Politik - Demokratie (2019/1)

Indonesia protests to China over border intrusion near South China Sea

31.12.2019 (Asahi Shimbun) - JAKARTA--Indonesia said on Monday it had protested to Beijing over the presence of a Chinese coastguard vessel in its territorial waters near the disputed South China Sea, saying it marked a "violation of sovereignty."

The boat trespassed into Indonesia's exclusive economic zone off the coast of the northern islands of Natuna, Indonesia's foreign ministry said in a statement. It did not say when the incident occurred.

"The foreign affairs ministry has summoned the Chinese ambassador in Jakarta and conveyed a strong protest regarding this incident. A diplomatic note of protest has also been sent," it said. [read more]

Vietnam: les luttes intestines du régime planent sur la campagne anti-corruption

30.12.2019 (RFI) - Un ancien ministre en charge de l’Information a été condamné à la prison à vie et un haut dirigeant du parti a été arrêté ce week-end dans le cadre d’une affaire anti-corruption. Mais pour certains observateurs, derrière la lutte anti-corruption se cache aussi une lutte de pouvoir interne.

Alors que l’ex-ministre en charge de l'Information a été condamné à la prison à vie pour corruption ce samedi, la police a procédé à l’arrestation d'un haut dirigeant du parti de Hanoi, ex-directeur du bureau d'investissement de la ville, dans le cadre d’une enquête anti-corruption déclenchée il y a quelques mois et liée à l’entreprise de télécommunications Nhât Cuong. [en savoir plus]

The Next China? Vietnam Looks Good Only on Paper

29.12.2019 Shuli Ren (Bloomberg News) - A young labor force, a real estate boom, a politically stable Communist-led country that can reap riches through exports and a friendly relationship with the U.S. — many have compared Vietnam to what China was more than two decades ago. Add one more trait to this mix as we enter the 2020s: profitless prosperity.

The benchmark Ho Chi Minh Stock Index rose only 7.3% year-to-date, lagging well behind 32% gains in mainland China’s Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 Index. While emerging markets staged a Santa rally in December, Vietnamese stocks headed the other way. [read more]

Vietnam ex-minister gets life sentence in bribery case

28.12.2019 (Daily Mail) - A court in Vietnam sentenced a former communications minister to life in prison Saturday for receiving millions of dollars in bribes, as the hardline administration presses its anti-graft drive against once-powerful figures in the communist state.

Nguyen Bac Son was charged alongside his then-deputy Truong Minh Tuan with receiving $3.2 million in bribes to approve the 2015 purchase of a TV firm that would have lost state-run telecommunications firm Mobifone $300 million.

Since Vietnam's transition to a hardline ultra-conservative administration in 2016, the government has ramped up an anti-corruption campaign which has jailed dozens of senior officials, bankers and businessmen. Some observers believe the drive to be politically motivated. [read more]

In East China Sea, Beijing plays long game

26.12.2019 By Grant Newsham (Asia Times) - Geography blocks China’s access to the open Pacific, so it is beefing up its navy and strategizing a breakout.

From Beijing’s perspective, the East China Sea resembles a lake – with the Chinese coast on the west side, the Japanese Nansei Shoto (Ryukyu) islands and Japan’s main islands on the east side, Taiwan on the south edge and Korea at the north end.

Chinese forces dominate the west of the “lake” – but not the other parts, which include vital access routes to the open Pacific. There, adversaries are well-positioned to monitor or shut strategic gaps. [read more]

Minderheitenpolitik in China: Chinas Ethnien zwischen Anpassung und Widerstand

24.12.2019 Autor Hans Spross (DW) - In Tibet hat China weitgehend "Stabilität" nach seinen Vorstellungen hergestellt, in Xinjiang arbeitet es noch daran. Auch die Hui-Minderheit, Muslime wie die Uiguren, wird schärfer reglementiert.

Die Integration der verschiedenen Minderheiten in die von den Han dominierte chinesische Gesellschaft ist unterschiedlich stark. Während die zu den größten Minderheiten gehörenden Zhuang im Süden oder Manchu im Nordosten weitgehend assimiliert sind, beharren Tibeter und Uiguren auf ihrer Eigenständigkeit. [Weiterlesen]

Why Old Friends China, Malaysia Suddenly Disagree over Tract of Sea

23.12.2019 By Ralph Jennings (VOA) - TAIPEI, TAIWAN - China and Malaysia, old friends with a complex trade and investment relationship, are disagreeing over Malaysia's rights to extend sovereignty into part of a disputed sea that's rich in fossil fuel reserves.

On Dec. 12, the Southeast Asian nation submitted documentation to the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf about plans to extend its rights over the South China Sea beyond 370 kilometers from its baselines. [read more]

Südchinesisches Meer: Machtspiele auf offener See

22.12.2019 Eine Analyse von Hauke Friederichs und Steffen Richter (Die Zeit) - Malaysia zensiert einen Hollywood-Kinderfilm, Vietnam verbietet ihn. Dahinter steckt ein Konflikt von weltpolitischer Dimension. Hauptakteure: China und die USA.

Was hat ein rührseliger Kinderfilm aus Hollywood mit harten Machtkonflikten rund um China und die Vereinigten Staaten zu tun? Warum zensiert Malaysia den Animationsfilm "Everest – Ein Yeti will hoch hinaus" und Vietnam verbietet ihn gleich ganz? Das Werk hat diesen Herbst in Südostasien für viel Ärger gesorgt und das allein wegen einer winzigen Einstellung, in der eine Karte vom Südchinesischen Meer mitsamt der sogenannten Neun-Striche-Linie zu sehen ist [Weiterlesen]

267 Millionen Facebook-Datensätze online

20.12.2019 (Linux Magazin) - Eine Facebook-Datenbank mit 267 Millionen Nutzernamen, IDs und Telefonnummern ist im Netz aufgetaucht.

Die Informationen zu dem Datensatz stammen von einem Unternehmen namens Comparitech, die sich laut einem Blogpost mit dem Security-Forscher Bob Diatschenko zusammengetan hat.

Die gefundenen Daten betreffen mehrheitlich amerikanische Nutzer. Diatschenko und Comparitech vermuten, dass Kriminelle aus Vietnam die Daten gestohlen haben. [Weiterlesen]

Police in Vietnam Detain Falun Gong Follower, Seize Her Pamphlets

19.12.2019 (RFA) - Police in Vietnam’s northern Quang Ninh province detained a garment worker suspected of recruiting for the Falun Gong spiritual movement this week, confiscating 65 leaflets she was carrying, state media sources said.

Dang Thi Hau, a resident of the Don Dac commune in the province’s Ba Che district, was taken into custody on Dec. 16, according to a Dec. 18 notice from the Ministry of Information and Communications and an article in the Quang Ninh newspaper on Dec. 17. [read more]

Vietnam fights China's 'nine-dash line' amid old enmities

18.12.2019 by Sen Nguyen (AlJazeera) - Vietnam is pushing back on Chinese claims over the South China Sea targeting Beijing's controversial nine-dash line.

It came as no surprise to Vietnamese student Doan Thanh Hai that China's infamous nine-dash line has been causing trouble in his country.

China has long used the geographical demarcation to claim an historical connection to much of the resource-rich South China Sea, including large areas that are claimed also by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. [read more]

MILITÄRMACHT CHINA: China feiert sich - und seinen Flugzeugträger

17.12.2019 (DW) - Mit ganz viel Pomp und noch mehr Nationalstolz hat China seinen ersten selbstgebauten Flugzeugträger in Dienst gestellt. Der Feier mit Staats- und Parteichef Xi Jinping ging ein ganz besonderes Manöver voraus.

Es war eine Machtdemonstration: Die Zeremonie fand auf dem großen Marinestützpunkt Sanya auf der südchinesischen Insel Hainan statt - unweit der von China beanspruchten Seegebiete im Südchinesischen Meer. Vorher war der Flugzeugträger "Shandong" schon durch die Meerenge von Taiwan gefahren. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam’s workers finally lose their chains

16.12.2019 By David Hutt (Asia Times) - New FTAs force ruling Communist Party to allow independent unions that could deter not promote new foreign investment.

Vietnam will soon allow for the formation of independent trade unions for the first time under Communist Party rule, a move required for its participation in newly signed free trade agreements (FTAs), but one that may give investors pause if it fuels already percolating labor unrest.

Currently, all trade unions must be approved by and affiliated with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VGCL), a state-run federation that is part of the Party’s Fatherland Front, which manages all of the nation’s so-called “mass organizations.” [read more]

Zwei Ex-Minister wegen Korruption vor Gericht

16.12.2019  (Der Farang) - HANOI (dpa) - Zwei frühere vietnamesische Informationsminister müssen sich wegen Korruption vor Gericht verantworten.

