Japan and china

Airplanes at Noi Bai International Airport. Domestic airlines were reoperating regular routes to/from China and planning to increase frequency and open new routes. — VNA/VNS Photo Viet Nam’s aviation industry is forecast to have a busy year ahead as China reopens its borders which had been shut down since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Domestic airlines are reoperating regular routes to/from China and planning to increase the frequency and open new routes. A representative from Vietnam Airlines said that the national carrier was getting ready to re-operate regular routes between Viet Nam and China. Besides resuming flight routes to/from China, it was also developing plans to increase the frequency and launch new ones depending on the market demand and visa and entry policies. The air travel market will recover as China moves to ease its tight COVID regimes. According to Vietnam Airlines, the number of bookings has been increasing since the reoperation of flight routes … [Read more...] about Airlines ready to capitalise on increasing travel demand as China reopens borders

"Prime Minister Kishida has a game plan and is already engaged deeply on issues in Ukraine," Campbell told a Center for Strategic and International Studies event. U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met last week when Kishida was in Washington on the last stop in a tour of the G7 industrial powers. "I fully expect that at appropriate time Japan will be rolling out specific plans to support Ukraine in a variety of ways. They are active in many of the contact group discussions about support for Ukraine and they are just a key member," Campbell said, adding that Japan was "stepping up". Kishida last week stressed the importance of standing up to Russia's attacks, saying that if a unilateral change to the status quo went unchallenged, the same would happen elsewhere, including in Asia - an apparent reference to China's vow to reunite with self-ruled Taiwan, by force if necessary. The Japanese premier also said the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May should … [Read more...] about Japan to roll out plans to back Ukraine at ‘appropriate time’, US official says

Eight people are dead, including six Chinese nationals, after a ship sank in waters off the coast of Japan, a Chinese diplomat and the Japanese coast guard said Thursday. The Jin Tian, carrying crew from China and Myanmar, sent a distress signal on Tuesday evening from a position around 110 kilometres (68 miles) west of the remote and uninhabited Danjo Islands in far southwestern Japan. The ship's captain used a satellite phone to tell the South Korean coast guard that he and the crew would abandon the sinking ship in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the Jeju coast guard said. Multiple vessels and aircraft from Japan's coast guard and military were also involved in the search, which retrieved 13 crew members. Three private ships in the area also helped to pick up five of the stranded crew members, Japan's coast guard said. China's consul general in the city of Fukuoka, Lu Guijun, told state broadcaster CGTN Thursday that of the 13 people found, "eight have been confirmed … [Read more...] about 8 dead, including 6 Chinese nationals, after ship sinks near Japan

Japan's government will drop its recommendation to wear masks indoors and downgrade its medical classification for Covid-19, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida removes his face mask before his speech during a plenary session of the upper house of parliament in Tokyo on January 27, 2023. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP) The changes, effective from early May, will classify the disease on the same level as the flu, down from its current status on par with tuberculosis and SARS. "As for masking, regardless of indoors and outdoors, the decision will be left up to individuals," Kishida told a televised government meeting. "We will take further steps towards 'life with corona' and make steady progress on returning to normality in homes, schools, workplaces, neighbourhoods and all facets of life." Masks are ubiquitous in public places and are commonly worn outdoors as well, despite the government having already said they … [Read more...] about Japan to drop mask guidance, relax Covid strategy

Vietnamese workers work at Carry System joint stock company in Japan's Ibaraki prefecture. (Photo: VNA) Tokyo (VNA) – Vietnamese nationals account for 25.4% of the total 1.82 million foreign workers who were working in Japan as of the end of October last year, according to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW). The ministry’s data released on January 27 showed that a record 1,822,725 million foreign workers were working in Japan as of the end of October 2022, a rise of 5.5% from the same period of 2021. Of the total foreign worker population, there were 462,384 Vietnamese nationals, 385,848 Chinese nationals, and 206,050 Filipinos, which made them the top three biggest communities. Data also showed a new high of 298,790 workplaces employed foreign workers, an increase of 4.8%. Businesses with fewer than 30 workers, which make up more than 90% of firms in Japan, accounted for 61.4% of the employers with foreign workers. By residency status, holders of … [Read more...] about Vietnamese nationals account largest proportion of Japan’s foreign worker population

