Party Secretary General highlights the significance of the election of new members
to the 15th National Assembly (NA) and the all-level People's Councils.
Most notably, an electoral unit of the public security force in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh became the first location to complete voting, recording a 100% turnout by 6:50 a.m.
Reports from 63 provinces and cities nationwide indicate that the election of deputies to the 15th NA and the People's Councils at all-levels are taking place as planned and are running smoothly, with the process’s organisation being in accordance with the law.
In terms of places where medical isolation is underway, Nguyen Khac Dinh said the NEC has sent written documents detailing instructions for localities to allow the election situation to run smoothly, even in the nation's largest novel coronavirus (COVID-19) hotspots like Bac Giang and Bac Ninh.
Furthermore, talking to the media after casting his vote on the morning of May 23 in Hanoi, Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong highlighted the significance of the election of new members to the 15th legislature and the People's Councils at all levels following the success of the 13th National Party Congress.
He added that these elections are taking place more than 75 years after the country originally gained independence and 35 years since the launch of the Doi moi (Renewal) process. It is also occurring at a time when the country has successfully fulfilled its socio-economic development plans for the 2016 to 2021 and pledged to implement a further socio-economic development plan for the next five years.
With roughly 70 million voters selecting 500 deputies to the 15th NA, nearly 4,000 to provincial-level People’s Councils, over 20,000 to district-level People’s Councils, and more than 240,000 to communal-level People’s Councils, this marks the largest-ever elections, General Secretary Trong affirmed.
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, voters have played a highly active and responsible role in terms of preparing for the elections over recent months, the Party chief emphasized. Indeed, he went on to express his confidence that the most deserving people will be selected for the NA and all-level People’s Councils for the 2021 to 2026 tenure.
The leader added his wish that deputies of the NA and People’s Councils in the new tenure will wholeheartedly work for the sake of the nation and its citizens, thereby fulfilling their responsibilities and duties in line with the Constitution and laws, whilst being faithful to the Fatherland, the people, and the Constitution.
Many other Party, State, and Government officials, both incumbent and former, headed to the polls on the morning of May 23 in Hanoi.
A range of stringent preventive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic had been put in place polling stations throughout the country to ensure elections took place in a safe manner.
Voting commenced at 7 a.m. on May 23 across around 80,000 polling stations nationwide, with the process scheduled to conclude at 7 p.m. on the same day.
Vietnam- Australia trade revenue hits over 3.6 billion USD
Vietnamese durians exported to New South Wales, Australia (Photo: VNA)
Two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and Australia topped 3.63 billion USD in the first four months of this year, a year-on-year rise of 33.85 percent, according to Vietnamese Consul General to Australia Nguyen Dang Thang, reported Vietnam News Agency.
Speaking at a business cooperation conference held by the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs Association in Sydney (VEAS) on May 21, Thang said that exports of both nations to each other’s market increased in the period.
He described this as significant in the context that the COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented disruption to the global economy and several nations, including those in Southeast Asia.
However, Thang said the trade value did not reflect the economic potential between the two nations, adding Vietnamese and Australian enterprises should not only trade traditional products like seafood, farm produce, minerals, garment and textiles, footwear and building materials, but also capitalise on the products that both sides have gained competitive edge in the global market.
He also called on the Australian businesses to invest more in the Vietnamese market, particularly in the fields they hold considerable experience and advantages such as processing, manufacturing, high-tech agriculture, and logistics.
Meanwhile, Chairwoman of the Export Council of Australia Dianne Tipping affirmed Vietnam and Australia have enjoyed the fastest trade growth in recent years, and the Southeast Asian country has become a more important trade partner of Australia.
Besides goods, they have seen an impressive growth in their trade in services, including fintech, health care and education, she said.
Boasting fast economic growth, expansion of middle-class population, young and dynamic workforce, stable socio-political environment, and better business climate, Vietnam is truly an ideal destination for Australia firms, she said, adding the Vietnam – Australia ties have been deepened across the fields of economy, security, defence, culture, education and people diplomacy.
Tipping affirmed that the two countries have many opportunities to branch out their economic-trade relations in the post-pandemic era.
The Export Council of Australia encourages Australian businesses to expand their business in Vietnam, particularly in the fields that have good growth in the future such as information technology, digital transformation, finance-banking, environmental services, health care, and beauty.
Tipping said her council has advised the Australian government to back trade promotion with Vietnam, especially giving supports to small- and medium-sized companies who are interested in investing in the Vietnamese market, as well as consider establishing a travel corridor between the two countries./.
Expert: Vietnam’s FTAs driving up exports-imports
Harvesting rice in Hau Giang province (Photo: VNA)
Vietnam’s exports and imports rose over 24 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, driven by the country’s free trade agreements (FTAs), an expert has said, reported Vietnam News Agency.
Exports surged 22 percent and imports 26.3 percent, with the country posting a trade surplus estimated at more than 2 billion USD.
The figures reveal the strong recovery seen in production and trade in the country despite COVID-19 here and around the world.
Associate Professor Pham Tat Thang, a former official at the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Vietnam Institute of Industrial and Trade Policy and Strategy, said that after the EU-Vietnam FTA (EVFTA) took effect in August 2020, shipments to the bloc have headed upwards and rose 18 percent in January-March this year.
Similarly, exports to members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) also grew substantially during the period, including to Canada, up 13.7 percent, Australia 17 percent, Chile 25.6 percent, Mexico 12.7 percent, and New Zealand 35.1 percent.
Thang commented that these agreements will continue to act as an important “leverage” for Vietnam’s exports into the future.
Though instances of protectionism have emerged around the world in recent years, Vietnam still insists on opening up its economy, with 16 FTAs having been signed, he said.
With the signing of the EVFTA and the CPTPP, large volumes of Vietnamese rice, shrimp, aquatic products, and vegetables have been sent to member markets, Thang added./.