Am Montag begann in der Hauptstadt Hanoi der Prozess gegen den 66-jährigen Nguyen Bac Son und den 59-jährigen Truong Minh Tuan, wie Staatsmedien berichteten. Die beiden sollen Schmiergelder in Millionenhöhe von einem staatlichen Mobilfunkkonzern angenommen haben, um den Erwerb einer TV-Firma zu begünstigen. [Weiterlesen]

China finanziert eine Autobahn in Montenegro: vom Traum zur Tragödie

14.12.2019 von Andrea Jeska (Frankfurter Rundschau) - Eine von China finanzierte Autobahn soll das Land Montenegro aus Isolation und Armut befreien - es gibt jedoch erhebliche Bedenken.

„Die Straße ist Leben.“ So wirbt die Regierung von Montenegro für die Bar-Boljare-Autobahn, das „Jahrhundertprojekt“ des kleinen Balkanlandes. Ein Leben, das lange brauchte, um zu solchem zu werden.

Man muss dieses Sehnen in Betracht ziehen, um zu verstehen, wie aus Traum Tragödie wurde. Ein halbes Jahrhundert später ist die Straße im Bau und Montenegro das erste Land in Europa, das – so wie schon vor ihm Sri Lanka, Djibouti und die Mongolei – in einen Teufelskreis der Verschuldung und in finanzielle Abhängigkeit von China geraten könnte.

Der Kredit der Chinesen, 809 Millionen Euro und damit 85 Prozent der Baukosten, hat die Auslandsverschuldung Montenegros auf annähernd 80 Prozent getrieben. Eine schwindelerregende Zahl, wenn man dagegen rechnet, welche Einnahmen und Wachstumsmöglichkeiten Montenegro hat. [Weiterlesen]

The Vietnamese football club that defies China

12.12.2019 (The Economist) - Its name rejects Beijing’s expansive claims to the South China Sea.

It is just a practice match, but the footballers are wearing their full kit anyway. As the shadows stretch across the pitch in inner-city Hanoi, the words emblazoned on their bright yellow jerseys catch the eye. “No-u fc” is not so much a name as a cri de coeur. u refers to the u-shaped “nine-dash line”, a curve on a map delimiting China’s sweeping claims to the South China Sea. These include a wide area that international law recognises as belonging to Vietnam. [read more]

Vietnam’s Internet Control: Following in China’s Footsteps?

11.12.2019 By Justin Sherman (The Diplomat) - Vietnam’s new cybersecurity law suggests that the government is attempting to follow China’s model of internet control.

On January 1 of this year, a new cybersecurity law entered into effect in Vietnam after its passage in the Vietnamese National Assembly in June 2018. The law (original; unofficial translation) had a number of concerning elements, which included granting the government relatively unchecked authorities to delete or block access to data infringing upon cybersecurity, defined as “national security, social order and safety, or the lawful rights and interests or agencies, organizations and individuals”;...

Immediately after the law took effect, for example, the Vietnamese government said Facebook was violating the law by allowing “slanderous” content about the government to remain on the platform. [read more]

Vietnam struggles to stay a trade war winner

10.12.2019 By David Hutt (Asia Times) - Vietnam is under rising US pressure to stop transshipment of tariff-dodging China-made goods.

Vietnam, widely regarded as one of the US-China trade war’s biggest winners, is stepping up efforts to prevent US-bound China-made goods from being transported through its territory to dodge US tariffs.

Whether US trade officials are convinced that effort is genuine and effective will likely determine if Vietnam’s trade war win becomes a loss in the months ahead. [read more]

Naval Resupply Advance Gives China New Edge in Maritime Disputes

09.12.2019 (VOA) - A Chinese military supply ship has made its first transfer from a civilian vessel, Chinese media say. Routine though that may sound, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported that the mid-November operation near the southeast coast kicks off a bigger program to resupply naval ships without requiring a return to shore.

Improved at-sea resupply capacity in turn will enable the People’s Liberation Army Navy better to control tracts of disputed waterways in East Asia and operate in other parts of the world, particularly the Indian Ocean, analysts believe. [read more]

Zahradil 'conflict of interest' over EU-Vietnam trade deal

09.12.2019 By Nikolaj Nielsen (EUobserver) - An MEP spearheading EU trade talks with Vietnam says he doesn't have to declare his role in a group with ties to the ruling repressive communist state regime in Hanoi - despite European Parliament rules.

"I have no paid function there, this as I said before is a rather honorary function and it is not very active," Jan Zahradil, the Czech MEP and former Spitzenkandidat for the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), told EUobserver on Tuesday (3 December). [read more]

Will the Chinese Century End Quicker Than It Began?

08.12.2019 by Richard Javad Heydarian (The National Interest) - China’s new paramount leader, Xi Jinping, has completely discarded the low-key diplomacy of his predecessors in favor of an all-out bid for global primacy.

Reflecting on the future of the global order, the late Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew warned that the rise of China is so consequential that it won’t only require tactical adjustment by its neighbors, but instead an overhaul in the global security architecture. As the former Asian leader bluntly put it, though “[t]he Chinese will [initially] want to share this century as co-equals with the U.S.” they ultimately have the “intention to be the greatest power in the world” eventually. [read more]

Ericsson akzeptiert Milliardenvergleich

07.12.2019 (DW) - Der schwedische Netzwerkausrüster Ericsson hat sich mit den US-Behörden auf einen Vergleich geeinigt, um ein Korruptionsverfahren abzuschließen. Das Unternehmen zahle mehr als eine Milliarde Dollar (900 Milliarden Euro) wegen Verstößen gegen Anti-Bestechungs-Gesetze, teilte das Justizministerium in Washington mit.

Gegen Ericsson war wegen fragwürdiger Geschäftspraktiken in mindestens fünf Ländern in früheren Jahren ermittelt worden. Laut US-Justizministerium waren in das "korrupte" Verhalten "ranghohe Führungskräfte über einen Zeitraum von mehr als 17 Jahren" einbezogen. Der Vergleich bezieht sich auf illegale Aktivitäten in China, Dschibuti, Indonesien, Kuwait und Vietnam. Der Konzern hatte bereits mit einer hohen Strafe gerechnet und entsprechende Rückstellungen gebildet. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam Draws Lines in the Sea - Hanoi’s new defense white paper reflects fears of Chinese encroachment.

06.12.2019 by Huong Le Thu (Foreign Policy) - The 2019 defense white paper released last month, Vietnam’s first in 10 years, doesn’t offer detailed updates on the force structure and organization of its military forces and makes only a passing reference to the defense budget spending in a footnote about the fluctuation in the percentage of the GDP for defense budget, which was at 2.36 percent in 2018. Many long-term doctrines are reasserted in the white paper, including the much quoted “three no’s”: no military alliances, no foreign bases and usage of the territory for military activities, and no siding with one country against another. [read more]

BMW von Hackern ausgespäht

06.12.2019 Von Hakan Tanriverdi und Josef Streule, BR (Tagesschau) - Einer Hackergruppe ist es nach Informationen des BR gelungen, in Computernetzwerke von BMW einzudringen. Es soll sich um eine Gruppe handeln, die im Auftrag des Staates Vietnam agiert.

Der Angriff der mutmaßlich vietnamesischen Hackergruppe begann im Frühjahr 2019. Am vergangenen Wochenende nahm der Automobilkonzern aus München die betroffenen Rechner schließlich vom Netz. Zuvor hatten IT-Sicherheitsexperten des Konzerns die Hacker über Monate hinweg beobachtet. Das ergeben Recherchen des Bayerischen Rundfunks. Auch auf den südkoreanischen Auto-Hersteller Hyundai hatten es die Hacker demnach abgesehen.

Die eingesetzten Werkzeuge und das Vorgehen der Hacker deuten auf eine Gruppe hin, die "OceanLotus" genannt wird. Die Gruppe ist IT-Sicherheitsexperten seit 2014 bekannt. Vermutet wird, dass diese Hacker für den Staat Vietnam spionieren. [Weiterlesen]

US, China rivalry puts Vietnam in a no-win bind

04.12.2019 By David Hutt (Asia Times) - Hanoi is finding it increasingly difficult to strike a non-aligned balance between the rival superpowers.

When a Chinese survey ship departed energy-rich waters claimed by Vietnam, many saw the two sides’ three-month standoff over the Vanguard Bank as indication that Hanoi is becoming bolder in challenging Beijing in the South China Sea.

