U.S. Department of State Imposes Visa Restrictions on Chinese Communist Party Officials for Undermining Hong Kong’s High Degree of Autonomy and Restricting Human Rights

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US State Department

PRESS STATEMENT

MICHAEL R. POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE

JUNE 26, 2020

President Trump promised to punish the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials who were responsible for eviscerating Hong Kong’s freedoms.  Today, we are taking action to do just that.

The CCP has stepped up efforts to undermine Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy by announcing Beijing’s authority to “supervise” Hong Kong’s governance, accusing at least one member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council of misconduct, and moving to unilaterally and arbitrarily impose national security legislation on Hong Kong.  Beijing’s continued actions undermine its commitments and obligations in the Sino-British Joint Declaration to respect Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.  At the same time, Beijing continues to undermine human rights and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong by putting pressure on local authorities to arrest pro-democracy activists and disqualify pro-democracy electoral candidates. Tiếp tục đọc “U.S. Department of State Imposes Visa Restrictions on Chinese Communist Party Officials for Undermining Hong Kong’s High Degree of Autonomy and Restricting Human Rights” →

Hong Kong’s fate is the future of globalism

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Bryan Walsh

Bryan Walsh, author of Future, Axios
A pro-democracy lawmaker in Hong Kong is arrested by police during a protest

Andrew Wan, a pro-democracy legislator, is arrested during a protest in Hong Kong, July 1. Photo: Yat Kai Yeung/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A new security law in Hong Kong is the latest blow to a globalist vision of the free movement of people, ideas and capital. Tiếp tục đọc “Hong Kong’s fate is the future of globalism” →

The 53 countries supporting China’s crackdown on Hong Kong

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CVD Admin: Vietnam did not vote one way or another.

Updated Jul 3, 2020 – World, Axios

Dave Lawler
Dave Lawler, author of World
Note: The U.S. has been highly critical of China over the law, but withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council in 2018; Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios
Note: The U.S. has been highly critical of China over the law, but withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council in 2018; Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

Dueling statements at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva shed light on geopolitical currents far beyond the walls of that institution. Tiếp tục đọc “The 53 countries supporting China’s crackdown on Hong Kong” →

Caught in ‘Ideological Spiral,’ U.S. and China Drift Toward Cold War

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The New York Times

Relations are in free fall. Lines are being drawn. As the two superpowers clash over technology, territory and clout, a new geopolitical era is dawning.

President Trump and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, at a bilateral meeting at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, last summer.
Credit…Erin Schaff/The New York Times

By Steven Lee Myers and Paul Mozur

One by one, the United States has hit at the core tenets of Xi Jinping’s vision for a rising China ready to assume the mantle of superpower.

In a matter of weeks, the Trump administration has imposed sanctions over punitive policies in Hong Kong and China’s western region of Xinjiang. It took new measures to suffocate Chinese innovation by cutting it off from American technology and pushing allies to look elsewhere. On Monday, it challenged China’s claims in the South China Sea, setting the stage for sharper confrontation.

Tiếp tục đọc “Caught in ‘Ideological Spiral,’ U.S. and China Drift Toward Cold War” →

NREL Research Points to Strategies for Recycling of Solar Panels

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Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have conducted the first global assessment into the most promising approaches to end-of-life management for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules.

PV modules have a 30-year lifespan. There is currently no plan for how to manage this at end of their lifespan. The volume of modules no longer needed could total 80 million metric tons by 2050. In addition to quantity, the nature of the waste also poses challenges. PV modules are made of valuable, precious, critical, and toxic materials. There is currently no standard for how to recycle the valuable ones and mitigate the toxic ones.

Numerous articles review individual options for PV recycling but, until now, no one has done a global assessment of all PV recycling efforts to identify the most promising approaches.

“PV is a major part of the energy transition,” said Garvin Heath, a senior scientist at NREL who specializes in sustainability science. “We must be good stewards of these materials and develop a circular economy for PV modules.”
Tiếp tục đọc “NREL Research Points to Strategies for Recycling of Solar Panels” →

What VN needs to do to attract quality FDI after Covid-19

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Update: July, 14/2020 – 08:00 VNS Share facebookChia sẻ bài viết lên TwitterShare google+|

 

A factory belonging to a foreign company in Hải Dương.  There are several things Việt Nam could do to become more attractive to foreign investors.—  VNA/VNS Photo Trần Việt

HCM CITY — Speeding up infrastructure development and improving ease of doing business and vocational training are among things Việt Nam can do to make itself more attractive to foreign investors post-Covid-19, according to investment fund VinaCapital.

