The event was co-chaired by the Head of the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) Vietnam, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, Chairman of the ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group (ACCWG), and the US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell. … [Read more...] about ASEAN, US promote cooperation in COVID-19 fight
Foreign affairs
Potential grows for vegetable and fruit exports to the US
According to data compiled by the US International Trade Administration, in the first 10 months of 2019, the US imported 175,100 tonnes of fruits, coded HS 081090, worth US$153.9 million, including tamarind, apple, cashews, jackfruit, high quality lychee, sapodilla, passion fruit, star fruit, dragon fruit and other kinds of fruit, up 4.2 percent in volume but down 0.7 percent in value compared to the same period in 2018. The drop is attributed to the 4.7 percent fall of import prices (down to US$879 per tonne). … [Read more...] about Potential grows for vegetable and fruit exports to the US
U.S. supports ASEAN and Vietnam to fight COVID-19
The United States, through USAID and the CDC, has regional programs to boost ASEAN country capacity to prepare for outbreaks and build lab diagnostic capabilities. These include CDC improvements to laboratory safety and biosecurity across ASEAN, by certifying high-standard biological safety cabinets; a CDC training course for Mekong countries (Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand) on how to counter emerging influenza threats, held in November 2019; long-standing USAID support through the One Health Workforce – Next Generation project to ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, to prepare for, prevent, detect, and respond to public health emergencies before they pose an overwhelming pandemic threat. The project aims to transform the health workforce and university public health curricula. Since 2014, over 10,000 students and professionals have been trained in infectious disease topics through the Southeast Asia One Health University … [Read more...] about U.S. supports ASEAN and Vietnam to fight COVID-19
Global powerhouses to back circular economy
“In the near future, we will implement pilot programmes on collecting plastic waste in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City,” he said. “And not only are we reducing the plastic used in making water bottles, we will also continue reducing the material volume in many other products. This is to save costs and protect the environment.” … [Read more...] about Global powerhouses to back circular economy