Now, as Vietnam more firmly stands its ground in the maritime area, some wonder if the recent confrontation reflects a discernible shift in Hanoi’s foreign policy away from China and towards its ex- adversary and emerging strategic partner the United States [read more]

Eleven North Korean defectors detained in Vietnam, seek to block deportation: activists

02.12.2019 Sangmi Cha (Reuters) - SEOUL - Eleven North Koreans seeking to defect to South Korea have been detained in Vietnam since Nov. 23 and are seeking help to avoid being repatriated, a South Korean activist group said on Monday.

The eight women and three men were detained by border guards in northern Vietnam two days after crossing from China, and are being held in the city of Lang Son, the Seoul-based Justice for North Korea said in a statement. [read more]

Kidnappingfall Trinh Xuan Thanh - Rechnung für Regierungsflug

01.12.2019 Marina Mai (taz) - BERLIN  - 2017 wurde ein vietnamesischer Ex-Kader von Berlin nach Hanoi entführt. Nun belastet eine Rechnung den damaligen slowakischen Innenminister.

Der Fall der Entführung des Ex-Politikers Trinh Xuan Thanh von Berlin nach Hanoi durch den vietnamesischen Geheimdienst bewegt wieder die Politik – aber nicht in Deutschland oder Viet­nam, sondern in der Slowakei. Dort hat der Polizeikritiker Ivan Matušík ein Dokument aus den Archiven des Innenministeriums ausgegraben, das Medien und Politik dort in Atem hält: eine Rechnung über 17.000 Euro des slowakischen Innenministeriums an das Innenministerium in Viet­nam über Flugkosten nach Moskau für den 26. Juli 2017. [Weiterlesen]

Südkorea und fünf Mekong-Anrainer intensivieren Zusammenarbeit

30.11.2019 (KBS World Radio) - Südkorea und fünf Anrainerstaaten des Flusses Mekong haben zum Abschluss ihres ersten bilateralen Gipfels am Mittwoch in Busan, eine Erklärung mit Konzepten für die zukünftige Zusammenarbeit angenommen.

Präsident Moon Jae-in und die Spitzenvertreter der Länder Kambodscha, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand und Vietnam einigten sich darauf, Erfahrungen bei der Wirtschaftsentwicklung zu teilen und nach gemeinsamem Wohlstand zu streben.

In der Erklärung wurden Kultur und Tourismus, Entwicklung von humanen Leistungspotenzialen, ländliche Entwicklung, Infrastruktur, Information und Kommunikation, Umwelt und neue Sicherheitsstrategien zu vorrangigen Bereichen für die Kooperation bestimmt. [Weiterlesen]

„Eiskalte Propaganda statt harmloser Teezeremonien“ - FDP warnt vor Konfuzius-Instituten an deutschen Unis

29.11.2019 (Der Tagesspiegel) - Von Peking gesteuerte Institute tragen laut FDP-Bildungsexperte chinesische Propaganda an deutsche Unis. Er fordert: Endlich den Geldhahn zudrehen.

Die FDP im Bundestag warnt vor chinesischer Einflussnahme an deutschen Hochschulen durch sogenannte Konfuzius-Institute. „Hinter scheinbar harmlosen Teezeremonien und Sprachkursen versteckt sich die eiskalte Propaganda eines autoritären Regimes. Das hat an unseren Hochschulen nichts verloren“, sagte der FDP-Bildungsexperte Jens Brandenburg der Deutschen Presse-Agentur. [Weiterlesen]

Workers of Vietnam, Unite?

29.11.2019 By David Hutt (The Diplomat) - A revised labor code could have important implications for how trade unions operate in the country.

Vietnam’s revised Labor Code, agreed to overwhelmingly by the National Assembly on November 20, was mixed news for workers. It failed to reduce maximum working day limits, which stayed at eight hours a day or 48 hours a week.

Most promising and unprecedented, however, is that the revised Labor Code will, for the first time, allow independent trade unions to operate.

Naturally, one must wait and see if this is going to be the kind of cosmetic change the Vietnamese Communist Party is used to making, which looks good on paper but is never properly implemented. [read more]

Beijing turns South China Sea code into barrier for US and Japan

28.11.2019 (Nikkei Asian Review) - TOKYO -- China has changed tack on a proposed South China Sea code of conduct with Southeast Asian countries, potentially paving the way to exclude rivals, including the U.S. and Japan, from the hotly contested waters.

"China's goal is to tie ASEAN's hands with rules that are convenient for Beijing, and to eliminate or restrict outside influence on the South China Sea," a Japanese official said. [read more]

Ab heute in Berlin: Wieviel Konfuzius ist überhaupt in den Konfuzius-Instituten?

27.11.2019 Von Christina Spirk (The Epoch Times) - Und das nicht nur wegen Spionage. Der Film "In the Name of Confucius" will mit Veranstaltungen in Berlin und neun anderen Städten diesen "blinden Fleck" aufklären.

Universitäten in den USA, Kanada oder Schweden (Stockholm) haben ihre Konfuzius-Institute geschlossen. Währenddessen werden die neunzehn Konfuzius-Institute in Deutschland bislang kaum kritisch hinterfragt. Konfuzius-Institute wurden weltweit als Institutionen bekannt, die von der Kommunistischen Partei Chinas für Spionage, die Vermittlung der Parteikultur und der Ideologie unter dem Deckmantel der traditionellen chinesischen Kultur genutzt werden.

Der Dokumentarfilm „In the Name of Confucius“ will mit einer Veranstaltungsreihe diesen „blinden Fleck“ in Deutschland nun aufklären. Dazu bringen die „Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker“, die „Tibet Initiative Deutschland“ sowie Regisseurin Doris Liu die Dokumentation in neun deutsche und eine österreichische Städte. Insgesamt stehen elf Filmvorführungen auf dem Plan. [Weiterlesen]

Busting the myth of China’s New Silk Roads

27.11.2019 By Bertil Lintner, Chiang Mai (Asia Times) - Beijing draws on flawed history and appropriates modern misnomers to soft sell its Belt and Road Initiative.

If China’s state media and other propaganda organs are to be believed, Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is reopening ancient trade routes around the world once known as the “Silk Roads.”

The historical term conjures images of desert caravans of silk and other traders crossing from China through Central Asia and on to European markets.

But there is no credible historical record of a “Southern Silk Road” connecting China and India, as China’s multiple attempts to penetrate Myanmar miserably failed. Nor did China historically engage in trade-promoting maritime ventures after its only ancient explorer of the seas, Zheng He, sailed across the Indian Ocean in the 15th century. [read more]

Vietnam publishes 2019 Defence White Paper, with eye on boosting self-sufficiency

26.11.2019 Jon Grevatt, Bangkok (Jane's Defence Industry) - Vietnam published on 25 November its Defence White Paper 2019, which outlines the country’s commitment to self-sufficiency and specifically its pledge towards the ‘Three No’ policy that was highlighted in previous White Papers.

Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh said in comments published in a Ministry of National Defence (MND) press release that the new White Paper outlines Vietnam’s commitment to self-sufficiency and specifically its pledge towards the ‘Three No’ policy that was highlighted in previous White Papers.

Vinh also indicated the inclusion in the 2019 White Paper of a ‘fourth no’: that Vietnam will not use force or threaten to use force in international relations. [read more]

Vietnam’s Big Ethnic Challenge

22.11.2019 By David Hutt (The Diplomat) - The plight of Vietnam’s ethnic groups seems to be weighing heavily on the Communist Party’s mind in recent weeks, with the Politburo stating earlier this month that more action is needed to raise the economic situation of Vietnam’s 53 ethnic minority groups.

The focus speaks to a larger challenge for Vietnam. Simply put, as nationwide poverty figures have dramatically reduced since the 2000s, and living standards improved, such progress haven’t been shared by the ethnic groups, who make up around 14 percent of the country’s population but who constituted 73 percent of the poor in 2016, the World Bank has found. [read more]

U.S. to provide ship to Vietnam to boost South China Sea patrols

20.11.2019 (Reuters) - HANOI - The United States announced on Wednesday it will provide Vietnam with another coast guard cutter for its growing fleet of ships, boosting Hanoi’s ability to patrol the South China Sea amid tensions with China.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper disclosed the decision during an address in Vietnam, which has emerged as the most vocal opponent in Asia of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

In his speech, Esper took aim at China, which he accused of “bullying” neighbors, like Vietnam. [read more]

Papst an junge Vietnamesen: „Liebt euer Zuhause“

20.11.2019 (Vatican News) - Während Franziskus auf seiner 32. Apostolischen Reise in Thailand eingetroffen ist, hat der Vatikan an diesem Mittwoch eine Videobotschaft veröffentlicht, die der Papst an ein anderes südostasiatisches Land gerichtet hat. Zum Jugendtag in den nordvietnamesischen Diözesen erinnert er die jungen Katholiken des Landes an die Bedeutung ihrer kulturellen und religiösen Wurzeln und lobt den Respekt vor Eltern und alten Menschen, der in ihrer Kultur hochgehalten wird. [Weiterlesen]

China Calls on US to 'Stop Flexing Muscles' in South China Sea

18.11.2019 By Reuters (VOA) - BANGKOK - China on Monday called on the U.S. military to stop flexing its muscles in the South China Sea and to avoid adding "new uncertainties" over Taiwan, during high-level talks that underscored tension between the world's two largest economies.

