Experts want to reduce number of export inspections Experts have suggested changing the number of and the time spent for inspections of export activities, including customs clearance, to help reduce costs for enterprises. Speaking at a seminar held in Ho Chi Minh on December 20, Tran Ngoc Liem, deputy director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) HCM City, said that overlapping inspection procedures were causing problems for enterprises. The General Department of Vietnam Customs said that procedures accounted for up to 50 percent of customs clearance time. Many shipments have been inspected, but still have not been cleared, it said. Even after three months, State agencies are still conducting inspection checks. Phan Duc Hieu, deputy head of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), said the proportion of imports and exports subject to specialised inspections at customs clearance was up to 30-35 percent and would be reduced to 15 percent under a … [Read more...] about BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 22/12
South korean and north korean
In complete reversal, Trump revives summit with North Korean leader
In complete reversal, Trump revives summit with North Korean leader North Korean envoy Kim Yong Chol talks with U.S. President Donald Trump as they walk out of the Oval Office after a meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., June 1, 2018 – PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - President Donald Trump, in a complete reversal, said on Friday he will hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore in the latest twist in the high-stakes diplomacy over eliminating Pyonyang’s nuclear arms program. Eight days after cancelling the unprecedented summit, citing Pyongyang’s “open hostility,” Trump welcomed North Korea’s former intelligence chief - currently under punitive U.S. sanctions - to the White House Oval Office, afterward exchanging smiles and handshakes, patting his arm in a friendly gesture. “Good meeting today. I think it’s a great start,” Trump said after conferring for about 90 minutes … [Read more...] about In complete reversal, Trump revives summit with North Korean leader
No Samsung phones, Nike uniforms for N.Koreans? Sanctions cloud Olympic perks
All of the almost 3,000 athletes competing at the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics are set to get perks including the latest $930 Samsung smartphones, top of the range new equipment to take home and sleek Nike uniforms. All except perhaps the 22 athletes from North Korea. Tough international sanctions including travel restrictions and a ban on the sale of luxury goods and sports gear have complicated South Korean Olympic organisers' efforts to provide their northern neighbors with the same benefits available to other Olympians. For months, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has sought North Korea's participation in the hopes it will ease tensions between the still officially warring nations and prevent the kind of violent incidents which have plagued previous major events hosted by the South. Officials have rolled out the red carpet and are keen to make sure the visits go off without a hitch. North Korean female ice hockey players and their South Korean teammates, who will compete … [Read more...] about No Samsung phones, Nike uniforms for N.Koreans? Sanctions cloud Olympic perks
UN Security Council readies North Korea missile test reply
North Korea has now made three bids in two weeks to test-fly a Musudan missile, which is capable of striking US bases on the Pacific island of Guam At the request of the United States, the council held urgent closed-door consultations after North Korea's unsuccessful launch earlier in the day of two medium-range missiles, as fears grew that the secretive country was preparing to conduct a fifth nuclear test. North Korea has now made three bids in two weeks to test-fly a Musudan missile, which is capable of striking US bases on the Pacific island of Guam. "We are looking at a response," China's Ambassador Liu Jieyi, who holds the Security Council presidency this month, told reporters. Japanese Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa said Tokyo condemned the "grave and very clear violations" of UN resolutions that comprised a direct threat to Japan's national security. The 15-member council was unanimous in condemning the latest launches, Yoshikawa said. Current UN resolutions bar North … [Read more...] about UN Security Council readies North Korea missile test reply
N. Korean workers ‘no-show’ at joint industrial zone
North Korean workers failed to report at the joint Kaesong industrial zone with South Korea after Pyongyang suspended operations, upping the pressure on Seoul in an escalating military crisis. "As of now, no North Korean workers have reported to work this morning," said a spokeswoman for the South's Unification Ministry. North Korea announced it was taking the unprecedented step of temporarily shutting Kaesong down on Monday, following a tour of the zone by senior ruling party official Kim Yang-Gon. Some 53,000 North Koreans work for the 123 South Korean companies set up in Kaesong, which was established in 2004 and lies 10 kilometres (six miles) inside North Korea. After pulling out the workforce and temporarily suspending operations, Pyongyang will "examine the issue of whether it will allow its existence or close it," Kim said. A rare symbol of cross-border economic cooperation, Kaesong is a crucial hard currency source for the impoverished North, through taxes and … [Read more...] about N. Korean workers ‘no-show’ at joint industrial zone