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Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh (R) and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong (C) at the conference on the EVFTA held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 21 (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – Overcoming tariff barriers doesn’t mean Vietnamese good and services can easily enter the European Union (EU), but they still have to satisfy strict non-tariff requirements of what is one of the world’s most demanding markets, according to Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) was signed in Hanoi on June 30. Once taking effect, it will eliminate 99 percent of the import tariff lines between the two sides in 7-10 years. This is the highest commitment level Vietnam has received among the FTAs it has inked.  Notably, many commodities will benefit from the zero-percent tariffs immediately after the deal becomes effective such as coffee, peppercorn, honey and aquatic products. At a conference … [Read more...] about Tariff removal doesn’t mean easy entrance into EU market: minister

Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Peter Cayetano (Photo: rappler.com) Manila (VNA) – The Philippines has denounced the EU Parliament’s interference in its internal affairs, which urged the Southeast Asian country to end its drug war, which is considered violence by western nations. Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Peter Cayetano said the EU Parliament has “crossed the red line” with its “unwarranted and uncalled for actions” against the Philippines. He said the actions, which constitute interference in the affairs of a sovereign state, were based on "biased, incomplete and even wrong information and does not reflect the true situation on the ground.” Rodrigo Duterte, who won the Philippine presidential election in 2016 with his pledge to tackle illegal drugs in the Southeast Asian country, has been running an anti-drug campaign with tough measures against drug addicts since taking office in June 2016. Estimated … [Read more...] about Philippines opposes EU Parliament’s interference

The EU’s newly-accredited Ambassador to Vietnam Giorgio Aliberti (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is one of the potential partners of the European Union (EU) in various fields, said the EU’s newly-accredited Ambassador to Vietnam Giorgio Aliberti. Aliberti made the statement at a press conference in Hanoi on November 12 after he officially assumed a 4-year term of office in Vietnam. The ambassador said he was glad to witness the strong development of EU-Vietnam cooperative ties in recent years. The EU attaches great importance to cooperation with Vietnam, he said, adding that the bilateral relations have been demonstrated through the recent signing of many important agreements. He expressed his good impression for the country and its people, and shared his main priorities during the working tenure in Vietnam. The diplomat said the EU highly appreciated Vietnam’s efforts in environmental protection as well as prevention and reduction of climate … [Read more...] about New ambassador describes Vietnam as EU’s potential partner

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (Photo: Bernama)   Hanoi (VNA) – Malaysia on March 24 announced that the country may stop buying new fighter jets from European arms companies in retaliation against a plan of the European Union (EU) to curb palm oil use. The Southeast Asian country is the world's second largest palm oil producer after neighbouring Indonesia, and recently threatened to challenge the EU's plan to phase out the use of palm oil in biofuels at the World Trade Organization. In his strongest statement yet on the proposed curb, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said his country could look elsewhere to upgrade its air force fleet of Russian Mig-29 fighters, in effect abandoning plans to purchase France's Rafale jet or the Eurofighter Typhoon. He stressed that if the EU keeps on taking action against Malaysia’s palm oil, the country will think of buying airplanes from China or any other country. Mahathir's remarks come ahead of a five-day … [Read more...] about Malaysia threatens to boycott EU fighter jets over palm oil

At the reception (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Hessen State plays an important role in promoting economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Germany, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh said at a reception for President of the Hessen State Parliament Boris Rhein in Hanoi on November 12. Binh said some major groups from Hessen have been operating effectively in Vietnam and suggested the two sides encourage more German businesses to invest in Vietnam in diverse fields such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, mechanical engineering, supporting industry, farm produce processing, and production of natural rubber products. He proposed the State’s authorities to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises such as national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank), and FPT Software Company Limited to operate effectively in Hessen. The Deputy PM highly appreciated the contributions of Rhein to the … [Read more...] about Hessen plays crucial role in promoting Vietnam-Germany ties