Jakarta (VNA) – Vietnam handed over Chairmanship of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR) to Brunei during its 18th virtual meeting onDecember 8.
Speaking at theevent, Ambassador Tran Duc Binh, head of the Vietnam’s Permanent Mission toASEAN, thanked permanent missions to ASEAN, ASEAN Secretary General Lim JockHoi and the ASEAN Secretariat for actively helping Vietnam effectively fulfill the CPR’stasks this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
He believed thatBrunei, in its capacity as CPR Chair for 2021, will continue helping the CPRrealise ASEAN priorities for 2021, maintain regional cooperation andconnectivity, strengthen intra-bloc connectivity and multilateral cooperation,enhance cooperation with partners, thus upholding the bloc’s central role and itsstature in the region and the world while improving institutional capacity of theASEAN Secretariat.
He affirmed that theVietnamese mission will work closely with its Brunei counterpart to successfullyconduct priority programmes during ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2021.
ASEAN SecretaryGeneral Lim Jock Hoi hailed the CPR’s role in negotiating and completing importantdocuments between ASEAN and external partners such as the Action Plan andDeclaration of the Special ASEAN Summit on the Coronavirus Disease 2019,reviewing the Master Plan implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and theimplementation of the ASEAN Charter.
Lim wished that the CPR wouldcontinue effectively carrying out the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the fourthstage of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration, promoting inter-pillarcooperation within the bloc and carrying out comprehensive recovery measuresfollowing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the chair of Vietnam this year, the CPR negotiated and completed a number of documents, including 11joint statements within the framework of ASEAN bilateral cooperation withexternal partners, cooperation between ASEAN and Japan, the Republic of Koreaand China, and the East Asia Summit, and 11 action plans of ASEAN and between the grouping and its partners./.
Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah on March 28 concluded his three-day state-level visit to Vietnam, which was made at the invitation of Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh received Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof in Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province, on January 17 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ retreat.
The security forces of Vietnam and Brunei have agreed to bolster comprehensive collaboration, particularly in the fight against traditional and non-traditional crimes.
Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh and Minister of Finance and Economy of Brunei Dato Amin Abdullah on June 10 affirmed that the countries will continue close cooperation and exert efforts to open trade routes via international commercial flights and sea routes right after the pandemic is placed under control.
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 meeting (Photo: VNA) 
