Law

Addressing the 8th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+) held online, Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang said peace, cooperation and stability were key to regional security, but there were security threats that need to be dealt with sooner than later. In particular, the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea, plays an important role in the global supply chain, Giang said, adding that relevant parties should cooperate with each other and carry out appropriate solutions to guarantee their legal rights. "Vietnam believes all relevant parties need to strictly abide by the principle that conflict resolution is based on peaceful methods in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea," Giang said, adding that an effective and practical COC for the South China Sea needs to be completed soon. A screenshot of the 8th ADMM+ meeting held online and participated by 18 defense ministers from several countries, including Vietnam, on June 16, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Hieu Duy. Authoritative forces at sea need to refrain from actions that escalate tension and complicate the situation, he said, adding that "fisherpeople need to be humanely treated under any circumstances at sea." The ADMM+ issued a joint statement of 18 defense ministers, stressing the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, prosperity, safety and freedom of movement at sea and in the air to tackle maritime security challenges and resolve regional sea issues. The statement also acknowledged the existence of unprecedented security challenges like transnational cybersecurity issues and emergency medical issues, including natural disasters and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. …

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Sugarcane imported from Thailand is taxed 47.64 per cent for five years The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has issued Decision No.1578/QD-BCT applying anti-dumping and anti-subsidy taxes at 47.64 per cent to a number of sugarcane products originating from Thailand in the next five years. The imposition of tax is applied to organisations and individuals producing and exporting goods originating from Thailand with the official anti-dumping tax rate of 42.99 per cent, and the official anti-subsidy tax rate of 4.65 per cent. Totally, the two types of anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tax are 47.64 per cent. "Anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tax are additional import taxes applied to sugarcane imported from Thailand, including imports under tariff quotas," said the MoIT. The investigation process was carried out in accordance with the provisions of the World Trade Organization, the Law on Foreign Trade Management, and related regulations. Compared with the temporary tax rate applied from February 2021 at 33.88 per cent, the final official tax rate is still lower than the initial investigation result of 48.88 per cent. It was alleged that sugarcane products imported from Thailand, including refined sugar and raw sugar, have been subsidised and dumped, causing heavy damage to the domestic sugarcane industry. Under the impact of sugar imports from Thailand being dumped and subsidised, over the past time, a series of sugar factories have had to close, seriously impacting employees. According to data from the ministry, 3,300 workers lost their jobs and 93,225 households have been affected due to the difficulties of the domestic manufacturing industry. The main reason for the situation is that the import of subsidised and dumped sugar from Thailand increased sharply in 2020, to nearly 1.3 million tonnes, up 330.4 per cent compared to 2019. By Trúc Anh …

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Compared to five years ago, the number of employed people in Vietnam has increased by 26 percent. Labourers have stable jobs with wages increasing year on year. (Photo: baochinhphu.vn) Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has recently issued a directive asking relevant ministries and localities to ensure stable jobs, improve life quality and working conditions of labourers, especially factory workers nationwide. According to the directive, compared to five years ago, the number of employed people in Vietnam has increased by 26 percent. Labourers have stable jobs with wages increasing year on year. The life of labourers has improved, working conditions and labour hygiene and safety are ensured, while basic international labour standards have been widely applied at businesses. However, in the context of COVID-19 which has seriously affected production and business, many groups of labourers, especially workers in simple jobs, are still working in low quality environments and struggling with difficulties. The Cabinet leader asked the State Bank of Vietnam and Social Policy Bank to continue supporting programmes and offer policies which allow employers to borrow loans to pay wages. At the same time the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour must pay attention to employees’ material and spiritual lives. PM Chinh ordered relevant ministries and localities to focus the investment in social infrastructure meet the living, study and entertainment demands of labourers, take hygiene measures at workplace and propose micro-policies to support workers. They must find solutions to lift difficulties related to housing of factory workers and develop the model of industrial parks-urban area-services to meet demands of factory workers and experts. The PM highlighted the need to follow COVID-19 protocols at industrial parks, processing zones and share difficulties with labourers during the pandemic. The PM assigned the Ministry of Labour, …

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