The remarks by Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe to U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, recounted by a Chinese spokesman, came just two weeks after a top White House official denounced Chinese "intimidation" in the busy waterway. [read more]

China sails carrier through Taiwan Strait, drawing Taipei's ire

18.11.2019 (Nikkei Asian Review) - BEIJING (Reuters) -- China's first domestically-built aircraft carrier is on its way to the South China Sea for tests and to take part in exercises, the Chinese navy said on Monday, after sailing through the Taiwan Strait in a mission denounced by Taipei as intimidation.

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Sunday a Chinese carrier group led by the ship passed through the sensitive strait with U.S. and Japanese vessels tailing it. [read more]

For the U.S., Vietnam is a friend in need

18.11.2019 by James Stavridis (Japan Times) - WASHINGTON – Vietnam is a country bursting with youthful energy. The nearly 100 million Vietnamese have an average age of just 31, and despite living under single-party communist rule,  they have a thriving capitalist economy that may hit 10 percent growth this year. And, of great importance to the United States and its allies, Vietnam is strategically positioned along the western side of the South China Sea, and has a series of maritime disputes with its neighbors, especially China. [read more]

Zahl der Vietnamesen ohne Papiere in Deutschland wächst

15.11.2019 (Finanznachrichten) - Es gelangen vermehrt Vietnamesen illegal nach Deutschland. Das berichtet der "Spiegel".

Im vergangenen Jahr entdeckten Beamte etwa 2.000 vietnamesische Staatsbürger, die sich illegal in Deutschland aufhielten, so das Nachrichtenmagazin. Sorge bereitet dem deutschen Gemeinsamen Analyse- und Strategiezentrum illegale Migration (Gasim) der Verdacht, dass diese Einwanderergruppe auf Dauer in die Fänge Organisierter Kriminalität gerät. [Weiterlesen]

Next ASEAN Summit: How Will Vietnam Lead? – Analysis

12.11.2019 By Nazia Hussain (Eurasia Review) - The regional security architecture is evolving. While China is fast making inroads, US seems to be withdrawing from a region it has long dominated. How will the recently-concluded ASEAN Summit pave the way for multilateral initiatives under the next Chair, Vietnam?

Thailand wrapped up its tenure as chair of the 35th ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Bangkok, handing over the torch to Vietnam for next year. Thailand’s chairmanship came against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving regional order marked by the US-China trade dispute and at an overall tumultuous time for the multilateral trading system and rules-based regime. [read more]

30 Jahre Mauerfall - DDR-Vertragsarbeiter: Ausgegrenzt und angefeindet

07.11.2019 Autorin: Melina Grundmann (DW) - Die DDR warb ausländische Vertragsarbeiter an, um die Wirtschaft anzukurbeln. Sie sollten hart arbeiten, aber unsichtbar bleiben. Und nach der Wende am besten schnell wieder verschwinden. Manche blieben bis heute.

Huong Trute ist eine zierliche Frau. Sie steigt die Treppen zu ihrem Restaurant in der kleinen Stadt Wernigerode im Harz empor.

Die heute 62-Jährige kam 1976 aus Vietnam in die DDR. Im Rahmen eines Solidaritätsprogramms zwischen der DDR und Vietnam macht sie eine Ausbildung zur Zerspannungsfacharbeiterin. Anschließend ein Ingenieurpädagogikstudium. [Weiterlesen]

Resist And Reward: Vietnam’s Naval Expansion

06.11.2019 By Felix K. Chang (FPRI) - Without a doubt, the Southeast Asian country most willing to challenge Chinese claims in the South China Sea has been Vietnam. Its government and people have long resisted China. Vietnam famously fought its most recent war against China in 1979. But what is often forgotten is that the two sides continued to intermittently fight pitched battles over the next 12 years. Though Vietnam fared well on land, it did not at sea. In 1988, China and Vietnam skirmished over then-Vietnamese-occupied Johnston South Reef in the South China Sea. When the smoke cleared, some 64 Vietnamese naval personnel were dead, and China had captured the reef. [read more]

Orange County man still faces up to 12 years in Vietnamese prison after appeal is denied

06.11.2019 By Roxana Kopetman (PE) - Michael Phuong Minh Nguyen, of Orange, has been accused of trying to overthrow the Vietnamese government. His family denies the allegations.

Late Tuesday, Nguyen’s family learned that his sentence was upheld.

“We’re extremely disappointed,” Mark Roberts, Nguyen’s brother-in-law, said Wednesday. “The family is upset.” [read more]

Über die 39 toten Migrant*innen aus Vietnam - Traum vom schnellen Wohlstand

05.11.2019 Sven Hansen (taz) - Vietnam trauert um 39 Mi­grant*innen, die vor Kurzem bei der illegalen Einreise nach Großbritannien in einem Kühlcontainer starben und wohl alle aus dem südostasiatischen Land stammen.

Für ganz Vietnam hat sich die Migration wegen der Rücküberweisungen der Ausgewanderten in die Heimat zur lukrativen Einkommensquelle entwickelt [Weiterlesen]

Südchinesisches Meer: Vietnam bestraft Volkswagen wegen Navi-Karte

05.11.2019 (Spiegel) - VW hat schon wieder juristischen Ärger. Der ist nicht so groß wie beim Abgas-Skandal, aber kurios: Der Konzern soll die "Souveränität des Staats Vietnam" verletzt haben - durch eine Navigations-App.

Die vietnamesischen Behörden haben ein Bußgeld gegen Volkswagen verhängt, weil eine Navigations-App des Konzerns weite Teile des Südchinesischen Meeres als Territorium Chinas ausgab. Die Darstellung habe die Souveränität Vietnams verletzt, teilte die vietnamesische Zollbehörde mit.

Volkswagen soll laut der Behörde nun ein Bußgeld zwischen umgerechnet rund 772 und 1544 Euro zahlen. Die Firma World Auto Company, die für die Einführung des Wagens aus China verantwortlich war, muss demnach für sechs bis neun Monate ihren Betrieb einstellen. [Weiterlesen]

Why Vietnam Can’t Stop Risky Migration to Richer Countries

01.11.2019 By Ralph Jennings (VOA) - The discovery by police in southeastern England quickly cast attention on human trafficking from Vietnam to Europe where incomes are higher. Several arrests have been made in the United Kingdom, and one man was charged with conspiracy to traffic people.

But an elaborate international chain of command to move people out of Vietnam for high-paid work offshore has grown so mature, dating back to when Vietnam was poorer than it is today, that government officials will find it hard if not impossible to stop, experts say. [read more]

Crossing a red line: Chinese transgressions in South China Sea need strong pushback

01.11.2019 Baladas Ghoshal (TOI) - Haiyang Dizhi 8, a Chinese survey vessel that encroached deep into Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) before withdrawing has clearly impinged on the country’s territorial integrity and economic security. Asean, whose one member has been subjected to aggression, must tell China to refrain from such activities.

China’s unilaterally declared “nine-dash line” marks a vast, U-shaped, expanse of the South China Sea that it claims, including large swathes of Vietnam’s continental shelf where it has awarded oil concessions to Russia and India. [read more]

US official urges ASEAN to stand up to China in sea row

31.10.2019 By Eileen Ng (AP) - KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A senior U.S. official on Thursday urged Southeast Asian nations meeting this weekend in Bangkok to put up a stiffer resistance to China’s militarization of the disputed South China Sea.

At the same time, David Stilwell, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, sought to downplay Chinese concerns over U.S. involvement in the region. [read more]

ASEAN-GIPFEL - Trumps Politik verunsichert Südostasien

30.10.2019 (Wiener Zeitung) - Die Staatengemeinschaft Asean sieht sich von China bedrängt. Sie weiß aber auch nicht, wie sehr sie sich noch auf die USA verlassen kann.