Don Lam, the fund’s co-founder and CEO, said, “Consultants expect  20 per cent of China’s manufacturing sector to move out the country in the coming years. Tiếp tục đọc “What VN needs to do to attract quality FDI after Covid-19” →

Nhà Chống Lũ giới thiệu “Sổ tay Nhà An Toàn”, ngày 18/7/2020 tại C Space, Tp. Hồ Chí Minh

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NCL-truyền thông.png

GIỚI THIỆU CHƯƠNG TRÌNH

Chỉ còn một vài tuần nữa, mùa mưa lũ hàng năm sẽ đến. Trong bối cảnh thiên tai diễn biến ngày càng phức tạp, ngày càng nhiều hộ gia đình cần được đảm bảo một cuộc sống an toàn, được hướng dẫn, lưu ý và hỗ trợ kỹ thuật xây dựng nhà ở an toàn. Vì lý do này, chương trình “Nhà Chống Lũ” đã dành thời gian soạn thảo và mạnh dạn chia sẻ những kinh nghiệm đã tích lũy qua “Sổ tay Nhà An Toàn”.

“Sổ tay Nhà An Toàn” bao gồm chi tiết các mô hình nhà có khả năng thích ứng với các loại hình bão lũ điển hình tại Việt Nam, thông qua các nghiên cứu chi tiết tại nhiều vùng dự án mà chúng tôi đã thực hiện trong các năm 2013-2019. Chúng tôi mong muốn, thông qua cuốn Sổ tay này, người dân, chính quyền địa phương, các tổ chức phi lợi nhuận, các chuyên gia và các cá nhân quan tâm có thể tham khảo và áp dụng được mô hình nhà ở phù hợp, có khả năng thích ứng tốt với bối cảnh thiên tai tại địa phương và ngân sách gia đình. (Link tải về “Sổ tay Nhà An Toàn”: https://song.org.vn/nha-chong-lu-so-tay-nha-an-toan/)

Tiếp tục đọc “Nhà Chống Lũ giới thiệu “Sổ tay Nhà An Toàn”, ngày 18/7/2020 tại C Space, Tp. Hồ Chí Minh” →

Allow foreign ownership in fuel distribution, ministry proposes

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By Anh Minh   July 14, 2020 | 09:12 am GMT+7 VNExpress

Allow foreign ownership in fuel distribution, ministry proposes

An employee holds a fuel nozzle at a fuel station in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has proposed that fuel distributors be allowed to sell a maximum of 35 percent of their stake to foreign investors.

The ministry rationalized that several exceptions the government has allowed so far, such as 20 percent foreign ownership in Petrolimex and 35 percent in Petrovietnam Oil, have considerably improved the performance, competitiveness and value of these fuel distributors.

Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization in 2007 but did not open the market to foreign investors in order to allow local companies to grow and secure key positions in fuel distribution, the ministry said.

Now, after 13 years, local companies have achieved the target and need more capital to invest in storage and port infrastructure to improve production to meet domestic demand, and for this, they need foreign investment, it said.

The ministry added that the 35 percent cap will keep foreign investors from taking complete control of the sector, which is key to the nation’s economy.

Petrolimex and Petrovietnam Oil are the two main fuel distributors in Vietnam and the government holds a majority stake in both companies. Japan’s Idemitsu Q8 is the only foreign-owned petrol chain in Vietnam with four outlets since entering the market in 2017.

Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd is one of the four investors behind the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical LLC in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

Officials had said earlier that 70-75 percent of fuel consumed in Vietnam is being produced locally and the rest imported from several countries including South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.

Related News:

Vietnam poised for quick recovery once the global economy reopens

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 14 July 2020 Consultancy.asia

Although Covid-19 threw a spanner in the works for Vietnam’s thriving economic growth story, McKinsey & Company suggests that the country could resume pre-crisis growth levels by next year.

Two factors have combined to cushion the blow of Covid-19 on Vietnam’s economy, at least in comparison to other economies across Asia and the world. For one, the country was successful in containing the virus. In fact, reports highlight that the last report of community transmission of Covid-19 in Vietnam was two months ago. Tiếp tục đọc “Vietnam poised for quick recovery once the global economy reopens” →

Is the supply chain shifting to Vietnam in a post-COVID-19 world?

