Tuesday, September 3, 2013

PM Dung holds talks with Chinese, Cambodian counterparts

Timor-Leste PM visit to promote relations
Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor) Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao will pay an official visit to Viet Nam for three days from tomorrow, Sept 4, to promote bilateral relations.

The visit, made at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung, will be the second one by Gusmao. He first visited Viet Nam in 2005 as President of Timor-Leste.

The two nations established diplomatic ties on July 28, 2002, but relations began in 1975 when Fretilin (Revolutionary Front for an Independent Timor Leste) unilaterally declared independence. Viet Nam was one of the first countries to recognise Timor-Leste's independence.

Prime Minister holds talks with Chinese, Cambodian counterparts
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has reiterated the Vietnamese Party and State's long-lasting and consistent policy of consolidating and strengthening neighbourliness and co-operation with China.
Timor-Leste PM, China-ASEAN Expo, East Sea, Egypt
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung meets Chinese Premier Li Keqiang yesterday (Sept 2) in Nanning City.
During his talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Nanning City yesterday, Sept 2, to mark the China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and the 10th China-ASEAN Business-Investment Summit, Dung spoke highly of China and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region's careful preparations.

During the last 10 years, he said that CAEXPO has become one of the most prestigious and influential expos in the region and a good chance for ASEAN and China to strengthen their strategic partnership.

Premier Li said the delegation's participation in the expo and summit reflected Viet Nam's appreciation of strengthening the relationship with China.

He said that the Chinese Party, State and people were willing to deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

Viet Nam and China have agreed to increase high-ranking visits and meetings, enhance co-operation for mutual benefit in all fields in order to fulfill the target of raising bilateral trade to $60 billion by 2015 and implement joint large-scale economic projects, especially those in infrastructure while strengthening people-to-people exchanges.

Regarding sea-related issues, the two sides held that both nations needed to together maintain peace and stability in the East Sea, control the situation at sea and resolve every matter via peaceful negotiations.
PM Dung emphasised that the two sides should strictly obey the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues between Viet Nam and China, settle disputes by peaceful means and on the basis of international law.

He suggested the two countries soon put into operation and promote the efficiency of hotlines between the two defence ministries and fishery agencies as agreed. He said this would help promptly deal with arising problems, especially those relating to fishing vessels and fishermen.

Dung invited Premier Li to visit Viet Nam at an early date and the latter accepted. Later, the Vietnamese Government leader received Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chen Wu, and Yunnan province's Governor, Ly Jiheng.

The same day, also in Nanning City, Dung met with his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, during which he congratulated Cambodia on its achievements in national development and the success of the fifth general election.

Prime Minister Hun Sen thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their support and assistance in the past and said that the Cambodian Government would continue to make every effort to maintain stability in the country, thus contributing to regional and international peace.

The China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and the 10th China-ASEAN Business-Investment Summit (CABIS) have attracted the participation of more than 100 Vietnamese businesses from 17 provinces and cities.
Last year, Vietnamese businesses signed deals worth more than $90 million with foreign partners at CAEXPO.

Viet Nam, Nicaragua enhance friendship
Le Hong Anh, politburo member and permanent member of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee, is leading a delegation to visit Nicaragua from August 31, at the invitation of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN).

Anh congratulated Nicaragua on the developments it has made under the leadership of the FSLN Party and President Daniel Ortega in order to build a socialist, Catholic and united country for social justice, national harmony and for the happiness of the working class.

Addressing the meetings, leaders of local authorities praised Viet Nam's achievements in national building, considering them an encouragement for Nicaraguans and people all over the world.

They expressed their wish that the traditional relations between the two Parties, Governments and peoples will grow further, especially in trade and investment.

Lao newspapers highlights Vietnam’s National Day
On the occasion of Vietnam’s 68th National Day (September 2), Lao newspapers ran the congratulations of the country’s leaders as well as articles featuring Vietnam’s multifaceted achievements and the special relations between the two nations.

The first pages of such newspapers as Pasason, Pathet Lao, KPL News, Vientiane Times and Lao Phattahana published the congratulations of General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President Chummaly Sayasone, Prime Minister Thoongsinh Thammavong and National Assembly Chairwoman Pani Dathotu.

They asserted the firm development of the Vietnam-Laos special relationship for the two peoples’ interests as well as regional and global peace, development and cooperation.

