Press digest – January 11
Party Central Committee opens 14th meeting
The 14th meeting of the 11th Party Central Committee commenced on January 11 in Ha Noi under the chair of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
The conference will focus on finalizing the personnel work of the Party Central Committee, the Political Bureau, and the Secretarial and preparing the top-level personnel of the 12th tenure.
It will approve a draft list of the Presidium, the Secretariat Delegation, and the Examination Board for Delegate Eigibility for the 12th Party Congress.
NA Standing Committee opens 44th meeting
The National Assembly Standing Committee convened its 44th meeting in Hanoi on January 11.
During its three-day meeting, NA deputies will discuss the draft law on the signing, joining, and implementing international treaties, the draft law on information access, the revised law on import-export tariffs, revisions to the added value tax law, the special consumption tax law, and the tax management law.
They are set to adopt a draft resolution on announcing the date of National Assembly and People’s Council elections for the 2016-2021 term and a draft resolution on implementing some articles of the law on the organization of National Assembly and People’s Council elections.
PM approves new anti-human trafficking programme
The Prime Minister has approved a programme to crack down on human trafficking in the 2016-2020 period.
The program will be carried out across Viet Nam as well as bordering countries such as Cambodia, Laos and China in accordance with domestic and international law.
It aims to enhance public awareness of fighting human trafficking, step up the detection, investigation and prosecution of cases, as well as protect and support victims.
The program will also improve legal documents and policies on human trafficking prevention, while increasing cooperation with other countries in implementing international commitments in the field.
VN receives 12.25 bln USD in remittances in 2015
Viet Nam received US$12.25 billion in remittances in 2015, the Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon)’s newspaper reported.
According to the World Bank (WB), Viet Nam receivedUS$12.25 billion in the reviewed year, higher than 2014’s figure of US$12 billion.
The country ranks 11th in the world and 3rd in the East Asian-Pacific region in terms of foreign remittance, following China and the Philippines.
Statistics from the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs showed that nearly five million Vietnamese are residing in 103 countries and territories around the world.
Four Vietnamese cities pilot infant ID numbers
Four cities in Viet Nam have begun registering birth certificates and issuing citizen identification numbers to infants, in which every infant receives a 12-digit number that is valid for life.
The cities of Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Da Nang and HCM City have been implementing the pilot program this month, at which time the laws on civil status and citizen ID card took effect.
Parents can register for their children's birth certificate and a citizen identification number online at people's committees at grassroots levels.
VN cuts rice cultivation by 100,000 hectares in 2016
The agricultural sector plans to slash rice cultivation by 100,000 hectares in 2016 to grow other grains used to feed animals, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat.
About 7.6-7.7 million hectares of land will be set aside for rice cultivation with a total yield of 44.5 million tonnes, he stated, highlighting that the sector will enhance quality while reducing costs of rice production by using high-quality varieties with high value and applying comprehensive cultivating methods.
The Ministry will continue projects on restructuring the rice sector and building rice trademarks, together with developing such plants as cashew, pepper, tea, cassava, fruit trees, vegetables and flowers which have good markets.
VN’s GDP growth forecast to rank second in 2016
Viet Nam was forecast to attain a 6.6% GDP growth rate in 2016, the second fastest pace in the world, according to the Bloomberg.
In its analysis on economic prospects for 93 economies, Bloomberg forecast that Viet Nam’s growth rate would be only behind India with 7.4%.
Viet Nam was also projected to gain the fastest economic growth in Southeast Asia in which Indonesia was forecast to grow 5.2%; Malaysia 4.5%; and Singapore 2.3% in 2016.
VN is least sensitive to weak Chinese growth
China slowdown would hit Singapore mostly in Southeast Asia and Viet Nam is among a few countries that are least affected, according to the Bloomberg.
China's economic expansion has been a powerhouse for regional and global growth, boosting other countries' economies with demand for commodities and other imports. Now the reverse is happening - its slowdown is dragging down growth across the region./.
(Source: VGP/VOV/VNA)