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Rumour has it that Vietnam is poised to be one of the biggest winners of all – let us dive a little into it

 

Rachel Lau 14 Jul, 2020 E27

Trade tensions between the US and China have been the talk of the town since the year 2018. With the two world powers undergoing a lengthy trade dispute, there are unending speculations on the impacts on both nations, and also the probable spillover effects on the Southeast Asian (SEA) countries. Tiếp tục đọc “Is the supply chain shifting to Vietnam in a post-COVID-19 world?” →

Vietnam to benefit most from global apparel manufacturing diversification

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JUL 14, 2020 / 10:40 Ngoc Thuy, HanoiTimes

The Hanoitimes – Vietnam would remain a prime candidate for gains over the near term, according to Fitch Solutions.

Vietnam, along with Bangladesh, Cambodia and Myanmar, is poised to benefit most from shifts in manufacturing in the apparel space, according to Fitch Solutions, a subsidiary of Fitch Group. Tiếp tục đọc “Vietnam to benefit most from global apparel manufacturing diversification” →

Vietnamese sailors stranded in Malaysian waters since MCO

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FMT Reporters July 14, 2020 9:13 AM
A ship carrying 12 sailors has been stranded in Malaysian waters since mid-March. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: A crew of Vietnamese sailors has been left stranded in Malaysian waters since the movement control order (MCO) came into effect in mid-March, with food and supplies running low.

The National Union of Seafarers of Peninsular Malaysia (NUSPM) said the 12 sailors had resorted to painting distress messages on their ship’s hull in order to ask for help, according to maritime news portal The Maritime Executive. Tiếp tục đọc “Vietnamese sailors stranded in Malaysian waters since MCO” →

Vietnam Airlines wants $500 mln government bailout

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By Anh Tu   VnExpress July 14, 2020 | 03:00 pm GMT+7

Vietnam Airlines wants $500 mln government bailout

A Vietnam Airlines aircraft at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Photo by Shutterstock/Cesare Palma.

Vietnam Airlines is seeking an urgent VND12 trillion ($518 million) bailout from the government as the coronavirus continues to hit its revenues.

It is likely to report a loss of VND13 trillion ($561 million) this year, with revenues falling by half from last year to around VND50 trillion ($2.2 billion), CEO Duong Tri Thanh said at a meeting on Monday.

It has stopped all regular international flights since April when it operated only four domestic flights a day on average.

In June the number of passengers rose to 84 percent of the number a year earlier. “Since 1975 there has never been fewer flights in Vietnam’s skies,” he said, referring to the year the Vietnam War ended.

He expected the domestic market to recover to pre-pandemic levels only by the end of 2021, and the international market a year later.

Government advisors said at the meeting that other options to rescue the airline include issuing more shares to existing shareholders or allowing investment by sovereign fund State Capital Investment Corporation.

One of them, Nguyen Dinh Cung, said many other governments have bailed out airlines and Vietnam should do the same.

Thanh said Vietnam Airlines has taken up the issue of funding with All Nippon Airways, which owns a 8.6 percent stake in it, but since the Japanese carrier is also in trouble it cannot provide loans now.

In Vietnam, the aviation industry has been among the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines served 14.6 million passengers in the first six months, down 46 percent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office.

Góp ý cho dự thảo Chiến lược bảo vệ môi trường Việt Nam đến năm 2030 tầm nhìn 2040

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Viện Chiến lược, Chính sách tài nguyên và môi trường  thuộc Bộ Tài Nguyên Môi Trường, đang tổ chức các Hội thảo tham vấn địa phương góp ý cho Dự thảo Chiến lược. bảo vệ môi trường Việt Nam đến năm 2030 tầm nhìn 2040, vào ngày 03 tháng 7 năm 2020 tại Hà Nội, ngày 14 tháng 7 năm 2020 tại Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, ngày 16 tháng 7 năm 2020 tại Đà Nẵng,

Tải dự thảo Chiến lược tại đây, trên website của Viện chiến lược

Dưới đây là một số quan sát, bình luận, và góp về bản thảo tổng kết và chiến lược chúng ta có thể cùng thảo luận thêm.

Bản dự thảo chiến lược là một công trình có sự chuẩn bị công phu, bao quát và phản ánh đúng hiện trạng các vấn đề nghiêm trọng và cấp bách của môi trường Việt Nam trong 10 năm gần đây và nhiều năm tiếp theo.

Phần 1: Thực trạng

Lời giới thiệu trang 2: “Chính phủ kiên quyết không hy sinh môi trường vì mục tiêu tăng trưởng kinh tế” ; và đoạn 1.1 trang 4 “Nhận thức về bảo vệ môi trường được nâng cao hơn một bước, Chính phủ xác định không hy sinh môi trường vì tăng trưởng kinh tế.” Tiếp tục đọc “Góp ý cho dự thảo Chiến lược bảo vệ môi trường Việt Nam đến năm 2030 tầm nhìn 2040” →