Vietnam attends conference on Initiative for ASEAN Integration
Vietnam joined nine other ASEAN member states at a regional conference held on May 21 to carry out the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) work plan IV during 2021-2025, which was adopted at the 37th ASEAN Summit last year.
Jakarta (VNA) - Vietnam joined nine other ASEAN member states at a regional conference held on May 21 to carry out the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) work plan IV during 2021-2025, which was adopted at the 37th ASEAN Summit last year.
Addressing the conference, Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang, head of the Vietnamese permanent mission to ASEAN and Chairman of the IAI task force in 2021, emphasised the role of the initiative in narrowing development gaps among ASEAN member states and promoting efforts to build the ASEAN Community, especially in the context of COVID-19.
The work plan IV makes significant contributions to the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF) while supporting the bloc, and particularly CLMV nations - Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam - during their socio-economic transition process, to enhance capacity to recover from the pandemic, he said.
Participants discussed ten proposals for model projects in the five strategic fields of the IAI work plan, and suggested ways to carry out IAI projects in a more effective fashion given that the pandemic has become more complex in the region.
The IAI was launched in 2000 with a view to narrowing the development divide a🐼nd helping CLMV countries, which were new members, fully integrate into the regional economy.꧒/.
The 21st ASEAN-India Joint Cooperation Committee Meeting was held via video conference on March 31, to review the implementation of activities and cooperation programmes within the framework of the ASEAN-India strategic partnership.
The 11th meeting of the ASEAN-Australia Joint Cooperation Committee was held in the form of a videoconference on April 8, to review the bilateral cooperation in the previous year and discuss orientations in the coming time.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s attendance in the upcoming ASEAN Leaders' Meeting in Indonesia aims to affirm that Vietnam gives priority to strengthening solidarity and mutual support with ASEAN member states, thus boosting the bloc’s centrality and position in tackling emerging challenges and building a peaceful environment conducive to sustainable development in each member country and the whole region.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
At the conference (Photo: VNA) 
