Japan green deal

The Japanese government has launched the Asia Energy Transition Initiative (AETI), which includes knowledge sharing, technology development, and deployment of decarbonisation and $10 billion in financial assistance to push forward green energy transition. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also proposed the Asia Zero Emissions Community (AZEC) initiative during his visit to Vietnam last April. The initiative's goal is to achieve both sustainable growth and carbon neutrality amid growing energy demand in Asian countries. The Japanese government is willing to cooperate with ASEAN countries to achieve a pragmatic energy transition by providing financial and technical support for the demonstration and introduction of decarbonisation technologies. As one example, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, the Japanese Embassy to Vietnam, and the JCCI jointly organised a workshop on cooperation between the two countries for the development of power and energy fields focussing on … [Read more...] about JCCI proposes solutions to promote investment in green energy

After seeing orders from Europe plunge by 70% in recent weeks, shoemaker Chang Shuen in the southern province of Binh Duong quickly turned to the U.S., a market it has not paid attention to for nearly a decade. According to Doan Sy Loi, its CEO, the prices of products made for the U.S. market are always at least 15% lower than for the European market. When exporting to Europe, Chang Shuen only needs to make 5,000 pairs of shoes a day to turn a profit, but needs 6,000-6,500 pairs in the case of the U.S., he said. "During difficult times I have to do more to make a profit." However, one advantage is that orders from the U.S. are five to 10 times larger than from Europe, he said. The larger volumes attune workers, making production smooth and speedy, he added. Garment company Dony in Ho Chi Minh City recently sent executives to the Middle East to meet and negotiate with wholesalers for big brands, its director, Pham Quang Anh, said. If the price is good, importers are willing to … [Read more...] about Factories find ways to deal with decreasing exports

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang speaking at the Viet Nam Connect Forum on green growth and digital transition for central and central highlands region. — Photo courtesy of Vietnam Economic Times The central and Central Highlands region has been designated as one of the areas for fast economic and sustainable development, along with remarkable climate change resilience. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang spoke at the Viet Nam Connect Forum – Breakthroughs for central Viet Nam – in the central city on March 17, emphasising that the region plays a crucial role in promoting rapid and sustainable growth. “The region needs to adopt green growth in agriculture, forestry, processing industries, the blue sea economy and tourism,” Quang said. “By 2045, the region should become the largest centre of high-tech industries, services and international cooperation in Asia. Drastic breakthroughs are necessary in the action plans of the provinces in the region to achieve sustainable … [Read more...] about Central region to go ‘green’ amid digital transition

How can 5G and digital transformation impact the performance of industries such as manufacturing, logistics, agriculture and e-commerce over the coming years? Denis Brunetti, president of Ericsson in Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos As a critical digital national infrastructure, 5G has the potential to significantly transform society, industries, and the economy, as well as benefiting the environment. In the past, developing economies depended on traditional inputs to fuel growth, such as low-cost labour and natural resources. Moving forward, the new economy will increasingly depend on more sustainable inputs, such as science, technology and innovation, whereby data will become the new oil that creates as much as drives a more inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic development, securing broader range prosperity for all. Through 5G, the introduction of Industry 4.0 will be accelerated across thousands of factory floors in Vietnam, enabling robots, digital twin … [Read more...] about Going digital and green in partnership with Ericsson

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha (R) receives Tien Quoc Hao, CEO of TMC and President of TMAP (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha hosted a reception in Hanoi on March 16 for Tien Quoc Hao, Chief Executive Officer of Asia Region of Japan ’s Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) and President of Toyota Motor Asia Pacific (TMAP), during which he asked for Toyota’s technical support to help Vietnam catch up with and even lead the digital transformation and sustainable energy transition process, and realise the goal of net-zero emissions . Lauding TMC’s contributions to Vietnam's socio-economic development over the years, Ha said he hoped the firm will continue to help deepen the cooperation and the intensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan. He suggested that Toyota should continue to increase the localisation rate of its automobiles produced in Vietnam, using new, green and clean technologies, contributing to implementing Vietnam’s … [Read more...] about Deputy PM asks for Toyota’s support in digital transformation, energy transition

