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Germany to send warship to South China Sea after 20 years

March 4, 2021 by hanoitimes.vn

The Hanoitimes – Berlin announced the deployment of its warship to the sea is in line with its policy adopted in September 2020.

Germany plans to send its frigate to the Indo-Pacific in August with a passage to the South China Sea, becoming the first German warship to sail the contested sea since 2002.

German Navy vessel ‘Berlin’ in the Mediterranean Sea near the Cretan town of Souda, Greece. Photo: the Federal Defence Forces of Germany/AFP/VNA

The warship, will leave its home port of Wilhelmshaven at the beginning of August for a six-month journey and sail through the South China Sea (called East Sea by Vietnam) on its return journey.

The journey is in line with Germany’s “Policy guidelines for the Indo-Pacific region” adopted in September 2020.

The ship will not pass within what German officials called the “12-nautical-mile” in a reference to contested areas in the crowded sea, Reuters cited Germany’s officials.

However, it was said that the Federal Government understood the dispatch of the frigate as a sign to counter Chinese sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.

It was also said that Germany thereby reaffirmed the July 2016 ruling of the arbitral tribunal established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Germany’s ministerial sources said that the operation would protect “our multilateral, rule-based principles and values, such as our commitment to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea”.

Almost all the energy-rich South China Sea is claimed by China which has built a series of military outposts on artificial islands.

The US regularly sends its vessels to conduct “freedom of navigation” in the sea with many journeys close by to some of these islands, asserting freedom of access to international waterways.

Washington has repeatedly accused Beijing of militarizing the South China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian neighbors in exerting their legitimate rights within their territorial waters.

Vietnamese, Cuban deputy foreign ministers hold political consultation

March 4, 2021 by en.qdnd.vn

Participants in the event included Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Thanh Tung and Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Orlando Nicolas Hernandez.

Deputy Minister Son spoke of Vietnam’s situation, including the prominent outcomes of the 13th National Party Congress, measures in response to COVID-19, economic development, and social security ensuring.

He affirmed that Vietnam always treasures and wishes to continue deepening the special traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Cuba.

For his part, Gonzalez also informed about the situation of his country, countermeasures to address difficulties caused by sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic, and the updating of the socio-economic model.

The two officials reviewed and assessed the areas of cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba, as well as between the two foreign ministries. They also looked into ways to develop bilateral relations in a more intensive and comprehensive manner.

They agreed to keep close coordination to organize high-level visits when possible; effectively carry out cooperation mechanisms; increase exchanges between the countries’ ministries, sectors, and businesses; promote trade and investment ties; and work together in such spheres as food security, education, healthcare, science – technology, culture, sports, and tourism.

At the consultation, the deputy foreign ministers had in-depth discussion about global and regional issues of shared concern. They concurred in the continuation of coordination and mutual support at international organizations and multilateral forums of which both Vietnam and Cuba are members.

Source: VNA

VinFast to produce batteries for electric cars in Vietnam

March 4, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

Under the MoU signed Wednesday, the two parties will set up a joint venture to manufacture solid-state batteries for electric cars. The joint venture will be licensed to use ProLogium’s patented solid-state battery pack assembly technology.

This is a strategic step for VinFast in mastering battery technology for electric vehicles, laying a foundation for its research and development of smart and advanced electric vehicles in the future.

Founded in 2006, ProLogium is the world’s leading solid-state battery maker. In 2017, ProLogium became the first company in the world to have a test line for solid-state battery technology for automotive applications.

Its solid-state batteries have passed safety tests in Europe and China, which are the world’s largest electric vehicle markets.

It is also cooperating with large electric cars manufacturers to test a new battery technology and expects to deploy it for mass-production in 2023-2024.

By using solid-state batteries, VinFast electric cars will be able to go longer distances, reduce charging time, and increase the total number of times they can be charged.

VinFast’s partnership with ProLogium is a part of its plan to become a global smart electric car brand.

In January, VinFast introduced three new electric self-driving car models. It is also setting up electric charging stations nationwide , aiming at 40,000 charging ports for electric bikes and cars by the end of 2021.

VinFast sold 31,500 cars in Vietnam last year. Since entering the auto industry three years ago the company now has a plant in the northern province of Hai Phong and R&D centers in Australia, Germany and the U.S.

Vietnam schools set to teach Korean, German languages

March 4, 2021 by vov.vn

Korean and German are set to be taught to pupils in grades three to 12, alongside other foreign languages such as English, Russian, French, and Chinese.