Pasason newspaper, the official organ of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, recounted the historic August Revolution and printed a photo of President Ho Chi Minh reading the Declaration of Independence on September 2 to mark the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

The newspapers reiterated that the two countries’ special friendship and solidarity, which were formed by President Ho Chi Minh and his Lao counterparts Kayson Phomvihane and Souphanuvong as well as fostered by later leaders and the two peoples, have become a shared asset of the two nations that needs to be preserved and promoted in the future.

On the occasion of the 68th National Day, the Vietnamese Embassy in Moscow offered incense and flowers at the Ho Chi Minh Monument in the square of the same name.

Earlier, the embassy also coordinated with the Association of Vietnamese People in Russia in holding a sports exchange among Vietnamese here.

Egypt plays important role in Vietnam’s foreign policy
Egypt always plays an important role in Vietnam’s foreign policy, a senior Vietnamese diplomat has said.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Dao Thanh Chung has made the affirmation in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondents on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries (September 1, 1963 - September 1, 2013).

The ambassador reviewed the development of the Vietnam-Egypt relations over the five decades. He said that solidarity and traditional relations between the two countries have been reinforced and attained many important achievements.

Especially, since 1991, bilateral relations have entered a new period and developed in various fields, from politics, economics, socio-culture, scien-technology to education-training, tourism and investment.

The two sides have signed many cooperative agreements and established an intergovernmental committee in order to boost bilateral relations, Chung said.

He added that economic cooperation has also seen a strong development. Two-way trade between the two sides reached more than 304 million USD in 2012, making Egypt Vietnam’s second largest market in the Middle East-North Africa region.

Under the agreement on investment encouragement and protection, Egypt and Vietnam have discussed measures to foster investment between the two nations in the fields of oil and gas and telecommunications. The two sides also reached agreements to boost cooperation in aquaculture, farm processing, veterinary medicine and plant protection products production.

Chung also said he believes that potential for cooperation between the two countries remains huge and that bilateral relations will develop comprehensively and intensively.

He also expressed his hope that Egypt will soon overcome difficulties and challenges, to carry out economic reforms and improve its people’s living conditions.

Viet Nam, Angola look to enhance bilateral co-operation
Angola wants to further enhance co-operation with Viet Nam's Party and people in all areas, especially in economics, trade and investment.

Vice President of the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) Roberto Victor De Almeida made the remarks during talks on Thursday with his Vietnamese guest, Le Hong Anh.

Anh, who is Politburo member and permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee's Secretariat, has been in Luanda for a visit to Angola.

De Almeida expressed his admiration for Viet Nam's significant achievements in its renewal process and national construction and defence.

He spoke of gratitude for the valuable support given by the Vietnamese Party, State and people to Angola, particularly in education, health care and agriculture.

Anh then briefed De Almeida about his talks with Secretary of the Central Committee for External Affairs of the MPLA Afonso Van-Dunem.

He affirmed that Viet Nam will do its utmost to step up comprehensive co-operation with the Party and people of Angola, particularly in the areas that suit each side's strength, such as oil and gas, telecoms, agriculture, health care, education and construction.

He expressed his hope that the Angolan Government would continue creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to settle down in the country.

Later in the day, the Vietnamese delegation met with Candida Teceira, member of the MPLA Central Committee, Minister of Science and Technology and Chairman of the Sub-committee of the Viet Nam-Angola Joint Committee.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Vietnamese Party official and his entourage visited Bengo province where they were received by Joao Bernardo De Miranda, Politburo member and First Secretary of the Bengo provincial Party's Committee.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to boost co-operation in agriculture, particularly in the production of rice and coffee and the exchange of agricultural experts.

The same day, Le Hong Anh met with staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in Angola and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the country.

Late on Thursday, the Vietnamese delegation left Angola to continue with their trip, which will take them to Nicaragua and Cuba.

Authorities assess HCM City development
A Government delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh reviewed HCM City's socio-economic performance in the last three years and discussed goals for the next two at a meeting in the city yesterday.

Ninh, who was apprised about the city's good economic performance, said however that the administration had to be more pro-active to achieve the targets set for the next two years.

According to the municipal People's Committee, averaged economic growth in the last three years had been 9.5 percent, almost twice the country's averaged rate.

Ninh described HCM City as the economic driving force for not just the region but the whole country, with revenues reaching VND624 trillion (US$29.7 billion), or 30 percent of the country's total amount.
But it needs to help businesses overcome their problems and speed up restructure of State-owned enterprises in the city, he said.