Die Abwesenheitsliste ist von großer Bedeutung. Wenn am Donnerstag in Thailands Hauptstadt Bangkok der Gipfel der Südostasiatischen Staatengemeinschaft (Asean) beginnt, dann werden zwei prominente Politiker, die eingeladen waren, dort nicht anwesend sein: US-Präsident Donald Trump und sein Außenminister und Chefdiplomat Mike Pompeo.

Dass die USA lediglich ihre Ersatzbank zu dem Treffen schicken, wird von den zehn Asean-Staaten - das sind Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesien, die Philippinen, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapur, Brunei, Laos und Kambodscha - sehr aufmerksam wahrgenommen.

Mehr diplomatische Wertschätzung als die USA bringt derzeit China Asean entgegen. Aus der Volksrepublik wird mit Premier Li Keqiang ein politisches Schwergewicht in Bangkok erwartet. [Weiterlesen]

Postcards from a poisoned coast: Vietnam's people-smuggling heartland

28.10.2019 (Reuters) - NGHE AN, Vietnam - The countryside in the Vietnamese provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh is dotted with billboards for labour export companies advertising jobs or study overseas.

That phenomenon is now in sharp focus after 39 bodies were discovered in a truck outside London last week.

Many are feared to be Vietnamese from Nghe An and Ha Tinh, rice-growing areas in the northern-central part of the country.

Poor job prospects, encouragement by authorities, smuggling gangs, environmental disaster and government pressure on Catholics are all local factors behind the wave of migrants. [read more]

After UK Truck Deaths, Prospering Vietnam Asks Why Workers Go Abroad

28.10.2019 By Ha Nguyen (VOA) - Today Vietnam has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, high levels of optimism in public opinion surveys, and good relations with its old wartime enemies, the United States and France. So locals were caught off guard by the high-profile deaths in Essex, which suggest that some thought they could find more opportunity abroad than at home.

Some here are surprised that people would spend tens of thousands of dollars, equivalent to hundreds of millions of Vietnam dong, to leave, even though Vietnam has a fast-growing economy that has lifted many out of poverty. One local noted that such money could be used to find work domestically. [read more]

Bored and broke, Vietnam migrants risk lives for riches in Europe

27.10.2019 (Bangkok Post) - HANOI: Young, aspirational and poor Vietnamese are risking their lives to travel to Europe, taking on large debts to join well-worn trafficking routes in the hope of a better future thousands of miles from their rural homes.

The dangers of illegal crossings into Europe were laid bare this week when 31 men and eight women were found dead in a refrigerated truck in Britain. [read more]

Vietnam: No-U FC, el equipo de fútbol que desafía a las autoridades

25.10.2019 (El Comercio) - Anh Chi, uno de los fundadores del equipo, dice que les “gusta jugar al gato y al ratón” con la Policía de su país.

Detrás de la apariencia de inocuo partido dominguero de un grupo de amigos, los encuentros del equipo No-U FC en Hanói esconden un desafío a las autoridades comunistas de Vietnam, un acto subversivo que burla las leyes que les prohíben reunirse y difundir sus ideas.

El nombre del club, No-U FC, no es inocente, alude a las reclamaciones chinas en forma de letra U en el mapa que abarcan casi todo el mar de China Meridional, incluidos los territorios que Vietnam reclama para sí ante su aliado comunista. [seguir leyendo]

Chinese ship heads away from Vietnam after disputed surveys in South China Sea

24.10.2019 (Reuters) - HANOI - A Chinese oil survey vessel that has been embroiled in a tense standoff with Vietnamese vessels in the South China Sea left Vietnamese-controlled waters on Thursday after more than three months, marine data showed.

The Chinese vessel, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, was speeding away from Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone towards China on Thursday morning under the escort of at least two other Chinese ships, according to data from Marine Traffic, a website that tracks vessel movements. [read more]

Vietnamese Activist Loses Bid for Asylum, is Sent Home by US

23.10.2019 (RFA) - A Vietnamese environmental activist was sent back to Vietnam by the United States this week, ending his quest for political asylum, a U.S. lawmaker said in a press statement on Tuesday.

Ha Van Thanh, born in 1982, was deported on Oct. 21, after his plea for asylum was rejected by U.S. authorities, California congressman Alan Lowenthal said, adding that Thanh is now “under direct and immediate threat from the government of Vietnam that he fled and where we have returned him.” [read more]

What’s Behind Dreamworks’ Chinese Propaganda Map In ‘Abominable’

23.10.2019 By Helen Raleigh (The Federalist) - Hollywood is in hot water once again. A growing list of Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia are boycotting American animation studio DreamWorks’ latest film “Abominable” over a map of China.

The movie is a joint production between DreamWorks and the China-based Pearl Studio. It is about a Chinese girl named Yi, who helps Everest, a yeti, find his way back to his home in the mountains. In one of the movie scenes, Yi stands next to a map of China depicting China’s “nine-dash line” in the South China Sea, which stretches hundreds of miles from China’s southern Hainan island. [read more]

Why China’s Coast Guard Spent 258 Days in Waters Claimed by Malaysia

20.10.2019 By Ralph Jennings (VOA) - TAIPEI, TAIWAN - Chinese coast guard vessels spent 70% of the past year patrolling in a tract of the South China Sea claimed by Malaysia, an American think tank says. Malaysia did little to push back.

The coast guard presence, especially long-term for a Chinese mission in the widely disputed South China Sea, followed by Malaysia’s muted response gives China an ever-stronger upper hand over the Southeast Asian country and more clout in a broader six-way maritime dispute that has grabbed attention as far away as Washington. China already has a military and technological edge in the dispute. [read more]

'Abominable' film axed in Malaysia after rebuffing order to cut China map

20.10.2019 (The Asahi Shimbun) - KUALA LUMPUR-- DreamWorks' animated movie "Abominable" will not be released in Malaysia after its producers declined to meet a censor board requirement to cut a scene showing China's "nine-dash line" in the South China Sea, the movie distributor said on Sunday.

The U-shaped line is used on Chinese maps to illustrate its territorial claims over vast expanses of the resource-rich South China Sea, including areas claimed by other countries. [read more]

Ein Zeichentrickfilm zeigt eine Landkarte – und prompt gibt es Krach in Ostasien

19.10.2019 Patrick Zoll (NZZ) - Eine kurze Szene im Zeichentrickfilm «Everest – ein Yeti will hoch hinaus» verärgert Vietnam. Daher wird der Film dort jetzt verboten. Grund der drastischen Massnahme ist ein Territorialstreit mit China.

Darum erstaunt es, dass der computeranimierte Film «Everest – ein Yeti will hoch hinaus» politisch Wellen schlägt: Vietnam hat «Abominable» (so der englische Originaltitel) soeben verboten. Kinos stellen ihr Programm um, Plakate werden abgehängt. Der philippinische Aussenminister fordert, dass sein Land das Gleiche tut. Und die malaysische Filmbehörde lässt eine Szene herausschneiden. [Weiterlesen]

Le dessin animé Abominable ravive les tensions géopolitiques entre la Chine et ses voisins

18.10.2019 (Le Figaro) - Le film, coproduit par Dreamworks, donne à voir une carte des frontières maritimes qui entérine les revendications territoriales de Pékin provoquant la colère du Vietnam, de la Malaisie ou des Philippines.

Abominable, un film d’animation relatant les aventures d’un jeune Chinois qui aide son yéti magique à rentrer chez lui, n’avait pas vraiment le profil d’une œuvre susceptible de raviver des tensions diplomatiques. Et pourtant, à cause d’une scène montrant une carte controversée, cette coproduction du studio américain Dreamworks et du chinois Pearl Studio a déclenché une vague de protestations en Asie. [en savoir plus]

Trump to Asian allies: You may be abandoned next

18.10.2019 By Jonathan Manthorp (Asia Times) - Despite pause in Syria, the damage has been done already to allied confidence.

Asian military strategists and security risk assessors are re-reading their disaster scenarios after Donald Trump threw the United States’ Kurdish allies to the wolves.

The world has come to understand that being seen to be a winner is the only consideration for Trump. Indeed, dumping the Kurds seems to have been the first response that came to Trump’s fertile imagination as he confronted the mounting demands in Congress that he be investigated for abuse of power, and perhaps impeached and removed from office. [read more]

Tragödie in Vietnam: Vize-Minister stürzt von Hochhaus in den Tod!

17.10.2019 (tag24) - Hanoi - Schlimme Nachrichten aus Fernost: Der vietnamesische Vize-Bildungsminister Le Hai An ist vom achten Stock des Ministeriumsgebäudes in den Tod gestürzt.

