Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on April 18

The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.
Chu Thị Thúy Dung
☕ Afternoon briefing on April 18 ảnh 1
Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief reviewof the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency. 

- The official visit to Cuba from April 18-23 by NationalAssembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue will surely have important contributionsto strengthening, consolidating, expanding and deepening the bilateralrelations in all fields, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Thanh Tung.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agencyon the threshold of the visit, Tung said that the visit takes place at aspecial time for Cuba as it successfully organised the election of legislatorsto its National Assembly of People's Power on March 26, and on the occasion ofthe 60th founding anniversary of the Cuban Committee for Solidarity with SouthVietnam and the 50th anniversary of the first visit to Vietnam by the leader ofthe Cuban Revolution, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz. Read full story

- The upcoming official visit to Cuba by Vietnamese NationalAssembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue will contribute to creating opportunitiesfor the two countries to learn from the experience of each other in variousfields, promote exchange between their legislative bodies, and reach agreementsrelated to political, diplomatic and economic ties, a Cuban expert has said.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam NewsAgency, Dr. Ruvislei González Saez, Vice President of the Cuba-VietnamFriendship Association, affirmed that the visit will go beyond traditionalprotocol and receive attention from high-ranking leaders in the Caribbeannation. Read full story

- President Vo Van Thuong on April 18 received theAmbassadors of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sri Lanka and Chile to Vietnamwho came to present their credentials.

Welcoming UAE Ambassador Bader Almatrooshi, Thuongextended his best wishes to the diplomat during the holy month of Ramadan - themonth of fasting for Muslims. He expressed his hope that the diplomat will actas a bridge boosting the two countries’ relations. Read full story
☕ Afternoon briefing on April 18 ảnh 2For the IUU fishing combat, the dispatch calls for more drastic actions and thorough preparations for the fourth inspection by the European Commission (EC), slated to take place from May 25-31. (Photo: VNA)
- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has signed a dispatch onremoving obstacles to and promoting agricultural production and consumption;implementing the three national target programmes; and fighting illegal,unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The document pointed to challenges to the nationalgrowth and the domestic agricultural sector, with high material prices andnarrowed market, saying no remarkable improvements have been seen in the IUUcombat, and the implementation of the national target programmes, which coversocio-economic development in ethnic-inhabited and mountainous areas,sustainable poverty reduction, and new-style rural area building, remainsstagnant. Read full story

- President Vo Van Thuong handed over a decision appointingDeputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Hieu as Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan and the Republic of Marshall Islands, during a ceremony heldon April 18.

Hieu, who is also Chairman of the State Committeefor Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, expressed his honour to receive the appointmentin the year when the two countries are celebrating the 50th foundinganniversary of the diplomatic ties, and the 10 years of the extensive strategicpartnership. Read full story

- The Government has agreed with the Ministry of Finance(MoF)’s proposal on a plan to reduce taxes, fees and charges for 2023, whichsuggested a 2% reduction in the value added tax (VAT) on goods and servicessubject to a 10% VAT.

According to a document sent from the GovernmentOffice to the MoF, Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai agreed on principle thatthe MoF reports to the Government for submission to the National Assembly (NA) andNA Standing Committee for consideration and permission of the building andissuance of a NA resolution on VAT reduction with simplified order andprocedures.Read full story

- The number of COVID-19 cases has increased rapidly since thebeginning of April, said Prof Phan Trong Lan, director of the Department ofPreventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health (MoH), at a conference on thepandemic prevention and combat held on April 17 in Hanoi.

In the first week of April, Vietnam recorded 278 cases, but thesecond week saw 2,000 new ones. On April 17 alone, the country documented asmany as 1,031 new cases, a record in the past nearly six months. Read full story
☕ Afternoon briefing on April 18 ảnh 3A wind farm (Photo: congthuong.vn)
- Vietnam has set a target of increasing its green economy'scontribution to GDP from 6.7 billion USD in 2020 to 300 billion USD by 2050,which requires drastic and breakthrough steps, Minister of Planning andInvestment Nguyen Chi Dung has said.

Speaking at a conference “Promoting green growth in Vietnam:Roadmap to Success” held in Hanoi on April 18, green growth is increasinglybecoming the top priority of economies in the world’s complex, unpredictablefluctuations and intertwined challenges. Read full story

- Vietnam is sending a 1,003-strong sport delegation to the 32ndSoutheast Asian Games (SEA Games 32), about 700 of them athletes, together withcoaches, doctors and experts.

Under a decision of Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourismissued on April 17, the delegation - the biggest ever to an overseas tournament- will be headed by Dang Ha Viet, General Director of the Vietnam SportsAdministration./. Read full story
Chu Thị Thúy Dung
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