The Vietnamese delegation made several proposals to solve outstanding difficulties in negotiations towards the target of completing negotiations by the end of this year.

Participants agreed to strive for the completion of negotiations on market opening and all the most important content of the deal's wording by the end of 2019 while intensifying efforts towards the signing of the deal in 2020 in Vietnam when it assumes the role as the ASEAN Chair.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh (back row, fourth from left) and other delegates at the 8th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Intersessional Ministerial Meeting in Beijing, China, on August 3.

At the meeting, ministers stressed that trade remains an effective tool to generate jobs and income, and foster productivity, technology development, and sustainable and inclusive growth.

The RCEP region, which accounts for 47.4 percent of the world population, 29.1 percent of global trade and 32.5 percent of investment flows, plays an important role in regional trade and backs an open, inclusive and rule-based trade system.

Delegates welcomed the conclusion of negotiations on Appendixes on Telecoms, Financial and Professional Services, while acknowledging positive progress in negotiations of remaining issues.

The RCEP region accounts for 47.4 percent of the world population.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Vietnamese delegation held bilateral meetings with officials from the Republic of Korea, Japan and Australia to discuss directions to solve bottlenecks in negotiations and boost bilateral cooperation.

Initiated in 2012, RCEP is a free trade agreement involving 10 ASEAN member countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam; and the ASEAN's six dialogue partners - China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India and the Republic of Korea.

34th ASEAN Summit-related meetings begin in Bangkok

The 34th ASEAN Summit and related meetings officially began in Bangkok on June 20 with the meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR).

Vietnam Mekong River Commission holds first plenary meeting in 2019

The Vietnam Mekong River Commission (VMRC) held the first plenary meeting in 2019 in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang on June 19 under the chair of the commission’s chairman Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha. 

Vice President holds bilateral meetings on CICA sidelines

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Meeting honours 100 outstanding blood donors

A total of 100 outstanding blood donors were honoured at a meeting held in Hanoi on June 4 by the Steering Committee for Voluntarily Blood Donation Mobilisation.

Meeting responds to World No Tobacco Day

A meting was held in Hanoi on May 26 in response to the World No Tobacco Day (May 31) and the National No Tobacco Week (May 25-31) following the theme “tobacco and lung diseases”.

Source: VNA