Politburo

The Hanoitimes - Vietnam’s top leaders prioritize fight against Covid-19 in its political mission for the first quarter. The Politburo of the Communist Party, the country’s most powerful body, has agreed to buy vaccines amid a fresh cluster of coronavirus infections that strikes more than 10 cities and provinces. Top leaders of Vietnam at a meeting on February 18. Photo: Vietnam News Agency The decision was made on February 18 at the first meeting of the Politburo and the Secretariat, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)’s executing body that oversees the party’s daily issues. Finance for the purchase would be sourced from the state budget and other legal expenditures, local media reported. The purchase of vaccines is in line with law and warning by the World Health Organization (WHO) and producers, stressed the top bodies. They also required speeding up the production of domestic vaccines whose adaption is accelerated for new Covid variants. Fighting against Covid-19 is one of the focal points of the meeting and the key mission of Vietnam in the first quarter. The meeting called for “Raising the highest level of vigilance towards Covid-19 and mobilizing the entire political system to the battle against the pandemic right in the beginning of 2021.” At present, Covid-19 is spread to 13 out of 63 cities and provinces in Vietnam, recording 755 cases of local transmission since the resurgence of the virus on February 28. In another move, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a Global Vaccination Plan and proposed that the Group of 20 (G20) set up an emergency task force to prepare the scheme. Addressing a high-level meeting of the UN Security Council on February 18, the UN chief said only 10 countries have administered 75% of all vaccinations while 130 countries have not received a single dose of vaccine. He demanded a global effort to get all people in every nation inoculated as soon as …

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Speaking at the event, Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong urged every agency, sector, and unit to build their own action plans for this year, initially for the first quarter, to conduct policies adopted at the 13th National Party Congress. He called for the successful organising of the elections of deputies to the legislature and People’s Councils at all levels; focusing on socio-economic development and political and external affair tasks as assigned; firmly safeguarding border sovereignty and territorial integrity; and ensuring political security and social safety and order. The Politburo and Secretariat agreed to use State budget and other sources to purchase vaccines. The use of vaccines must be in line with the law and recommendations from the World Health Organisation and manufacturers. They also called for the stepping up of the study and production of COVID-19 vaccines at home that meet international standards and can adapt to new variants./. VNA …

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The Hanoitimes - Once completed, the high-speed railway would help reduce travel time from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City to around five hours and 20 minutes. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has tasked the Ministry of Transport (MoT) with reporting the progress of the preparation process for the North-South express railway project with an estimated investment of VND1,350 trillion (US$58.7 billion) to the Politburo, the country’s supreme decision-making body. The express railway project in Vietnam is estimated to cost US$58.7 billion. The MoT in its pre-feasibility study report for the project proposed the upgrade of the existing railway tracks for freight and the construction of a new North-South railway route for passenger transportation from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. The railway is expected to allow speed of 350 kilometers per hour. With an investment of VND567.2 trillion (US$24.47 billion), the first phase of the project, scheduled to be implemented in 2020 – 2032, would be to upgrade the railway transportation infrastructure along the routes Hanoi – Vinh and Nha Trang – Ho Chi Minh City. The second phase from 2032 – 2050 would focus on the construction of the remaining sections, costing an estimated VND783.1 trillion (US$33.79 billion). Once completed, the high-speed railway would help reduce travel time from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City to around five hours and 20 minutes. At present, the MoT’s pre-feasibility study report is under the review process of the State Appraisal Council for Investment Projects. In 2018, the ministry revived the North-South express railway project after it was rejected by the National Assembly in 2010 due to its huge estimated investment, at that time estimated at US$56 billion, more than half of Vietnam’s GDP then. …

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