He wanted the city to work with the State Bank of Viet Nam to deal with bad debts and liquidate the property market inventory.

He told Le Hoang Quan, Chairman of the People's Committee, and his deputy Nguyen Thi Hong, that the Government approves the city's tax revenue plans including breaks for companies that contribute to public welfare.

Despite the achievement of the last three years, the city leaders admitted that the quality of growth had been modest and the economic potential had not been optimally exploited.

Ninh hailed the city government for its successful efforts to stabilise the economy and ensure social welfare in the last few years.

Despite the challenges, the city had achieved impressive results, he added.

HCM City has announced plans to achieve annual economic growth of 10-10.5 percent and per capita income of US$4,800 in 2015.

HCM City has seen good signs this year with stable socio-economic growth in the first eight months of 2013, HCM City People's Committee Chairman Le Hoang Quan said at a meeting on Thursday.

According to the municipal People's Committee, the city saw retail sales and services turnover rising 12.9 per cent year-on-year to VND50,794 billion (nearly US$2.4 billion) in August.

Total retail sales and services turnover in the first eight months of 2013 was VND389,377 billion (nearly $18.4 billion), an increase of 12.2 per cent over the same period in 2012.

Industrial production grew 5.5 per cent in the first eight months, compared to 4.2 per cent during the same period in 2012.

As of 20 August of this year, HCM City had granted licenses to 260 new foreign direct investment projects with a total capital of $587.7 million, up by 0.43 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Quan said that in the last four months of 2013, the city will step up efforts to promote investment, trade, tourism and services; and strengthen the campaign to increase production and consumption of Viet Nam-made goods in the domestic market.

The city will also enhance inspections and supervision to speed up major infrastructure development projects, he said.

Quan asked the city's departments and district authorities to take measures to help businesses overcome difficulties and expand markets for Viet Nam-made goods.

He asked relevant agencies to improve budgetary income management by combating revenue losses, collecting tax arrears and ensuring strict and effective expenditure control.

The city will put more than 1,200 new classrooms into operation in the new school year that will officially opens on September 5. As a result, all school-age children, including children of parents with temporary residence status, will be admitted into primary schools in the city.

Quan asked the Department of Education and Training to inspect schools and ensure that they are not charging excessive tuition fees.

Addressing the issue of the managerial cadre rewarding themselves with high salaries and bonuses at HCM City-based State-owned companies, Quan said these wrongdoings are "unacceptable".

Even if these companies were making profits, the money must be reserved in investment and development funds instead of being divided up by its leaders, he said.

He said the city will take disciplinary measures against these wrongdoings to restore order and discipline among State-owned companies.

VNN/VNS/VNA

Monday, September 2, 2013

Nearly 200 staffers strike at Khmer Rouge tribunal

AP

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: A court spokesman for Cambodia’s U.N.-supported Khmer Rouge tribunal says nearly 200 of its staffers have gone on strike to demand wages that are several months overdue.

Spokesman Neth Pheakra says the majority of the court’s Cambodian employees, including interpreters and translators essential to the court’s functions, did not come into work Monday because their wages have not been paid since June.

U.N. spokesman Lars Olsen says the international body is very concerned about the strike’s potential to disrupt proceedings at the tribunal, which has faced frequent budgetary shortfalls since it began in 2006.

The court is tasked with seeking justice for atrocities committed by the communist Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s, when an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died due to forced labor, starvation, medical neglect and execution.

Immigration police keep close watch on Cambodian Muslims in Thailand

Monday, 02 September 2013
 By  MCOT
 
SA KAEO, Sept 2 – Thai immigration police are closely monitoring the movement of Cambodian Muslims who entered Thailand through the eastern border to work illegally in the South.
Benjapol Rodsawat, deputy immigration police chief of Sa Kaeo province on the Thai-Cambodian border, said about 10,000 Cambodian Muslims entered the kingdom through the eastern border and travelled to Malaysia via the southern border checkpoint in Su-ngai Kolok, Narathiwat province in the past year.

The migrants told Thai authorities at the southern border checkpoint that they would visit their relatives in Malaysia but they re-entered Thailand shortly after to work in the three Muslim-predominant border provinces without work permits, he said.

Nearly 10,000 Cambodian Muslims are arrested in Narathiwat each year and charged with illegal entry after failing to produce legal documents, he said.

