Vietnam PM Chinh Accorded Formal Welcome On First Official Visit To Malaysia
GENERAL
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (right) with his Vietnamese counterpart, Pham Minh Chinh (left) at the Perdana Putra Complex today. --fotoBERNAMA (2025) COPYRIGHT RESERVED
PUTRAJAYA, May 25 (Bernama) -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who is on his first official visit to Malaysia, was accorded a formal welcome at the Perdana Putra Complex today.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim received his Vietnamese counterpart upon arrival at 2.30 pm, followed by the playing of both national anthems.
Chinh then inspected a guard of honour mounted by three officers and 103 personnel from the First Battalion of the Royal Ranger Regiment (Ceremonial), led by Major Mohamad Waqiyudin Abd Rahman.
Also in attendance were Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said; Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang; Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, foreign diplomats and senior government officials.
Chinh is accompanied by his spouse, Le Thi Bich Tran, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, as well as several cabinet ministers and senior Vietnamese officials.
Chinh assumed office in April 2021. His visit comes ahead of the 46th ASEAN Summit, Second ASEAN-GCC Summit and ASEAN-China-GCC Summit, all scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur on May 26 and 27.
Following the welcome ceremony, Chinh and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim held a bilateral meeting to review the progress of Malaysia-Vietnam relations, which were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in November 2024.
Wisma Putra, in a statement, said discussions centred on key sectors such as trade and investment, defence and security, agriculture, the halal industry, renewable energy, tourism, and digital technology.
The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments, reaffirming ASEAN's role as a cohesive and responsive platform in navigating shared challenges amid evolving geopolitical and geoeconomic landscapes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
38 minutes ago
- The Star
Hong Kong's still ‘over' but Stephen Roach says city a surprise trade war winner
American economist Stephen Roach has said that Hong Kong has benefited from the US-China trade war despite last year having declared the city to be 'over', even as he claimed that other aspects of the financial hub had worsened. The former Morgan Stanley Asia chairman sparked debate last year after he penned an opinion piece which argued, in part, that Hong Kong would be caught in the 'crossfire' of the worsening US-China rivalry. 'The word caught is the word that, if I had to write the piece again, I would probably change, because I think, ironically, Hong Kong has benefited from the crossfire between the US and China,' he told the Post in a recent interview. Despite worsening ties between the two superpowers since US President Donald Trump began levying his so-called reciprocal tariffs on China and the rest of the world, Hong Kong's stock market has seen solid gains. The benchmark Hang Seng Index is up by around 50 per cent since Roach made his original claim, while Hong Kong has rocketed to the top of the global fundraising table following a string of high-profile initial public offerings last month, including from mainland Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology. Roach, who is now a faculty member at Yale University, said the 'sell America' trade had become a 'global mantra' and Hong Kong was a beneficiary. But asked whether he felt his initial assessment of the city being 'over' was premature, he noted he would say the same again. 'No economy or city state is over ... but this image of a dynamic, powerful system as part of the 'one country, two systems' model, I think that's just as close to being over today as it was when I originally wrote the piece,' he said, referring to the city's governing principle. 'The governance story is still, I think, very much working against this notion of Hong Kong as a free, independent, autonomous city state. If anything, it's gotten worse.' Roach added that the strong performance of the city's stock market had 'instilled sort of a new swagger in Hong Kong bordering on denial'. He said there were 'questions that could be raised' about the city's independent rule of law, pointing to the departure of foreign non-permanent judges. He also raised concerns about the fast-tracking of the domestic national security law last year and what he described as continuing efforts to 'quash dissent'. While the Hong Kong government had 'risen to the challenge' to demonstrate to the world that the city should be considered 'special', American investors in particular had developed an 'unwillingness' to distinguish it from the rest of China, he said. 'Where I've come out, reluctantly, is that as great a city as Hong Kong is, it's just another big Chinese city,' he said. 'I think it's increasingly a one country, one system model with a solid financial capital raising infrastructure embedded in Hong Kong.' Executive Council convenor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who previously hit back at Roach over his 'Hong Kong is over' remarks, maintained that the American economist did not understand the city. She said the 'pessimistic views' Roach expressed last year 'were primarily based on the Hong Kong stock market's poor performance'. 'He overlooked China's strength in technological innovations and Hong Kong's unique advantages based on its separate systems. We are the only part of China that can invest, manage and provide trading platforms for digital assets.' She cited the city's recently passed law on stablecoins, which she said would help Hong Kong be the country's 'testing ground' for cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency token that maintain a fixed value by being pegged to a reference asset, typically fiat currencies such as the US dollar. The law, which was passed last month and is set to take effect later this year, establishes a regulatory regime for stablecoins, paving the way for issuers to obtain licences and sell the digital assets to the public. 'Despite ongoing US-China tensions, Hong Kong will continue to have an important role to play in building bridges between China and the West,' Ip said. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Vietnam's trade surplus with US surges, complicating tariff talks