Climate change is an urgent problem for humanity in the 21 st century, and its importance was reinforced by the presence of 197 heads of state at the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in 2021 (COP26). Vietnam has made strong commitments and issued its National Strategy on Climate Change for the period to 2050. Time for business action According to the World Bank, Vietnam is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. In 2020 alone, Vietnam has suffered a loss of $10 billion, equivalent to 3.2 per cent of GDP. Without a green transformation strategy, it is estimated that the nation could be losing 12-14 per cent of GDP every year by 2050. Green transformation describes the process of applying advanced processes and technologies to reshape business operations, ensuring economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social development. From an enterprise perspective, a common management solution is through a set of environmental, social and governance … [Read more...] about Net-Zero: Challenges and opportunities for Vietnamese businesses

Vietnam's foreign partners, such as AmCham and EuroCham, expect to further penetrate the domestic clean energy industry. Vietnam’s renewable energy sector remains attractive to international businesses, officials said on March 19 as they urged the Government to finalize the regulatory system soon. A wind power farm in the southern central province of Binh Thuan. Photo: The Hanoi Times According to Gregory Testerman, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, US companies are looking for solutions in renewable development, especially gas-fired power, and offshore wind projects. Gregory said that Vietnam needs to prioritize sustainable energy sources at reasonable prices, adding that the nation will need technical and financial assistance to transition energy. AmCham Vietnam hopes to reach an agreement with the Vietnamese Government on power trade to cut carbon emissions and bring the economy into a state of … [Read more...] about International partners keen on Vietnam’s renewable energy sector

Vietnam is striving to lure more Japanese investments to digital transformation and green growth, as recommended in the Vietnam-Japan Joint Initiative (VJI). Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Phase VIII of the initiative, launched in 2003, concluded in March 2023, under which 497 out of the 597 items were completed. To promote its role, the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment proposed building a cooperation programme between small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of the two countries, focusing on digital transformation, support industry and personnel training. Japanese SMEs have capacity, experience and high tech, and Vietnamese firms have abundant human resources, which is reciprocal during their development cooperation. The ministry suggested the Japanese side take more specific solutions and supplement workforce to further support Vietnamese enterprises in improving their capacity and competitiveness, and participating intensively in … [Read more...] about Vietnam attracting Japanese investments to new areas

Working groups of the Vietnam Business Forum touched on a variety of topics and recommendations for greater progress Photo: Dung Minh During Sunday’s Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) in Hanoi, everything from the foreign labour situation and digital tax to combating climate change was discussed by the various participants, which included heads of influential international organisations. Arguably the most vital near-term issue according to those involved is power shortages being felt in some areas of the country. The Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) said that northern industrial zones are being particularly affected, and it wants to see the nation’s Power Development Plan VIII to officially come on board as soon as possible. “In recent years, Japanese corporations have expanded their footprint in Vietnam to capture the great demand for renewable energy. But it is challenging for domestic businesses and financial institutions to independently execute large-scale power … [Read more...] about Business community leads call to action for authorities

There are few places on Earth as isolated as Trindade island, a volcanic outcrop a three- to four-day boat trip off the coast of Brazil. So geologist Fernanda Avelar Santos was startled to find an unsettling sign of human impact on the otherwise untouched landscape: rocks formed from the glut of plastic pollution floating in the ocean. Santos first found the plastic rocks in 2019, when she traveled to the island to research her doctoral thesis on a completely different topic -- landslides, erosion and other "geological risks." She was working near a protected nature reserve known as Turtle Beach, the world's largest breeding ground for the endangered green turtle, when she came across a large outcrop of the peculiar-looking blue-green rocks. Intrigued, she took some back to her lab after her two-month expedition. Analyzing them, she and her team identified the specimens as a new kind of geological formation, merging the materials and processes the Earth has used to form … [Read more...] about Scientists make ‘disturbing’ find on remote island: plastic rocks