The illegal Cambodian migrants have become a burden for the Thai authorities who have to send them back via the Aranyaprathet immigration checkpoint in Sa Kaeo province, he said.

Pol Lt Col Benjapol said police could not take legal action against the illegal migrants due to an agreement between Thailand and Cambodia.

“Many Cambodian Muslims migrated to work in the South without work permits or legal documents. It’s the responsibility of Thai authorities to send them back to their home country without them having to pay for travel expenses,” he said.

At the checkpoint in Aranyaprathet yesterday, 57 Cambodian Muslims were stopped but later allowed to enter Thailand after producing legal passports with tourist visas.

They told immigration police that they intended to visit their relatives in Malaysia and would travel South to the checkpoint at Su-ngai Kolok.

Aranprayaprathet police sent their records and photos to Su-ngai Kolok checkpoint to keep a close watch on their re-entry, police said.

China seeks exchanges with Asean as agri cooperation takes root

Publication Date : 02-09-2013

Agricultural cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is expected to get more impetus from the increased seed and technology exchanges between the two sides in the next few years, experts said.

Long Jiang, director of the Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Department, said that the agriculture technology transfer agreement signed between the two sides in 2002 would be the framework for future agricultural cooperation and for development and exchange of new technologies.

China has fostered nearly 10,000 new varieties of agricultural products in the past 30 years, he said adding that the nation's 3 billion-yuan (US$490 million) seed bank project, started in 1995, has helped increase annual food production by 20 million tons.

Long said that the keenness of both sides to enhance agricultural cooperation was evident at a recent meeting of more than 200 agricultural professionals from various Southeast Asian nations in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province. In their meetings with their Chinese counterparts, these professionals agreed to step up efforts to develop and exchange new agricultural technologies.

In Yunnan, more than 300 agricultural researchers and enterprises from all over China showcased their technologies and products, especially seeds of new breeds at the China-Asean Technology Transfer Forum on New Technologies and Varieties of Modern Agriculture in Yunnan. In addition, 16 companies from Yunnan signed contracts with partners from Asean nations for technology demonstration parks in super soft rice, corn and castor oil.

Long said that there have been increased efforts to cultivate agricultural professionals, boost technology exchanges and promotions, and foster agricultural trade between the two sides.

The Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture, the United Nations Development programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisation have all been providing funds for agriculture technology transfers between the two sides, along with some private companies such as Sime Darby from Malaysia, according to Jin Ke, director of the national cooperation division of the International Cooperation Department of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

As one of the three research institutions directly administered by the Agriculture Ministry, the CAAS has signed cooperation agreements with Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines to promote technical services, postgraduate education, joint research projects and technology transfers, Jin said.

The Gates Foundation has also teamed up with CAAS and provided $18 million for research and development of super rice that was subsequently transferred to other Asean nations like Laos and Cambodia. The super rice has increased rice yields by 25 to 30 per cent in these nations, he said.

Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng called for the development of a pilot research centre in Asean nations during his visit to CAAS earlier this year. According to Jin, the first centre is expected to be established in Myanmar next year.

"Agriculture is the fundamental industry for both China and Asean nations. Both sides have strong competitiveness in their own fields of research. For example, Asean nations have more advantages in research into tropical plants and animals," Jin said.

The forum was also a platform for several participants to publicise new technologies and breeds. Shanghai Lianye Agricultural Science and Technology Co Ltd announced a new breakthrough in fertilising technology by developing a technique to mix water with fertilisers based on the plant's demand and the nutritional conditions of the land. The company has a joint venture with an Israeli enterprise to build a factory in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and will soon venture into the Asean markets.

"Our technology will reduce the consumption of water and fertilisers to the lowest level, and allow the plant to grow as fast as it can," said He Longhui, technical director of Lianye.

Seed trade is another crucial aspect for technology transfers, says Guo Chunyu, deputy director of the Technology Transfer centre at CAAS. Yang Bingpeng, researcher at the Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology based in Haikou, capital of Hainan province, says that a newly developed sugar cane variety can increase the sugar yield to 90 tons a hectare from the current 60 tons. "The climate in Hainan is extremely similar to most of the Asean countries and the high-yield variety will be a bestseller in the region," he said.

