Press digest – September 23

VN commits to sustainable development goals

State President Truong Tan Sang will attend the United Nations Summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda in New York, the U.S. from September 24-28 at the invitation of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The UN Summit on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the largest of this kind after the Millennium Summit in 2000 with the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Over 170 Heads of State and PMs have already registered to participate in the upcoming UN Summit.  

The Sustainability Summit will take place on the occasion of the 70th founding anniversary of the UN.

Quang Tri aims to become middle-income province

The central province of Quang Tri aims to rise to the middle-income status in the country by 2020, as heard at the province’s 16th Party congress which opened on September 23.

 Addressing 333 delegates at the congress, Politburo member and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said Quang Tri should make full use of its position in the East-West Economic Corridor to boost its economic growth and fulfil the target. 

Praising the province’s commendable achievements over the past five years, the PM suggested Quang Tri focus its investment on building infrastructure for the South-East Economic Zone as well as key projects to better exploit the East-West Economic Corridor and border economic zones in the Viet Nam-Laos shared border.

VN treasures special solidarity with Laos

Viet Nam always attaches importance and gives high priorities to consolidating and enhancing the special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation with Laos, official affirmed.

Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh made the statement while meeting with outgoing Lao Ambassador to Viet Nam Somphone Sichaleune in Ha Noi on September 23.

The Vietnamese top diplomat praised positive contributions of Ambassador Somphone Sichaleune to the advancement of the relations between the two countries as well cooperation between the two foreign ministries.

Deputy PM meets with UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc received visiting Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Neville Rolfe in Ha Noi on September 23. 

He voiced delight at the vigorous growth of the nations’ strategic partnership, which provides a favourable foundation for them to expand connections across the broad. 

He emphasised that the UK is one of critical economic partner of Viet Nam, and his country pledges the best possible conditions for British companies and investors’ effective and long-term operations here. 

VN opposes China’s overall plan on Spratly and Paracel Islands

Viet Nam has repeatedly claimed its indisputable sovereignty over Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands, said Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Le Hai Binh.

The Spokesman made the point on September 23 in response to reporters’ inquiry about the publication of a plan for main functional areas of China’s oceans by the Chinese State Council.  

Lao Cai development scheme passed

Lao Cai would become a developed province in the northwest by 2020 and in the country by 2030.

The PM has recently given the green light to the master scheme on Lao Cai's socio-economic development by 2020 with a vision towards 2030.

Accordingly, the locality targets to raise annual GDP per capita to around VND 75 million (US$3,600) by 2020 and reduce its poverty rate by 3-5% per year.

Only 5.97% households live under poverty line

In 2014, over 1.4 million households in Viet Nam were hit by poverty, accounting for 5.97% of the total, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA).

In its updated report on poor and nearly-poor households in 2014, the MoLISA announced that the poverty rate dropped by 1.83% against 2013. The number of nearly-poor households was only 1.3 million, representing 5.62% and year-on-year decline of 0.7%.HCMC: CPI down 0.47% in September

Ho Chi Minh City’s consumption price index (CPI) in September fell by 0.47% from August and 0.99% against the same period last year, the municipal Statistics Office announced.

ADB upgrades VN’s economic forecast

Viet Nam’s economic growth is expected to touch 6.5% in 2015 and 6.6% in 2016, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

In its latest Asian Development Outlook Update 2015, the lender raised its economic growth forecast for Viet Nam from the original outlooks made earlier this year.

The lender attributed the higher forecasts to sensible pro-growth monetary and fiscal policies in favor of macroeconomic stability, and recent policy reforms for higher business confidence.

Consumer confidence rebounds in September

The Viet Nam Consumer Confidence Index (Viet Nam CCI) increased slightly in September after sharp declines in the two previous months thanks to optimistic psychology about economic prospects in the coming years, according to the ANZ Bank.

According to a report of the ANZ Bank which was published on September 23, the CCI picked up 1.6 points to 135.3 points this month. The figure for September was also higher than the same period last year.

The ANZ Bank attributed the surges to optimistic psychology of customers about economic prospects in 2016 and the next five years.  

VN climbs up 19 places in Global Innovation Index 2015

Viet Nam is ranked 52th out of 141 countries in this year’s Global Innovation Index (GII), up 19 places from last year, said the Ministry of Science and Technology. 

GII, annually co-published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), US-based Cornell University, France-based INSEAD business school, surveys 141 economies worldwide, using 79 indicators to gauge both innovative capabilities and measurable results.

According to the GII report, Viet Nam, together with China, Malaysia, India, Jordan and Kenya, are among a group of countries outperforming their economic peers.

Tropical fruit sees strong global demand

Doors are opening for the country’s fruit exporters, said Director Phan Huy Thong of the National Agricultural Promotion Centre on September 22 at an agricultural forum in Tien Giang.

Since early this year, exporters in the Mekong Delta region have shipped 160,000 metric tons of fruits to the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and China, generating revenues estimated at US$1 billion./.

(Source: VGP/VOV/VNA)