Sales staff work at an Apple shop in Hanoi, Vietnam Thursday, April 10, 2025. Vietnam is home to large manufacturing operations of US multinationals such as Apple, Intel and Nike. - AP HANOI: Vietnam's trade surplus with the US expanded sharply in May as exports swelled and its imports from China also jumped, exacerbating sore points with Washington that could hurt Hanoi's efforts to avoid crippling tariffs. Separate trade data from the US also showed Vietnam's surplus overtook Mexico's in April, lagging only China and the European Union. US President Donald Trump has vowed to bring down the US trade deficit and the South-East Asian country faces one of his highest "reciprocal" tariffs at 46 per cent if a deal cannot be negotiated before a pause on the levies ends in early July. Despite Hanoi's efforts and pledges to meet Washington's demands, the surplus keeps growing, particularly as exporters rush to get their goods to the US before the tariffs go into effect. The new figures "may put some clouds in the sky of these negotiations and put pressure on Vietnam to make additional concessions to reach an agreement," said Leif Schneider, vice chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam's legal sector committee. The surplus with the United States surged to US$12.2 billion in May, up nearly 42 per cent from a year earlier and 17 per cent higher than April, Vietnamese government data showed on Friday. Exports to the US also climbed roughly 42 per cent from a year earlier to a post-pandemic high of US$13.8 billion. That stands in contrast to signs that other countries are reining in their exports to the United States with the US trade deficit narrowing sharply in April. Schneider noted that while Vietnam's spike in exports was largely due to front-loading ahead of possible tariffs, and represents a short-term inflation of the surplus, Vietnam is in a particularly hard spot because of its limited imports from the United States. In the first five months of the year, the surplus hit nearly US$50 billion, up 28.5 per cent and putting Vietnam on track to exceed last year's record surplus. The country's imports from China also posted a post-pandemic record of US$16.2 billion in May, up 21 per cent from a year earlier. Vietnam is home to large manufacturing operations of US multinationals such as Apple, Intel and Nike, and it also hosts numerous Chinese companies, often suppliers to US firms. US officials have repeatedly accused Vietnam of being used as a waypoint for Chinese goods destined for the United States. They allege that some goods have "Made in Vietnam" labels despite having received no or insufficient added value in the country - allowing Chinese exporters to avoid high US duties on their goods. The US has sent a "long" list of "tough" requests to Vietnam in its tariff negotiations, including demands that could force the country to cut its reliance on Chinese industrial goods imports, two people briefed about the matter have said. Under US pressure, Hanoi has launched a crackdown on illegal transshipments of goods, mostly from China. It has also repeatedly shown its willingness to reduce non-tariff barriers and to import more US goods, including US planes, farm products and energy, although no purchase contracts have been announced yet. Vietnam's overall trade figures with the world showed exports in May rose 17 per cent from a year earlier to US$39.6 billion, while imports were up 14 per cent at US$39 billion. Separate government data also out on Friday showed industrial production in May shot up 9.4 per cent from a year earlier, while consumer prices rose 3.24 per cent and retail sales were up 10.2 per cent. Foreign investment inflows for January-May climbed 7.9 per cent to US$8.9 billion. Foreign investment pledges over the period soared 51.2 per cent to US$18.4 billion. - Reuters
Barnama
3 hours ago
- Barnama
National Youth Day Celebration To Showcase Elements Of ASEAN
GENERAL By R. Vikneswaran KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 (Bernama) -- The National Youth Day (HBN) celebration on June 13-15 will be unique as it will showcase elements of ASEAN, in line with Malaysia's Chairmanship of ASEAN 2025. The HBN Secretariat said the programme for the celebration at Dataran Merdeka includes the ASEAN Pavillion and ASEAN Concert to create the spirit of the ASEAN community and strengthen the culture of ASEAN countries among the youth. "The role of youth is seen as vital to strengthening ASEAN's regional network, particularly future collaborations in the fields of economy, leadership, education, technological innovation and social. In fact, youth can also act as junior ambassadors who can elevate the country's image globally,' it said in a statement. Themed "Yakin Boleh' (Believe You Can), the highlight of the 61st HBN celebration will be attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who will officiate the event and present the 2025 National Premier Youth Award (APBN) on June 14. "The theme illustrates the confidence, capability and competitiveness of the youth in facing challenges, including that of the current digital era. This theme also aligns with the MADANI government's efforts to empower youths through various strategic initiatives as well as the values of confidence within the MADANI framework,' it added. With the targeted presence of 4 million visitors, the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS), through the National Youth and Sports Department (JBSN), has activated the HBN celebration at the grassroots level by implementing the Semarak HBN initiative in 113 districts nationwide since May 15. At the national level, the Semarak HBN initiative has been further enlivened by the inclusion of the National Youth Convention; eSports games and activities; career and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) carnivals; as well as programmes on fitness, leadership, arts, music and culture and awareness of mental health and cyberbullying. Other programmes include the Suara Belia (Voice of the Youth) podcast; the recitation of the Malaysian Youth Pledge at various levels; the 2025 HBN Special Islamic Affairs Premier Forum; and the implementation of Special Friday sermons nationwide through the collaboration of the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (JAKIM) and State Islamic Religious departments.