Lu Yixuan, chairman of the board of directors of Yunnan Jinrui Seed Industry Co Ltd, said the super soft rice bred in Yunnan, a plateau province at a low latitude, is ideally suited to the climate in Southeast Asia and can help raise the yield, he says. "The yields from the new variety could be around 225 tons a hectare and we have already received interest from farmers in Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Indonesia," Lu said. "We have also sent technicians to instruct the Asean farmers on how to grow the super soft rice."

Viraporn Mongkolchaisit, division director of the National Science and Technology Development Agency of Thailand, says that her institute has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences to jointly cultivate expertise. Each year, the agency deputes three researchers to Sichuan and trains five Sichuan scientists in modern breeding techniques, she says.

"We have been working on new breeds resistant to bacterial wilt such as chili, cucumber and bitter gourd. The new varieties have higher yields and better taste as we found the antibodies against disease can keep the plant growing more safely," she said.

Lu Zhizhong, a technician from the international business department of Hubei Seeds Group says his company has exported 5,000 tons of hybrid rice seeds to countries in Southeast and South Asia, more than 30 times the amount in 2002.

In 2002, the Hubei Seeds Group became the first company to obtain an export certificate from the Ministry of Agriculture. "Seeds, unlike food, are usually governed by customs," he said. "Our seeds are of superb quality and have passed all the required inspection and quarantine tests for exports to Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Bangladesh."

Some countries such as Indonesia and Pakistan have huge demand for high-yield seeds to feed their large population while their land is limited, Lu said.

However, obstacles still remain. Lu says that though Thailand is well known for its high-quality rice, it is reluctant to release its germplasm resources, while the marketing system is not that efficient in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

Jin Ke from the CAAS suggests that both sides step up bilateral exchanges in agricultural professional training and degree courses. Some joint laboratories and research centres can also be set up to further explore the role of agricultural technology transfer, he said.

Network services provider OCK in expansion mode


PUCHONG: After setting up a subsidiary in Myanmar in July, followed by the incorporation of a unit in Cambodia last month, OCK Group Bhd is looking at Thailand and Indonesia for more potential business opportunities.

Managing director Sam Ooi said the telco network services provider has been studying and researching about venturing into some of the South-East Asian markets since the end of last year.

“In this globalised era, there is no business border and we see opportunities in our neighbouring countries where there is a need for network improvement,” he told StarBiz in an interview.

In Myanmar, it is submitting bids for projects alongside vendors to Norway-based telecommunication giant Telenor Group and Qatar-based Qtel Group, which had received the telco licence from the Myanmar Government.

“The two telco operators will have a huge roll-out and they might plan for 4,000 to 5,000 sites within two years.

“As we have already set up a company there, we will bid for the jobs,” he said, adding that there could be a “substantial” source of income should it successfully secure some of the contracts.

About two weeks ago, it announced the establishment of its Cambodian unit, Phnom Penh Pte Ltd under its wholly-owned subsidiary OCK International Sdn Bhd, an investment holding company for its regional and international businesses and subsidiaries and the provision of telecommunication network services and trading of related products and materials.

Due to the consolidation in the telco industry in Cambodia, particularly when Axiata Group Bhd’s Hello merged with Smart, there will be some consolidating work required.

As OCK has worked with Axiata’s local arm, Celcom Axiata Bhd, it stands a chance of winning contracts in Cambodia, he added.

On top of that, it also sees some opportunities in building and maintaining towers in that country.
Recently, it studied the feasibility of setting up a subsidiary in Bangkok for a potential green technology business.

“It is not easy to set up a 100%-owned company in Thailand compared with Myanmar, so we are still studying the process,” he said.

At the same time, the long-term evolution (LTE) roll-out in Indonesia has also attracted Ooi’s attention as it meant a huge business opportunity for OCK.

“We have intentions of penetrating the market due to the attractive growth potential there,” he said.
Back at home, he said the telco sector was still growing steadily as the LTE roll-out in Malaysia was still at the initial stage.

“I believe LTE licence holders will continue to roll out 4G services more aggressively next year,” he said, adding that telco players would have to deploy twice the number of existing stations for full coverage nationwide.

This is due to the shorter distance of between towers are built to enable high frequency transmission.
He said the LTE activities in the domestic telco industry would keep it busy for another three to four years.
Some operators may also choose to lease towers from network facility providers (NFP) like OCK, which owns about 60 towers currently, to reduce their capital expenditure, he said.