The main contents of the Korean and German language lessons will include topics and basic language skills such as phonetics, vocabulary, and grammar, that are selected in accordance with the cognitive ability of the students and integrated into the development of basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

The announcement has immediately provoked a strong reaction from parents, who voiced their doubts about the feasibility of the programme. A number of parents believed their children will become overloaded if both foreign languages are on the syllabus, whilst others raised the question of why the Ministry has chosen Korean and German as opposed to other foreign languages.

A representative from the Ministry of Education and Training played down the concerns of parents, saying that the inclusion of the languages as part of universal education for students from grades 3 to 12 is simply a pilot programme at this point.

Students will be able to choose one foreign language from the list to study at school, and they will not be required to study two or three foreign languages simultaneously, the representative explained in an interview granted to vtcnews.vn on March 4.

The Ministry expects that students will develop their ability to communicate and use foreign languages in an effective manner when they study, thereby helping to meet the demand for human resources during the country’s ongoing international integration process, said the representative.

Associate Professor Tran Xuan Nhi, former deputy minister of education and training, said that integrating Korean, Germany, and other foreign languages into the universal education syllabus is a normal occurrence, and parents are “misunderstanding” the Ministry’s policy.

“This policy will benefit our students and conform to future trends,” Prof. Nhi told vtcnews.vn. “Students want to become global citizens, they must acquire foreign languages. They can choose other foreign languages, but not English, to suit their hobby and future profession.”

Sharing Prof. Nhi’s view, To Thuy Diem Quyen, a global education expert, welcomes the Ministry’s plan as a positive step that will benefit students. Quyen said many countries have applied a multi-foreign language teaching scheme at school, and Vietnam is slightly late to follow this trend.

According to the education expert, students should be equipped with multi-foreign languages, which is considered to be an advantage given the current global context.

Mozambique praises Vietnamese role as ASEAN Chair and non-permanent UNSC member

November 24, 2020 by vov.vn

Mozambican Foreign Minister Verónica Nataniel made the statement during a working session held alongside Vietnamese Ambassador to Mozambique Le Huy Hoang on November 23, with the event taking place as part of activities to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

During the meeting, the Minister Nataniel stated that she hopes Vietnam will continue to share its experience that it has learned from these successes in order to help her nation make faster progress in terms of the process of regional and international integration.

Minister Nataniel also expressed her great appreciation for the nation’s impressive achievements over recent years, considering the country to be a model that needs to be learned from in terms pandemic prevention and socio-economic development.

She went on to affirm that the Mozambican side has always placed great importance on its relationship with the nation and hopes that both sides continue to tighten their friendship and co-operation ties across a variety of fields, especially in the exchange of experts on agriculture and education and health care. She also anticipates that the country will continue to encourage businesses in order to intensify their investment in the East African nation.

She therefore suggested that both sides join hands in preparation for the fourth meeting of the inter-governmental committee, and arrange a visit to Vietnam for Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi as soon as possible.

In response, Ambassador Hoang conveyed a message of congratulations from Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh to Mozambique on their achievements in its role as the Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The two sides compared notes on measures aimed at boosting the bilateral traditional friendship, including the sharing of experience in terms of external affairs at regional and international forums. This comes as Mozambique gets ready to run for a non-permanent seat at the UNSC for 2022 to 2023 period.

The Ambassador also told the press that following the meeting, Mozambique can be considered one of the African nations which the country has been able to maintain close ties with in recent decades.

With an investment capital of US$600 million, the Movitel telecom joint venture in Mozambique that has received investment by Viettel Military Telecom Corporation is currently the country’s largest investment project throughout Africa.

Vietnam Airlines halts flights to France, Malaysia on Covid-19

March 18, 2020 by hanoitimes.vn

The Hanoitimes – Only passengers meeting all immigration and health requirements are allowed to board Vietnam Airlines flights.

Flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced it will temporarily suspend services between Vietnam and France starting March 17 until further notice from the competent authorities, due to a rising number of coronavirus infections in France and limited operating conditions.

A Vietname Airlines airplane. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

The routes connecting Vietnam with the UK and Germany will continue operating as planned, the carrier said in a release on Tuesday evening.

In a latest move to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Vietnamese government has decided to suspend entry of visitors from the UK and 26 Schengen countries.

In Southeast Asia, the airline will temporarily suspend flights between Vietnam and Malaysia from March 18 to March 31 after the Malaysian government’s decision to temporarily close borders and the neighboring country has become a new epicenter of the virus outbreak in Southeast Asia.