft decree, bidding packages specified in Appendix II of the Decree No 95 show State companies will decide to allow intra-regional contractors or contractors from member countries of CPTTP to attend only. For bidding packages specified in Appendix III of Decree No 95, State companies can allow intra-regional contractors or contractors from member states of the EU and UK to bid. Regarding the intra-regional procurement bidding for the supply of goods …

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