Page 12 - Vietnam

Biden to follow CDC guidelines during his India visit for G20 Summit: US

US President Joe Biden will follow the COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit to India for the G20 Summit and his trip to Vietnam, the White House has said. The announcement on Tuesday came after First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. President Biden, 80, was tested for the virus on Monday and Tuesday following his wife's positive test, but his results were negative. The White House said the president has tested negative twice and there is no change in his travel plans for India and Vietnam later this week. Responding to questions from reporters, it said the president, however, is taking all the necessary precautions and following standard procedures as per the CDC guidelines. What I can tell you is that the president certainly is going to test on a regular cadence determined by his physician. Of course, all travellers, including the president, will test before travelling to India," White House Press

Leaders besieged by thorny issues as they hold ASEAN summit without Biden

Southeast Asian leaders led by Indonesian host President Joko Widodo are gathering in their final summit this year, besieged by divisive issues with no solutions in sight: Myanmar's deadly civil strife, new flare-ups in the disputed South China Sea, and the longstanding United States-China rivalry. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings will open Tuesday in the Indonesian capital Jakarta under tight security. The absence of U.S. President Joe Biden, who typically attends, adds to the already somber backdrop of the 10-state bloc's traditional show of unity and group handshakes. After discussions Tuesday, the ASEAN heads of state would meet Asian and Western counterparts from Wednesday to Thursday, providing a wider venue that the U.S. and China, and their allies, have used for wide-ranging talks on free trade, climate change and global security. It has also become a battleground for their rivalries. Chinese Premier Li Qiang was set to join the meetings, including the ...

Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan join India to reject China's new map

Governments in the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan on Thursday joined India in rejecting China's new national map, issuing strongly worded statements accusing Beijing of claiming their territory. China published a new version of its national map on Monday to correct what Beijing has in the past referred to as problematic maps that it claims misrepresent its territorial borders. India on Tuesday lodged a strong protest with China over its so-called "standard map" laying claim over Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin, and asserted that such steps only complicate the resolution of the boundary question. The External Affairs Ministry also rejected China's claims as having "no basis". "Just making absurd claims does not make other people's territories yours," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said while reacting to the Chinese move. The Philippine government on Thursday slammed China's 2023 edition of its so-called standard map that still shows swaths of Philippine feat

US, Indonesia and 5 other nations hold war drills amid China concerns

Soldiers from the US, Indonesia and five other nations began annual training exercises Thursday on Indonesia's main island of Java while China's increasing aggression is raising concern. American and Indonesian soldiers have held the live-fire drill since 2009, and Australia, Japan and Singapore joined last year. The United Kingdom and French forces are participating in this year's Super Garuda Shield exercises, with a total of about 5,000 personnel. China sees the expanded drills as a threat, accusing the US of building an Indo-Pacific alliance similar to NATO to limit China's growing military and diplomatic influence in the region. Brunei, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Korea, and East Timor also sent observers to the two-week exercises in Baluran, a coastal town in East Java province. Commanding general of US Army Pacific, Gen. Charles Flynn, said the 19 nations involved in the training are a powerful ...

India's restrictive trade policy is working great, but for Vietnam

One way to think about this is that India is first damaging its competitiveness, and then compensating firms to set up factories in the country

Vietnam firm 'VinFast Auto' jumps 270%, beats GM, Ford in valuation

VinFast CEO Thuy said on Tuesday the EV maker would be shifting to a new "hybrid model" for sales, bringing in distributors and dealers for overseas markets

China appears to be constructing airstrip on disputed S China Sea island

China appears to be constructing an airstrip on a disputed South China Sea island that is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, according to satellite photos analysed by The Associated Press. The work on Triton island in the Paracel group mirrors construction on seven human-made islands in the Spratly group to the east which have been equipped with airstrips, docks and military systems, although it currently appears to be somewhat more modest in scale. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea as its own, denying the claims of others and defying an international ruling invalidating its assertion. Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analysed by the AP show construction on the airstrip first visible in early August. The runway, as currently laid out, would be more than 600 metres (2,000 feet) in length, long enough to accommodate turboprop aircraft and drones, but not fighter jets or bombers. Also visible are large numbers of vehicle tracks running across much of the island,

Indian diamond industry set to focus on domestic markets, ASEAN countries

The diamond industry is set to focus on domestic markets and emerging markets in ASEAN countries in an attempt to neutralise the impact of reduced demand from the US and the European Union (EU)

ONGC Videsh seeks 3-yr extension for Vietnamese oil block in S China Sea

India's flagship overseas firm ONGC Videsh Ltd has sought another three-year extension to explore for oil and gas in a Vietnamese block in the contested waters of the South China Sea, officials said. If granted, this will be the eighth extension for OVL, the overseas arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). Officials said the seventh extension to explore for oil and gas was till June 15, 2023 and the company is in talks with Vietnamese authorities for another three-year extension. OVL, they said, has submitted a proposal for a three-year extension of the exploration phase-1 to the regulator PVN and the approval is awaited. The company has so far not found any commercially recoverable oil and gas reserves in the block in the 17 years it has been exploring there but has continued presence there because of India's strategic interest in the South China Sea. Vietnam too wants the Indian firm to counter China's interventions in the contested waters. OVL had signed a .

