HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Backed by China, the sprawling Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is seen as a coup for Beijing in extending its influence across the region and marks its dominance in Asian trade. After eight years of wrangling over the details, the trade pact — the world’s largest in terms of GDP, say analysts — was signed on Sunday. – What is RCEP? – Launched in 2012, RCEP is a trade pact […]
Tag: Vietnam
Huge China-backed trade pact to be signed at Southeast Asian summit
by Alice Philipson with Martin Abbugao in Singapore HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Fifteen Asia-Pacific nations are set to sign an enormous free trade deal at an online summit that started Thursday, with the pact seen as a coup for China in extending its influence across the region. Once signed, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will be the world’s largest trade pact in terms of GDP, according to analysts. The pact, which was first proposed […]
UPDATED: 21 dead, dozens missing in Vietnam after typhoon brings destruction
by Quy Le Bui QUANG NAM, Vietnam (AFP) –Twenty-one people have been killed and dozens more were feared dead on Thursday after a typhoon tore through central Vietnam, triggering landslides and causing some of the worst destruction seen in years. Typhoon Molave hit villages as it made landfall a day earlier, tearing roofs from homes and bringing heavy rain to an area already badly affected by weeks of flooding. Hundreds of rescuers were desperately trying […]
Two dead, 26 missing as Typhoon Molave slams into Vietnam
QUANG NAI, Vietnam (AFP) — Two people were reported killed and 26 others missing as Typhoon Molave hit central Vietnam Wednesday, knocking down trees and tearing roofs off homes in some of the worst destruction seen in years. Authorities relocated around 375,000 people to safety, cancelled hundreds of flights and closed schools and beaches ahead of the typhoon, which made landfall south of Danang packing winds of up to 145 kilometres per hour (85 miles […]
Vietnam to evacuate half a million as Typhoon Molave approaches
QUANG NAM, Vietnam (AFP) — Flood-ravaged Vietnam has begun evacuating more than half a million people from its central coastal region as it braces for Typhoon Molave, the fourth storm to hit the country in weeks. Schools and beaches have been closed and many flights cancelled ahead of the severe typhoon. It is forecast to make landfall south of Danang around 1:00 pm (0600 GMT) Wednesday, packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometres (85 miles) […]
Floods kill 111 in central Vietnam, Storm Saudel on the way
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — More than 100 people have died and 20 others are missing in central Vietnam following weeks of severe flooding and landslides, authorities said Wednesday, as the country braced for yet another storm this weekend. About 178,000 homes have been submerged by floodwaters, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, with rescuers mounting a desperate bid to get food and drinking water to those cut off. Roads, […]
Japan, Vietnam boost defense ties as South China Sea tensions mount
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Japan and Vietnam agreed to step up security and defence cooperation Monday, reaching an agreement in principle for Tokyo to export defense equipment and technology to the Southeast Asian nation. The deal comes as concerns mount over China’s increasing assertiveness in the contested South China Sea, with Beijing expanding its military presence in the region. The pact would allow Japan to export equipment, likely including patrol planes and radar, to Vietnam, […]
Updated: 10 soldiers dead, 12 missing in Vietnam after second big landslide in days
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Ten soldiers are dead and a frantic search is under way for 12 others after a huge landslide hit central Vietnam on Sunday, as the country battles its worst flooding in years. Heavy rain has pounded the region for more than a week and at least 64 people have been killed in floods and landslides, according to Vietnam’s disaster management authority, with concerns mounting that waters could rise further. Rocks […]
Hunt for missing rescue team in flood-hit Vietnam, more rain forecast
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — A search operation has been launched for a missing rescue team as severe flooding and landslides battered central Vietnam, authorities said on Wednesday, as the country braced for further heavy rain. Close to a million people have been impacted by heavy downpours and rising waters since mid last week, with more than 200,000 homes flooded, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Thirty-six people are […]
Floods, rough seas kill 18 in Vietnam as fresh storm on the way
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — At least 18 people died and more than a dozen are missing after floods submerged homes in central Vietnam and rough seas capsized fishing boats, authorities said Monday, as another storm threatened fresh downpours. Images on state media showed entire villages under water in Quang Tri and Quang Nam, while murky floodwaters swept through the Imperial City of Hue and the tourist hotspot Hoi An over the weekend. More than a […]
Pompeo urges Southeast Asia to shun South China Sea firms
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Washington’s top diplomat urged Southeast Asia on Thursday to cut ties with Chinese companies helping build islands in the South China Sea, weeks after the US blacklisted two dozen firms working in the disputed waters. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s comments came at a regional Asian summit overshadowed by the US-China rivalry over a range of issues, from trade to the coronavirus. Tensions are also simmering over the South China […]
Malaysia coast guard kill Vietnamese fisherman in S. China Sea clash
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — The Malaysian coast guard shot dead a Vietnamese fisherman whose boat tried to ram a patrol vessel in the South China Sea, an official said Monday. The incident took place inside Malaysian waters, where local fisherman have complained in the past about Vietnamese fishing boats that damage their nets. Coast guard chief Zubil Mat Som told AFP that two Vietnamese fishing boats had entered Malaysian waters some 80 nautical miles […]





