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Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Saturday that he understood a BrahMos missile deal with Vietnam had already been signed, though it was probably yet to be publicly announced, while a similar pact involving Indonesia was in the final stages. "My understanding is that with both Indonesia and with Vietnam, the deal is in the final stages that in fact, for Vietnam, I understand that it has already been signed, probably not publicly announced, but it's already been signed," Singh said in Singapore, while answering a question on potential buyers of the missile system at the Shangri-La Dialogue. The Philippines, which signed a contract worth nearly USD 375 million in 2022, was the first foreign buyer of the BrahMos missile system from India. Indonesia said in March that it had entered into an agreement with India to procure the BrahMos missile system. And, earlier this month, there were news reports that suggested Vietnam was close to signing a BrahMos missile deal with India.
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,