Der Tod des 48-Jährigen am Donnerstagmorgen sei ein Unfall gewesen, teilte das Ministerium mit. Die genaue Ursache und Einzelheiten wurden zunächst nicht genannt. Der Vorfall führte zu Spekulationen in sozialen Medien. [Weiterlesen]

Frankfurter Buchmesse: „Sie nennen uns Verbrecher“

17.10.2019 Von Elena Witzeck (FAZ) - Ein bisschen überraschend ist es doch, dass einen Tag nach der Eröffnung der Buchmesse, bei der so viel vom Kampf um die Meinungsfreiheit, die Bedeutung der Literatur in autoritären Systemen und die Macht des Widerstands durch Sprache die Rede war, an diesem Nachmittag nur eine Handvoll Besucher hören will, was drei asiatische Autoren über die politische Literatur in ihrer Heimat zu sagen haben.

Aber vielleicht sind die Länder, aus denen sie, die mit Förderung der Goetheinstitute zur Buchmesse reisen durften, stammen, gedanklich noch zu fern für diesen ersten Buchmessentag: Chuah Guat Eng stammt aus Malaysia, Ho Anh Thai aus Vietnam und Hon Lai-Chu aus Hongkong, und sie schreiben über das Unrecht, das in ihren Ländern an der Tagesordnung ist, über politische Willkür und Diskriminierung. [Weiterlesen]

EU and Viet Nam step up security and defence cooperation

17.10.2019 (EEAS) - High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, and the Minister of National Defence of Viet Nam, General NGO Xuan Lich, signed an Agreement establishing a framework for the participation of Viet Nam in European Union crisis management operations.

At the occasion Federica Mogherini said: "This Agreement allows Viet Nam to participate in the European Union’s missions and operations.

Including the Agreement signed today with Viet Nam, the EU now has Framework Participation Agreements in place with 19 partner countries. [read more]

Vietnamese deputy minister dies after falling from eighth-storey balcony

17.10.2019 (The Straits Times) - HANOI (DPA) - Vietnam's deputy minister of education died on Thursday (Oct 17) morning after falling from the eighth floor of his office, the ministry said.

Mr Le Hai An, 48, died at 7.10am on Thursday due to what the education ministry reported in a statement as an accident, although it failed to specify the exact cause.

Police are examining the scene to gain a full account of what occurred, but have yet to release further details.

His sudden death has led to speculation and suspicion on social media. [read more]

Vietnam urges restraint amid maritime tensions with China

15.10.2019 (Reuters) - HANOI - Vietnamese President and Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong has called for restraint in the disputed South China Sea amid a tense months-long standoff between Chinese and Vietnamese ships, state media reported on Tuesday.

China claims almost all the energy-rich waters but neighbors Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

Tension escalated when Beijing dispatched a research ship to conduct an energy survey in waters controlled by Vietnam in July. [read more]

Vietnam pulls DreamWorks' 'Abominable' film over South China Sea map

14.10.2019 Khanh Vu, Phuong Nguyen (Reuters) - HANOI - Vietnam has pulled DreamWorks’ animated film “Abominable” from cinemas over a scene featuring a map which shows China’s unilaterally declared “nine-dash line” in the South China Sea, state media reported on Monday.

The U-shaped line is a feature used on Chinese maps to illustrate its claims over vast expanses of the resource-rich South China Sea, including large swathes of what Vietnam regards as its continental shelf, where it has awarded oil concessions. [read more]

Karte im Film zeigt Besitzanspruch Chinas in umstrittenem Seegebiet: Animationsfilm in Vietnam wegen Streit um Südchinesisches Meer verboten

14.10.2019 (Täglicher Anzeiger Holzminden) - Hanoi - Eigentlich geht es nur um einen chinesischen Teenager, der einem Yeti hilft, in seine Heimat zurückzukehren: Doch wegen der Gebietsstreitigkeiten mit China um das Südchinesische Meer hat Vietnam den Animationsfilm "Everest - Ein Yeti will hoch hinaus" wieder aus den Kinos genommen.

Nguyen Thu Ha, die Leiterin der vietnamesischen Filmbehörde, sagte laut der Zeitung "Thanh Nien", sie werde die Verantwortung für den Fehler übernehmen. Alle Filme in dem Einparteienstaat müssen von kommunistischen Zensoren genehmigt werden. Sie kontrollieren die Bildszenen auf unnötige Gewalt, Sexszenen oder politisch sensibles Material. [Weiterlesen]

Le Vietnam tire le film "Abominable" de DreamWorks sur la carte de la mer de Chine méridionale

14.10.2019 (news-24) - HANOI (Reuters) – Le Vietnam a retiré le film animé DreamWorks "Abominable" des cinémas sur une scène présentant une carte montrant la "ligne à neuf tirets" déclarée unilatéralement par la Chine dans la mer de Chine méridionale, ont annoncé lundi les médias officiels.

La ligne en forme de U est une caractéristique utilisée sur les cartes chinoises pour illustrer ses revendications sur de vastes étendues de la mer de Chine méridionale riche en ressources, y compris de larges pans de ce que le Vietnam considère comme son plateau continental, où il a octroyé des concessions pétrolières. [en savoir plus]

Drivers and Risks of China’s Pressure on Vietnam

13.10.2019 By Lucio Blanco Pitlo III (AMTI) - A concoction of regional and domestic factors is driving China’s increased pressure on Vietnam in the South China Sea, but this strategy entails serious risks for Beijing and, if overplayed, may backfire. While Hanoi’s options to respond are currently limited, they may gain potency as Beijing’s intimidation tactics galvanize support among ASEAN and the international community.

China has been stepping up its efforts to interfere in the legitimate and lawful maritime economic activities of neighboring coastal states, as well as applying pressure on foreign companies to cease upstream activities not only within its egregious and legally invalidated nine-dash line claim, but even in adjacent waters. [read more]

Neuer Streit im Südchinesischen Meer

12.10.2019 Rodion Ebbighausen (DW) - China setzt im Südchinesischen Meer seit Monaten verstärkt auf Konfrontation. Die Anrainerstaaten haben dem wenig entgegenzusetzen. In Vietnam mehren sich Stimmen, China zu verklagen.

Die Spannungen zwischen den Anrainerstaaten im Territorialkonflikt, insbesondere zwischen China und Vietnam, haben während der vergangenen Wochen deutlich zugenommen. Nguyen Phu Trong, der Generalsekretär der Kommunistischen Partei Vietnams (KPV), erklärte auf der 11. Plenarsitzung des Zentralkomitees, dass die Lage im Südchinesischen Meer "analysiert werden und sich das Land auf mögliche Herausforderungen einstellen müsse". [Weiterlesen]

Spionage-Warnung: China-Reisen nur mit "Wegwerfhandy" und "sauberem" Laptop

08.10.2019 Göran Schattauer (Focus) - Der Verfassungsschutz warnt deutsche Touristen und Geschäftsleute, die nach China reisen, vor Ausspäh-Angriffen chinesischer Geheimdienste. Hintergrund sind die seit Mai 2019 geltenden verschärften Visa-Bestimmungen.

„Die Dienste der Volksrepublik China wählen ihre Zielpersonen seit kurzem bereits bei der Antragstellung für Visa aus“, heißt es in einer vertraulichen Analyse („VS – Nur für den Dienstgebrauch“) eines Landesamtes für Verfassungsschutzes, die FOCUS Online vorliegt. [Weiterlesen]

Water Wars: Drill, Maybe, Drill

07.10.2019 By Sean Quirk (Lawfare) - China and Vietnam are poised for confrontation over oil drilling in the southwestern portion of the South China Sea. Vietnam alleges that a Chinese survey vessel, Haiyang Dizhi 8, has been conducting an oil and gas survey within Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) since July 2019.

Since May, China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels have been harassing Vietnam- and Malaysia-sanctioned oil rigs operating within their respective EEZs. [read more]

Russia offers most advanced types of military hardware to Vietnam

04.10.2019 (Tass) - HANOI - Russia is prepared to provide to Vietnam its cutting-edge weapons and other military hardware, for it faces no external restrictions in this field, Russian export and import giant Rosoboronexport’s delegates told TASS on the sidelines of the international exhibition Defense and Security Expo underway in Hanoi on October 2-4.

"We are present here under the aegis of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation. About two dozen Russian organizations and enterprises are taking part, Rosoboronexport’s spokesperson said [read more]

Vietnam to discuss South China Sea at security meeting

02.10.2019 Rezaul H Laskar (Hindustan Times) - New Delhi: Vietnam will raise the situation in the South China Sea, including four intrusions by Chinese vessels into its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) since July, in the upcoming annual security dialogue with India this month, Vietnamese ambassador Pham Sanh Chau has said.

