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India and Vietnam on Wednesday elevated their relations to enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership and vowed to significantly expand economic and defence ties following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnamese President To Lam. Modi said the two countries have a common outlook for the Indo-Pacific and both sides will continue to contribute to the rule-of-law, peace, stability, and prosperity. It is understood that China's growing military muscle-flexing figured in the delegation-level talks between the two sides. Lam, accompanied by a high-level delegation, kick started his three-day trip to India on Tuesday. It is his first state visit to the country since his election as the president this month. India and Vietnam decided to elevate ties to the level of enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership, PM Modi said in his media statement. "Vietnam is a key pillar of India's Act East Policy and Vision Ocean. In the Indo-Pacific region as well, we share a commo
India is among six countries, including China and Russia, on the priority watch list in a special report released by the US Trade Representative on Thursday that deals with adequacy and effectiveness of trading partners' protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights. The US Special 301 report 2026 lists Vietnam as the Priority Foreign Country (PFC), marking the first time in 13 years that any country is listed in that particular category. "The PFC identification is reserved by statute for countries with the most egregious IP-related acts, policies, and practices with the greatest adverse impact on relevant US products," the USTR said. It said that Vietnam is not entering into good faith negotiations or making significant progress in negotiations to provide adequate and effective IP rights protection. The six countries on the priority watch list include Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia and Venezuela. Placement of a trading partner on the Priority Watch List
Voters in Vietnam cast their ballots to select a new National Assembly on Sunday, two months after the ruling Communist Party reelected leader To Lam to the country's top political post. Nearly 79 million voters across the country are eligible to pick 500 representatives from 864 candidates to the rubber-stamp National Assembly. All candidates are vetted and pre-approved by the Communist Party, ensuring the assembly remains aligned with the party's political direction. The Communist Party tightly controls political activity, arguing that centralised leadership allows the country to pursue longterm development goals without disruptions. The new National Assembly is expected to implement the policy agenda shaped at the congress, prioritizing sustained economic growth and political stability. The election follows the Communist Party's national congress in January, a political event held every five years that sets the country's leadership lineup and policy priorities. At the congress,
A year after Vietnam elevated its relations with Washington to the highest diplomatic level, an internal document shows its military was taking steps to prepare for a possible American "war of aggression" and considered the United States a "belligerent" power, according to a report released on Tuesday. More than just exposing Hanoi's duality in approach toward the US, the document confirms a deep-seated fear of external forces fomenting an uprising against the Communist leadership in a so-called "colour revolution," like the 2004 Orange Revolution in Ukraine, or the 1986 Yellow Revolution in the Philippines. Other internal documents that The 88 Project, a human rights organisation focused on human rights abuses in Vietnam, cited in its analysis point to similar concerns over US motives in Vietnam. "There's a consensus here across the government and across different ministries," said Ben Swanton, co-director of The 88 Project and the report's author. "This isn't just some kind of ...