Govt might lift the ban on white rice export soon as production increases

In September last year, India imposed a ban on broken rice exports and put a 20 per cent export tariff on non-basmati and non-parboiled rice, aimed at improving domestic supplies

McLeod Russel inks deal with Carbon Resources for sale of gardens

McLeod's crop in India is about 45 million kg (mkg) across 31 estates in Assam and two in Dooars

DPIIT hosts Vietnamese delegation to promote bilateral cooperation in Infra

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has hosted a delegation from Vietnam to promote bilateral cooperation in the infrastructure and logistics sector, an official statement said on Wednesday. The five-day visit of the delegation from July 31 to August 4 is a follow-up to an Indian delegation's visit in March. Around 80 participants, including Vietnamese delegates from various logistics and supply chain companies and associations, had fruitful discussions on both days, the DPIIT said. A direct shipping route between India and Vietnam is a potential area of interest for both sides, it said, adding, investment opportunities in industrial parks and greenfield industrial smart cities such as Dholera Special Investment Region can be explored by Vietnamese businesses. "Investment opportunities in modernisation and monetisation of infrastructure at 85 locations in Tier-I and Tier-II cities under public-private partnership mode, could be explored by the ...

No immediate plan to curb rice exports, says Vietnam food assoc official

Vietnam's 5% broken rice prices rose to $550-$575 per metric ton on Monday, traders said, their highest since 2011, from a range of $515-$525 before India's move

Israel-Vietnamese Free Trade Deal opens Southeast Asia opportunities

By lowering customs taxes on Israeli products, Israel can better compete against similar products from other countries which Vietnam already has free trade with

Missing the real achievements: Why India needs introspection, not bluster

Neither is India the fastest-growing large economy any longer, nor the prime beneficiary of 'China Plus One', but it is surely a key emerging player with a market larger than others, notes T N Ninan

Yellen visits Vietnam to build US ties to offset tensions with China

The US considers building strong economic and security ties with Vietnam a priority, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday as she met with Vietnamese officials in a visit aimed at fortifying America's relations across Asia. Yellen arrived in Vietnam after visits to Beijing and to India, where she attended financial meetings of the Group of 20 major industrial economies. The United States considers Vietnam a key partner in advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific, Yellen told Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, according to remarks provided by the US Treasury Department. A free and open Indo-Pacific refers to the latest iteration of broad US diplomacy aimed at cultivating stronger ties with other countries in the region to in effect counter China's growing sway among its neighbours. Vietnam is also a close economic partner, with our two-way trade reaching record highs last year and the United States serving as Vietnam's largest export market, she said. It is a prior

Tata Coffee Limited (TCL) June quarter revenue grows 6% to Rs 708 crore

The operations in Vietnam by Tata Coffee continue to deliver strong sales with improved profitability

China, Vietnam's share in India's steel import basket rises during Jun 2023

The share of countries like China and Vietnam in India's 4.84 LMT steel import basket during June 2023 has increased on a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis, according to official data. At 4.84 lakh metric tonne (LMT), India's overall steel import registered a 5.9 per cent increase on a month-on-month (m-o-m) basis and 7.6 per cent over June 2022, the Ministry of Steel said. "Share of China, Japan, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Nepal and the USA increased in total steel imports of India in June '23 as compared to June 22...," it said. In June 2022, the import from China was 26.1 per cent and Vietnam was 1 per cent. However, in June 2023, the import from China contributed 37.1 per cent and Vietnam's share was 4.8 per cent in India's steel import basket. The development assumes significance as India has set an ambitious target to increase its steel making capacity to 300 million tonnes and Indian players eyeing for a significant share in the global steel markets. While India's export of .

Beyond Barbie: Hollywood's blurred boundaries & confused ethnic identities

Misrepresentation of borders and whitewashing of characters continues, with 87% American directors being white

India has highest input tariffs for electronic among competing nation: ICEA

India has the highest tariffs on inputs in electronic segment among competing economies, according to industry body ICEA's study that analysed input tariffs in electronics sector across five nations. The high tariffs impact competitiveness, ICEA said on Thursday adding that the industry is seeking reduction of tariffs, and glide path to match Vietnam and other competing nations. The study revealed that high tariff induced costs accentuates India's cost disability vis--vis the four competing economies. India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) said the study is critical to evaluate India's competitiveness to reach the USD 300 billion electronics production goal by 2025-26, including USD 120 billion of exports. A line-by-line comparison of India's non-zero tariffs shows that India's tariffs are higher for up to 98 per cent lines compared to Vietnam (for FTA tariffs) and 90 per cent of the lines compared to Thailand. The competing economies have nearly double or more, zero ta