India is one of only three countries with which Vietnam has a comprehensive strategic partnership and the annual security dialogue is scheduled to be held in Ho Chi Minh City this month. “We hope we will be able to cover not only the security of the two countries but issues concerning the whole region, and especially, we will bring up the current situation in the South China Sea,” Pham Sanh Chau said. [read more]

Vietnam Enacts Rules Against Graft Ahead of Party Meeting

01.10.2019 By Ha Nguyen (VOA) - HO CHI MINH CITY - Vietnam has passed a new regulation that details prohibitions against corrupt behavior by state officials, down to the last fruit basket.

Decree No. 59/2019/ND-CP requires officials to report all gifts, even small ones, and their relationship to the giver, and requires civil servants refuse to accept "improper gifts," a term that has not been defined but is interpreted to refer to bribes. [read more]

Advice for Our Vietnamese Friends on China

27.09.2019 By David Archibald (American Thinker) - China has invaded Vietnam on and off since 111 B.C. The Vietnamese have a long and honorable history of fighting Chinese invasions, starting with the Trung Sisters in A.D. 39. The most recent Vietnamese leader to throw out his country's Chinese overlords was Le Loi, who led an uprising against the Ming Dynasty in 1428.

China attacked again in 1979. China continued attacking after 1979 with major battles in 1980, 1981, 1984 and 1987 as Deng rotated units to the front to give them combat experience. China’s last attacks were in 1989, mostly artillery strikes. [read more]

Is Vietnam’s Trong Still Going Strong?

27.09.2019 By David Hutt (The Diplomat) - The state of the president and communist party chief’s health could have major implications for Vietnamese politics.

About eleven months ago, it was announced that, astonishingly, Vietnamese Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong would become the new state president, following the death of the incumbent. Not since the 1960s had an official held both positions concurrently, and it came as a sign that Vietnamese politics could be changing rapidly and unexpectedly.

Just a few months later, in April 2019, Trong (aged 75) was rushed to hospital, suspected of having suffered a stroke. [read more]

Vietnam Confronts China, Alone

26.09.2019 By Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan (The Diplomat) - Hanoi has not found as much support as it hoped for despite its bold confrontation of Beijing in the South China Sea.

Vietnam and China are engaged in a slow boiling stand-off in the South China Sea that has not received sufficient attention. China has reportedly sent one survey vessel and at least four Chinese maritime vessels; Vietnam has responded by deploying its Coast Guard vessels.

Despite the continuing protests by Vietnam, the stand-off has continued, and is now in its third month. [read more]

Castro’s Torture of American POWs in Vietnam

24.09.2019 Jamie Glazov (Frontpage Mag) - The death of communist tyrant Fidel Castro has yielded much-deserved coverage of the monstrous nature of his tyrannical rule.

What has gone virtually unreported, however, is the direct and instrumental role Castro played in the torture and murder of American POWs in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The story of Castro’s atrocities against American soldiers in this conflict is rarely ever told, least of all by our mainstream media.

During the Vietnam War, Castro sent a gang of his henchmen to run the “Cuban Program” at the Cu Loc POW camp in Hanoi, which became known as “the Zoo.” As Stuart Rochester and Frederick Kiley have documented in their book Honor Bound in a chapter entitled “The Zoo, 1967–1969: The Cuban Program and Other Atrocities,” one of the primary objectives of this “program” was to determine how much physical and psychological agony a human being could withstand. [read more]

After a China-Vietnam Standoff, Expect a Turn to the US

20.09.2019 By Christopher Sharman (The Diplomat) - Coercive Chinese tactics to settle South China Sea disputes serve as a catalyst for enhanced Vietnam-U.S. security cooperation.

China and Vietnam are engaged in a high stakes standoff on the high seas. Since early July, a Chinese ship has intermittently surveyed oil and gas blocks located within Vietnam’s continental shelf. Chinese Coast Guard vessels have maneuvered dangerously around Vietnamese vessels responding to these Chinese incursions. Last week China upped the ante by resuming seismic survey operations and also moving a ship it uses to install oil rigs into Vietnam’s claimed economic exclusion zone, just 56 miles off the coast of central Vietnam. China is using these bullying tactics to dissuade Hanoi from continuing with its drilling operations near the disputed Vanguard Bank. [read more]

How China is using tourists to realise its geopolitical goals

19.09.2019 Author: Anu Anwar (East Asia Forum) - Decades of astonishing economic growth have given China new tools for extending its influence abroad and achieving its political goals. Some of these tools are inducements, including Belt and Road Initiative projects and new development financial institutions. But China has demonstrated that it will use its new economic leverage in pursuit of political goals unrelated to economic exchange, swiftly shifting inducements to punishments. One example lies in the field of tourism. [read more]

Vietnamese slam government, opposed to country becoming a haven for Chinese criminals

17.09.2019 by Tran Hung (Asia News) - Many Vietnamese are upset because the authorities resort far too often to "administrative sanctions" instead of prison. They are critical of the extradition agreement signed by Hanoi and Beijing in 2015. For many, national sovereignty is at stake.

The decision by Vietnamese authorities to impose small fines rather than the penalties provided by the law against Chinese nationals involved in drug production and trafficking has upset many Vietnamese, both experts and ordinary citizens, who now wonder whether their country has become a haven for Chinese criminals.

The latest episode that caught the attention of public opinion occurred on 11 September when the authorities broke into a makeshift laboratory in Bùi Thị Xuân, a district of the city of Quy Nhơn City (south-central province of Bình Định).

During the operation, police found large quantities of chemicals (286 barrels), over 300 bags of flour and about 20 tonnes of machinery and equipment for drug production. [read more]

Coming Soon to the United Nations: Chinese Leadership and Authoritarian Values

16.09.2019 By Kristine Lee (Foreign Affairs) - As Washington Steps Back, Beijing Will Take Charge.

For many years, the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September was a centerpiece of U.S. global leadership. President Barack Obama’s administration, for example, used the occasion to galvanize international action on issues such as climate change and refugee resettlement.

But when presidents and prime ministers gather in New York starting this week, they will do so under the auspices of an organization that is undergoing a profound transformation. The United States has let go of the wheel, and Beijing stands poised to take hold of it. [read more]

Chinese pressure may drive ExxonMobil from Vietnam

13.09.2019 By David Hutt (Asia Times) - Market speculation is rife that American oil and gas giant ExxonMobil is poised to withdraw from the US$10 billion Blue Whale energy project covering Vietnam’s largest gas field in the South China Sea.

This week, respected independent blogger Huy Duc claimed that ExxonMobil had informed the Vietnamese government on August 28 that it plans to sell its 64% stake in the Blue Whale project, known locally as Ca Voi Xanh, which is expected to start extracting gas by 2023. [read more]

Vietnam digs in on South China Sea oil and gas projects amid Chinese pressure

13.09.2019 Tan Hui Yee (The Straits Times) - BANGKOK - Vietnam, locked in one of its most protracted test of wills with China of late, is trying to allay fears that yet another foreign joint venture energy project in the South China Sea may be canned due to pressure from Beijing.

The question over American firm ExxonMobil's involvement in the Ca Voi Xanh, or Blue Whale, gas field project off central Vietnam arose as a Chinese survey ship remained in Vietnam's exclusive economic zone this week, the third such encroachment over the past two months. [read more]

Chinese Ships Must Leave Vietnamese Waters, Hanoi Again Demands

12.09.2019 By Richard Finney (RFA) - Vietnam renewed calls on China on Thursday to withdraw from waters claimed by Vietnam, saying that the continued presence of the Chinese oil survey ship Haiyang Dizhi 8 and escort vessels in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) violates Vietnam’s sovereign territory.

China’s intrusions into Vietnam’s EEZ challenge Vietnam’s jurisdiction and threaten peace and stability in the area, foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said [read more]

What Would a US-Vietnam Strategic Partnership Really Mean?

12.09.2019 By Prashanth Parameswaran (The Diplomat) - Over the past few months, amid planned high-level engagements, there has been more talk about the potential of formally elevating the state of U.S.-Vietnam relations to the level of a strategic partnership in the future. While the idea itself is far from new, its implications deserve careful attention both with respect to bilateral ties themselves as well as wider regional and international developments.

U.S.-Vietnam relations have come quite far from where they were during the Vietnam War. While gradual normalization of ties took off during former President Bill Clinton’s term and continued with subsequent Democratic and Republican administrations, of particular note was the elevation of ties to the level of a comprehensive partnership in 2015 under then President Barack Obama. [read more]

Besuch aus Hongkong - Chinas Botschafter gegen Aktivist Wong: Streit um Foto mit Minister Maas eskaliert

11.09.2019 Torsten Riecke, Thomas Sigmund, Moritz Koch (Handelsblatt) - Berlin - Zwischen Joshua Wong und Wu Ken liegen zur Zeit der Eskalation nur vier Kilometer. Der eine, führender Aktivist der Protestbewegung in Hongkong, hat an diesem Mittwoch in der Bundespressekonferenz angekündigt, den Kampf für freie Wahlen und gegen Pekings politische Repressionen in der Finanzmetropole fortzusetzen.