According to its latest report on Southeast Asia, HSBC said Thailand will benefit the most from China’s reopening. It said further that tourism in Vietnam was also expected to perform well as Chinese tourists account for some 30% of international arrivals to the country. This month Khanh Hoa Province is expected to have nine charter flights which will bring Chinese visitors to Vietnam after a 3-year suspension due to the pandemic. Hotels in Hoi An, in the central province of Quang Nam, have also received bookings from Chinese tourists. Regarding trade, since 2020 ASEAN has surpassed the E.U. to become China’s largest trading partner. Last year Vietnam was one of three Southeast Asian countries, along with Indonesia and Malaysia, reporting increases in exports to China. Vietnam is also benefiting from more favorable trade ties with China because exports no longer have to undergo strict Covid testing. Concerning FDI, Japan and South Korea are the leading countries in terms of … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s tourism, trade, FDI rosy amid China’s reopening: HSBC

A company in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak has exported 10 banana containers to China, the first to the neighbouring country so far this year. The VND5 billion (USD212,765) batch of 210 tonnes of bananas were grown by Banana Brothers Farm JS Company (BBF) in Village 1, Ea Yieng Commune, M'Drak Commune. Dak Lak exports 10 banana containers to China on January 31. Le Thi My Hanh, general director of BBF, said that "We’ve been working at full capacity to ensure this first order this year.” BBF started growing around 150 hectares of Cavendish bananas in 2020, using strict technical export standards. The company exported 6,500 tonnes of bananas to South Korea, China and Japan last year. The firm has planned to grow an additional 300 hectares of bananas in the coming time. … [Read more...] about Dak Lak exports first bananas to China

Vo Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of HCM City addresses the event (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City is an attractive destination with numerous opportunities for foreign investors, including those from Hong Kong (China), heard the Hong Kong - Ho Chi Minh City Investment & Business Forum and Networking Dinner held in the city on January 12. More than 300 participants attended the conference (Source: Organisers) As of the end of 2022, Hong Kong investors run 619 direct investment projects worth 3.23 billion USD in the city, accounting for 5.79% of the total FDI the city attracted in the year, mostly in manufacturing-processing and real estate. An overview of the event (Source: Organisers) With around 10 million population and the growth of the middle class, Ho Chi Minh City is a huge and potential market for businesses. Dr. Jonathan Choi, Chairman of Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of Hong Kong - Vietnam Chamber … [Read more...] about HCM City an attractive destination for Hong Kong investors: forum

Very few crops post annual growth of 24 percent like macadamia nuts do, which contributes to poverty reduction in remote areas as well as environmental protection and national security, the PM told a conference in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak. Therefore, he continued, it is necessary to form a production chain for the nuts. Domestic macadamia output has increased 24.5-fold over the past three years to reach 6,600 tonnes of raw nuts, he said, and revenue is three-times higher than for coffee. The figures would be even higher with the application of science and technology. He called for growing areas to be expanded, saying that the northwest and Central Highlands regions could serve as stable production areas. The PM asked the banking sector, along with businesses and associations, to help farmers with macadamia production, processing, and export. It was reported at the conference that macadamia is being grown in 23 provinces nationwide, covering more than 16,500 … [Read more...] about Domestic macadamia sector needs strategy: PM

Workers at Woodsland Joint Stock Company in the northern province of Tuyen Quang processing wood products for export to the EU. — VNA/VNS Photo Despite many difficulties, the export of wood and forest products still reached the target of US$16.9 billion last year. Continuing this momentum, the industry has set an export turnover target of $17.5 billion this year. Tran Thanh Binh from the Import and Export Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade, said the wood industry, like all trade sectors, could not avoid difficulties. The reason is that the COVID-19 pandemic, the political situation and the high inflation coming from the US and EU major markets make it difficult for businesses to sign and fulfil orders. The common difficulty of wood industry enterprises is high input costs and rising prices, which reduces the competitiveness of goods, including timber. Strong fluctuations in the financial and monetary market also make wood production lose its competitive advantage. … [Read more...] about Forest exports target $17.5 billion