US National Geographic Society asked to correct mistake; Deputy PM Nhan visits St. Petersburg University; Fighting corruption shaping up as a ‘heavy and complicated task’; Vietnam, Singapore forge infrastructure, tourism cooperation
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The world map published by the US National Geographic Society is wrong with a note of ‘Paracel Is. China’ in the Hoang Sa archipelago area of Vietnam, said the spokesperson of the Vietnamese foreign ministry on March 13.
Nguyen Phuong Nga made the statement in reply to a reporter’s query about Vietnam ’s reaction to the National Geographic Society’s publication of a world map in which Vietnam ’s Hoang Sa archipelago is named ‘Paracel Is. China ’.
“We request that the National Geographic correct this mistake,” Nga said. “Vietnam has indisputable sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.”
Deputy PM Nhan visits St. Petersburg University
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has expressed his hope that Saint Petersburg State University will become an important partner for Vietnam to increase cooperation in new areas such as nuclear power.
Talking to university Rector Nikolai Krobachev and students on March 12, Mr Nhan, who is on a current visit to Russia, proposed that the university undertake a joint project with Vietnam’s Le Quy Don Technology University to make it an institution, meeting international standards.
The project is of great significance in improving Vietnam’s training capacity and expanding its scope to meet the requirements for national development, said Mr Nhan.
He thanked the university for training Vietnamese officials between 1960-1990 and said his visit is to boost bilateral cooperation in various areas, especially education and training and science-technology.
Rector Kropachev praised Vietnam’s educational development in recent times and said his university is willing to share experiences, exchange expertise and provide necessary assistance to Vietnam.
Mr Nhan presented the honorary doctorate diploma to Professor Kropachev and the Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies.
Later Deputy PM Nhan met with students and representatives of Vietnamese living in Saint Petersburg.
Over the past six decades, former Soviet Union and Russia now have trained more than 70,000 officials, including more than 30,000 university graduates, 3,000 associate doctorate and 2,000 doctorate degree holders. Currently, approximately 5,000 Vietnamese students are studying at universities in Russia.
After Saint Petersburg, Mr Nhan will visit Moscow.
Fighting corruption shaping up as a ‘heavy and complicated task’
Anti-corruption will be a pressing, heavy, and complicated task this year, Vu Tien Chien, member of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV)’s Central Committee said yesterday.
Chien, who doubles as chief administrator of the CPV’s Central Committee’s Anti-Corruption Steering Board, urged cities and provinces nationwide to focus on the inspection and supervision of seven areas that have recently been bought to the centre of public attention.
They are land management, taxes, minerals and natural resources, appointments of senior Government officials, infrastructure construction, handling of corruption complaints and dealing with corruption charges in State owned enterprises, which are in the process of becoming joint stock companies.
The anti-corruption steering committee has told all of its chapters to reform their operations and restructure anti-corruption policies and mechanisms to make them more efficient and transparent.
This year, the steering committee plans to make examples of big cases that are under the public spotlight. It also plans to raise the responsibility of leaders that are responsible for fighting corruption.
The two-day conference on corruption fighting and prevention in 2010 with a vision to 2020 ended yesterday. Organisers said that ideas contributed by the steering committee’s 63 chapters improved the Anti-Corruption Action Plan for 2010.
Vietnam, Singapore forge infrastructure, tourism cooperation
Vietnam and Singapore have agreed to forge cooperation in infrastructure development and tourism, opening new prospects for boosting their economic linkage.
The agreement was reached at the fifth conference on Vietnam-Singapore economic linkage held in the Central Highland resort city of Da Lat on March 13 under the co-chair of Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc and Singaporean Minister of Industry and Trade Lim Hng Kiang.
Accordingly, the two countries have increased their fields of cooperation to eight, with the other six being on education and training, finance, communication and information, investment, trade and services and transportation, as defined in the Vietnam-Singapore Agreement on Economic Connectivity signed in 2005.
In the coming time, the two countries will prioritize cooperation in finance-banking, boost Singaporean businesses’ investment in Vietnam, promote bilateral tourist linkage, and develop human resources in the post-crisis period.
Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc affirmed that the agreements reached in this conference will offer new opportunities for the two countries to promote their linkage and development.
He stressed that specific investment and cooperation projects, plans and programmes of each ministry as well as of localities will be outlined and deployed as soon as possible.
PV
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