Vietnam attends Preparatory RCEP Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the Preparatory Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand on November 1.
Vietnam attends Preparatory RCEP Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok ảnh 1Illustrative image (Photo: ASEAN)
Bangkok (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Industry andTrade Tran Quoc Khanh led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the Preparatory RegionalComprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok,Thailand on November 1.

The meeting was within the framework of the ongoing 35th ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Thailand, the Chair of ASEAN in 2019.

The Vietnamese delegation active participated in discussionson measures to conclude negotiations on RCEP and market opening towards thegoal of signing of the deal in Vietnam next year.

At the meeting, ministers sought ways to remove remainingobstacles regarding the wording and market opening in RCEP. They  lauded negotiators’ efforts this year and agreedon a report on the negotiation progress to submit to leaders.

Speaking after the ASEAN Economic Committee (AEC) CouncilMeeting on October 31, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of CommerceJurin Laksanawisit said ASEAN and six trade partners are still optimistic aboutmaking breakthrough in RCEP negotiations.

RCEP talks began in November 2012 with a view to promotingeconomic cooperation between ASEAN and six countries that signed free trade agreementswith the bloc, which are China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Indiaand New Zealand.

Thailand hopes to conclude the talks this year when thecountry serves as ASEAN Chair.

RCEP will cover 16 nations which account for 30 percent of theworld’s total gross domestic product.

RCEP member countries have a combined population of 3.56billion people and a trade value of over 1 trillion USD, or 29 percent of theworld’s total./.
VNA

See more

At Pulau Seraya power station (Photo: Straitimes)

Singapore begins construction on hydrogen-fueled power plant

Singapore on October 23 began the construction of an 800 million USD power plant that has the capability to use hydrogen to generate electricity, as part of a push to utilise the fuel to reach Singapore’s net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050.

Delegates at the event (Photo: VNA)

125th anniversary of Permanent Court of Arbitration celebrated

The Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations and missions of the Philippines, Australia, Egypt, Guatemala, Hungary, Thailand, France, Eritrea and Austria, organised a ceremony on October 22 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), as part of the International Law Week at the UN General Assembly's Legal Committee (Sixth Committee).

CEO of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation Anuar Fariz Fadzil (Photo: focusmalaysia.my)

Malaysia continues placing emphasis on digitalisation

The Budget 2025 provides significant support to further accelerate Malaysia’s digitalisation, encourage adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and drive inclusive growth, further positioning Malaysia as a leading digital hub within the ASEAN region, according to CEO of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Anuar Fariz Fadzil.

Malaysia's economic reforms boost investment inflow (Photo: thestar.com.my)

Malaysia's economic reforms boost investment inflow

Malaysia has attracted substantial foreign investments, reaching 22.2 billion MYR (5.16 billion USD) in the third quarter of 2024, the highest level for the same period since 2012, according to UOB's Global Markets and Economics report.

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN speaks at the debate (Photo: VNA)

Maintaining peace, stability a must for progress on human rights: Ambassador

Progress in human rights can only be achieved by maintaining peace and stability, respecting the rule of law at both the international and national levels, and ensuring respect for the principles of national sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs, said Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN.

A visitor browses travel promotions at a travel fair in Nonthaburi province. (Photo: Bangkok Post)

Thailand plans enhanced support for domestic tourism

Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports is aiming to increase subsidy to local tourists in the upcoming stimulus scheme to 50% and would like to change the criteria for online travel agents, mandating them to register in Thailand to avoid losing income to foreign companies.

Oil field offshore Indonesia. (Photo: thejakartapost.com)

Indonesia begins major oil, gas exploration in Sulawesi

Indonesia's state-owned oil company Pertamina, along with foreign partners Sinopec from China and Kuwait’s Kufpec, has signed a contract to explore the Melati oil and gas block, located off the coast of Sulawesi. The block is estimated to contain trillions of cubic feet of gas reserves.