It aimed to increase the number to 300 sites by end-2014.
The licence it obtained in July from the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission allowed it to lay fibre and lease it to operators, which is an additional scope for the services it provides.

According to Ooi, it has also secured a 10 megawatt-solar farm contract at a site in Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Sepang.

In July, it acquired Milab Marketing Sdn Bhd, which had received a development order for a solar farm project in Kelantan that could generate power of one megawatt, he said.

Going forward, it aims to grow the solar farm business, he added.

Based on its expansion plan, he estimated recurring income from its network facility provision and solar concession business to contribute some 5% to 10% to its topline.

Commenting on how the weaker ringgit would impact its business, he said it would be felt within its trading division which could see its profit dip by 2% to 3%.

Nonetheless, the segment only contributed 8% to its income for its financial year ended December 31, 2012.

Cambodian PM to join ASEAN-China Expo in Nanning

 2013-09-02
Xinhua  
Web Editor: qindexing

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, accompanied by a large group of business people, left here Monday for Nanning of southwest China's Guangxi Province to attend the 10th ASEAN-China Expo, which is set to be held from September 3 to 6.

The premier was accompanied by Cham Prasidh, Minister of Commerce, Sok Chenda, President of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, and other senior officials as well as business executives from 167 companies, Sry Thamarong, minister attached to Prime Minister Hun Sen, told reporters at Phnom Penh International Airport before departure.

During the expo in Nanning, Hun Sen will hold a bilateral talk with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, and meet separately with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Governor of China's Guangxi Chen Wu, and Governor of China's Yunnan Province Li Jiheng, he said.

The expo was initiated by former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during the 7th ASEAN-China Summit and was firstly held in 2004. It is usually held in Nanning City.

"Since its inception in 2004, the relations and cooperation in economics and trade between Cambodia and China have rapidly developed," said Sry Thamarong.

"We have attracted a lot of investments from Chinese private sector in infrastructure, energy, information technologies and telecommunication, banking and finance, agriculture and tourism."

China is the top investor in Cambodia. According to figures from the Council for Development of Cambodia, from 1994 to 2012, total Chinese investment in Cambodia has reached 9.17 billion US dollars.

On bilateral trade, China is also one of the leading trading partners of Cambodia. Last year, the bilateral trade volume accounted for 2.9 billion US dollars and it was expected to reach 5 billion US dollars by 2017, he said.

Hun Sen will return to Cambodia on Tuesday afternoon.

The annual event of the ASEAN-China Expo is a very important platform to further promote trading in goods and services, investment cooperation, culture and tourism, particularly contributing to strengthening and developing the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership.

During the expo, there will be an ASEAN-China Business and Investment Summit, which is a key platform for leaders of China and ASEAN to exchange opinions and enhance cooperation.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

ASEAN Ministers Wrap Up Summit in Brunei

Aug 29, 2013
VOA
 
Southeast Asian defense ministers are expected to hold fresh talks on territorial disputes as they meet with their counterparts from elsewhere in Asia, as well as the United States on Thursday.

The final day of the two-day meeting is being held at a Brunei resort overlooking the South China Sea, where several ASEAN member nations have tense overlapping territorial claims with China.

The ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus, as the gathering is known, is bringing together ministers from the 10 ASEAN nations, the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and other regional powers.

During Wednesday meetings with ASEAN defense ministers, U.S. officials said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel discussed the need to enhance cooperation and lower tensions in the region.

Analysts do not expect a breakthrough on the disputes, as China has been reluctant to even discuss the issue at such meetings. It instead prefers to deal with each rival claimant separately, a position that gives it a much greater advantage.

A Thursday editorial in the Global Times, China's Communist Party's official mouthpiece, said the ASEAN meeting is not the appropriate place to resolve maritime disputes.

ASEAN foreign ministers have been pushing for China to work towards signing a binding Code of Conduct to help prevent conflict in the territorial disputes.

Brunei, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia are embroiled in territorial disputes with China over several resource-rich islands in the South China Sea. Japan and China are engaged in a separate dispute in the East China Sea.

Many of the nations accuse China of using its rapidly advancing military to more aggressively defend what it views as its territory. Some of the nations have expanded their defense cooperation with the United States, as a result.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations consists of Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, and Laos.

The ADMM-Plus will help lay the groundwork for October's East Asian Summit, which will be attended by world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama. The meeting is also expected to focus on other regional and international security and trade issues.