Bilateral development assistance

Highlights: Vietnam’s National Assembly on June 8 ratified the EVFTA and the EVIPA agreements between Vietnam and the EU. Analysts hope the trade deal will give a much-needed boost to Vietnam’s economy as it looks to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement is expected to take effect sometime ...

Early on the morning of January 8, a team from the Wildlife Inspection Unit in Chiang Kong, Chiang Rai province, Thailand, was conducting a search at the Bann Jam Pong morning market. They had been sent there by Wachirayut Kietthibudr, head of the Wildlife Inspection ...

In an effort to ensure the legality of its entire timber supply chain and exports, Viet Nam has developed a draft Timber Legality Assurance System (VNTLAS) Decree to go into effect later this year. VNTLAS is a part of Viet Nam’s Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with ...

The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA)  will commence preliminary studies for the construction of a deep-sea port at Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) this year, officials of the Dawei SEZ Committee said. “JICA first proposed the study in December 2019 but the process was waylaid by ...

Investigators have uncovered a scheme by European timber traders to evade E.U. laws by supplying Myanmar teak to the continent’s marine sector, including for decking on superyachts. The investigation by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) was based on documents obtained from the Croatian agriculture ministry. The documents detailed ...

The European Union and the French Development Agency (AFD) have established a 20-million-euro ($21.5 million) fund to help Vietnam deal with climate change. The EU will provide the money as a non-refundable grant to the AFD to run the fund. The latter will in turn provide loans ...

The E.U. has listed Cambodia as one of 12 “high-risk” countries with deficient anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing efforts, but the government on Friday said officials were working hard to get the nation off international watch lists. The European Commission on Thursday adopted a new list ...

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyễn Quốc Dũng, on behalf of Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, symbolically handed over US$50,000 as gift to the Ambassador of Myanmar to Vietnam Kyaw Soe Win to support the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at a ceremony in Hanoi on ...

The Beijing-backed and financed China-Lao high-speed railway’s official inauguration was planned for December 2021, symbolically opening coincident with the 46th anniversary of the founding of communist rule in Laos. But the Covid-19 crisis has caused delays in the 414-kilometer railway’s construction, with progress on the link ...

The European Union (EU) said it will provide €5 million (K7.9 billion) in cash to support garment workers in Myanmar who have been affected by COVID-19. The Myan Ku (Quick Assistance) emergency cash fund will go directly to cut, make, pack (CMP) workers who have lost ...