"China’s repeated provocative actions aimed at the offshore oil and gas development of other claimant states threatens regional energy security and undermines the free and open Indo-Pacific energy market," the State Department said in a statement. It said these acts were interfering in particular with "Vietnam’s long-standing exploration and production activities" in the waters. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including waters close to Southeast Asian countries Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan. The State Department cited Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s comments earlier this year when he said, "by blocking development in the South China Sea through coercive means, China prevents ASEAN members from accessing more than $2.5 trillion in recoverable energy reserves." The department said that China’s reclamation and militarization of disputed outposts in the waterway, including the use of maritime militia to … [Read more...] about US says China hampering energy activity in South China Sea
China deports 30 illegal Vietnamese workers
By Binh Minh  July 21, 2019 | 08:04 am GMT+7 Illegal Vietnamese workers are sent back by China to Vietnam's Lang Son Province, July 17, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Binh Minh. Chinese authorities have detained and sent back 30 Vietnamese nationals working in the country without valid papers. The Vietnamese workers said they had entered China through several border trails to find jobs because they could not find stable work at home. They mostly came from northern mountainous provinces Lang Son, Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Tuyen Quang and Thai Nguyen, which are at or near the China border, and from the central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh. They were detained by Chinese police for failing to show valid work permits or personal identification papers. On Wednesday, border officers in China’s Guangxi Province handed over the group of Vietnamese workers to Vietnamese authorities at the Chi Ma border gate in Lang Son. Officers from the Lang Son immigration … [Read more...] about China deports 30 illegal Vietnamese workers
Outdated tech mining projects not welcomed in Lao Cai
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses the Conference on promoting investment, trade and tourism to Lao Cai province 2019 in Lao Cai city, July 20, 2019. Photo: VGP Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed the point while addressing the Conference on promoting investment, trade and tourism to Lao Cai province 2019, on Saturday. Such illegal activities like illegal use of labor and tax fraud are not welcomed and will be strictly fined, the Government chief emphasized. Phuc challenged the province to become one of the major economic hubs of Viet Nam within the next 15-20 years through fruitfully utilization of its potential and advantages. With Ha Noi-Lao Cai expressway (the longest expressway in Viet Nam) and Ha Noi-Lao Cai railway already in place, Lao Cai airport, once assessed feasible, will give a strong boost the the development of the locality. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also challenged Lao Cai to become one of the first localities narrowing tourism gap between … [Read more...] about Outdated tech mining projects not welcomed in Lao Cai
Vietnamese, Lao and Cambodian art troupes gather in a festival
At press conference According to the Department of Art Performance of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event is part of the activities to mark the 72nd Vietnamese Wounded Soldiers’ and Martyrs’ Day (July 27). It aims to pay gratitude to revolutionary contributors, evaluate art achievements of units as well as to manifest the solidarity among the three countries in both wartime and peacetime. During the festival, ten Vietnamese art troupes and two others from Laos and Cambodia will perform new songs and dances in praise of the revolutionary war. A performance of the Army Music and Dance Theater Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong said that the organizing panel will conduct various activities to pay gratitude to Vietnamese heroic mothers, wounded and sick soldiers, families of fallen soldiers and revolutionary contributors. After the festival, an art program will be held at the Road 9-Khe Sanh … [Read more...] about Vietnamese, Lao and Cambodian art troupes gather in a festival
Condolences over animation studio fire in Japan
The same day, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also conveyed his sympathy to Japanese Foreign Minister Kono Taro. At least 33 people died and dozens were injured after a man set fire to an animation studio in the Japanese city of Kyoto on July 18, according to Japan Times. About 70 people were believed to have been working when the fire broke out at around 10:35 a.m. The bodies of eleven victims were found on the second floor of the structure, and four on the stairs. The death toll is the highest for an arson incident since 1989, when the previous Heisei Era (1989-2019) started, said local police. Police also found knives at the scene. The suspect, 41, who was also injured, was taken to a local hospital./. By Thuy Dung … [Read more...] about Condolences over animation studio fire in Japan