Der andere, seit Kurzem Chinas Botschafter in Deutschland und bekannt als Hardliner, fühlte sich daraufhin herausgefordert und setzte in der chinesischen Botschaft ebenfalls eine Pressekonferenz an. Anlass war vor allem ein Treffen von Außenminister Heiko Maas (SPD) mit Wong am Rande einer „Bild“-Veranstaltungen, bei der sich beide gemeinsam fotografieren ließen. [Weiterlesen]

To close Vietnam’s human capital development gap, look to ethnic minorities

09.09.2019 Anh Thi Quynh Le, Keiko Inoue (World Bank) - While Vietnam’s Human Capital Index is at 0.67 – exceeding the upper-middle-income average – such indexes for ethnic minorities groups are consistently lower.  A closer look at Vietnam’s Index data indicates this inequality clearly: nearly 1 in 3 ethnic minority children are affected by stunting, more than twice as much as the Kinh majority – and a rate so alarming it is equal to that of many Sub-Saharan countries. [read more]

How Hong Kong's protest movement is forging solidarity with Australia's Uyghurs and Tibetans

07.09.2019 By Erin Handley and Iris Zhao (ABC) - On a sunny street in the heart of Melbourne, a Uyghur woman wearing a hijab converses with a Vietnamese man dressed in bright red-and-yellow-striped bandana.

On the surface they might not have much in common, but recent events have given them a common cause — solidarity with Hong Kong protesters.

They see parallels between China's treatment of Tibet, its internment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, its "aggression" in the South China Sea, and the crisis of democracy unfolding in Hong Kong. [read more]

South China Sea: China Targets Vietnam, Again

07.09.2019 by Panos Mourdoukoutas (Forbes) - China is back to Vietnamese waters this week, with an eye on the country’s oil and gas.

Early on the week, a large crane ship owned by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), sailed to Vietnamese exclusive economic zone (EEZ). That’s the kind of ship Beijing is using to install oil rings in the South China Sea. [read more]

Vietnam dissent - Vietnam's Lady Gaga who sacrificed musical stardom for political struggle

06.09.2019 by Eric San Juan (efe-epa). Known as Vietnam’s Lady Gaga, Mai Khoi was a successful pop singer in the country until she tried to run for parliamentary elections with a message critical of the communist regime.

"Since I got involved in activism I lost a lot of fans. I have been isolated by the government, I cannot promote my music," she told EFE at her recording studio in Hanoi. [watch interview with Mai Khoi]

Can Beijing and Hanoi overcome their latest South China Sea flashpoint at Vanguard Bank?

06.09.2019 Lye Liang Fook, Ha Hoang Hop (SCMP) - Vietnam and China are embroiled in a tense stand-off over oil and gas fields in the disputed waterway, ramming each other’s vessels and firing water cannons

Though the two claimant states are still talking, Hanoi shows no sign of backing down, and some say Vietnam is ready to take tougher action without fear of the consequences.

Vietnam [1] and China [2] are embroiled in their worst stand-off in the South China Sea [3] since a 2014 clash in the waters off the Paracel Islands [4]. Beijing in July dispatched a survey ship, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, to look for oil and gas off Vanguard Bank in waters claimed by both countries. The area is close to oil and gas block 06-01, where a Russia [5]-Vietnam joint venture is drilling. [read more]

Giant China crane ship turns up near Vietnamese coast

05.09.2019 Laura Zhou (SCMP) - Beijing stretches Hanoi’s maritime capacity after weeks of tension in South China Sea.

A Chinese giant crane vessel has been tracked to 90km (56 miles) from the Vietnamese coastline – in an area claimed by Hanoi as its exclusive economic zone – fuelling the risk of further maritime confrontation between the two countries.

The Lan Jing, believed to be one of the largest crane ships in the world, left the coastal city of Zhanjiang in southern China’s Guangdong province earlier last month. It arrived offshore of Quang Ngai, a province in Vietnam’s south central coast late on Tuesday night, according to Marine Traffic, a website which tracks vessel movements. [read more]

Official from the Vietnamese abduction scandal left the Interior Ministry

04.09.2019 (The Slovak Spectator) - Head of Close Protection Officers, Peter Krajčírovič, no longer works at the Interior Ministry. He left the Office for the Protection of Constitutional Officials in late August, as reported by the Sme daily.

Krajčírovič became prominent last August when the scandal around the abduction of Vietnamese citizen Trinh Xuan Thanh surfaced. The incident had already occurred in July 2017 when Krajčírovič headed the Office for the Protection of Constitutional Officials.

Officers under Krajčírovič allegedly took part in the transport of the abducted Vietnamese citizen, using the Slovak government plane, from Bratislava to Russia. The Denník N daily was the first to report this information. [read more]

Inspired by the Pope, the Vietnamese Church promotes the integration of migrants

03.09.2019 by Thanh Thuy (AsiaNews) – Helping Vietnamese workers to integrate into their Asian countries of emigration is the latest initiative of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam (CBCV)

The episcopal Commission for the pastoral care of migrants organised a national conference on the subject on 27-29 August on the island of Phú Quốc, in the Diocese of Long Xuyên.

In recent years, the number of Vietnamese migrants has steadily increased. According to Taiwan Migration Bureau data, there are currently some 200,000 Vietnamese in the country, over 26,000 of whom are undocumented. On average, their monthly salary is between US$ 600 and US0 [read more]

Changes on the Indo-Pacific's geopolitical chessboard

02.09.2019 by Brahma Chellaney (The Japan Times) - NEW DELHI – The Indo-Pacific region’s geopolitical flux is being highlighted by several developments. The escalating U.S.-China trade war is setting in motion a gradual “decoupling” of the world’s top two economies; South Korea’s weaponization of history is increasingly roiling its relations with Japan; Beijing appears to be inexorably moving to crush Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement; and the Sino-Pakistan strategic nexus is deepening. China, meanwhile, still pursues aggression in the South China Sea, as exemplified by its ongoing coercion against Vietnamese oil and gas activities within Vietnam’s own exclusive economic zone (EEZ). [read more]

Manœuvres navales inédites entre les États-Unis et dix pays d'Asie du Sud-Est

02.09.2019 (RFI) - Des manœuvres navales inédites entre les Etats-Unis et dix pays d'Asie du Sud-Est ont débuté lundi dans un contexte de lutte d'influence croissante dans la région entre Américains et Chinois. Huit navires de guerre, quatre avions de combat et plus d'un millier de soldats doivent participer à ces exercices conjoints qui sont lancés d'une base navale au sud de la station balnéaire de Pattaya.

Les exercices qui débutent ce lundi vont nous permettre de «travailler ensemble sur des priorités communes en matière de sécurité maritime dans la région», a déclaré le vice-amiral Phil Sawyer, commandant de la 7e flotte américaine.  [en savoir plus]

Chancenlos im Kampf um umstrittenes Gebiet

01.09.2019 Von Arne Perras, Singapur (SZ) - Fünfmal reiste Philippiniens Präsident Duterte nach Peking, aber die Ansprüche seines Landes im Südchinesischen Meer kann er nicht durchsetzen.

Vermutlich hat es Duterte geärgert, dass ihn Landsleute schon als Feigling verhöhnten, nachdem er die Kollision eines philippinischen Fischerbootes mit einem chinesischen Trawler vor einigen Wochen zu einem "kleinen maritimen Vorfall" heruntergespielt hatte.

Der Konflikt um kollidierende Interessen im Südchinesischen Meer galt als der heikelste Punkt des viertägigen Duterte-Besuchs. Aber der Gast schien mit seiner Ankündigung, Tacheles in Peking zu sprechen, dann doch nicht sehr weit gekommen zu sein.  [Weiterlesen]

Buying Cambodia: China’s long embrace of a tyrant

01.09.2019 by Jonathan Manthorpe (Asia Times) - Authoritarian PM Hun Sen has reportedly given Beijing the green light for a naval base on the Gulf of Thailand.

the claim that China will build its own military facility at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base in Preah Sihanouk province on the Gulf of Thailand deserves re-examination.

The story first appeared in the Wall Street Journal on July 21 and was immediately denied with a suspicious amount of bluster by both the Chinese government and Cambodia’s leader of 34 years, Hun Sen. [read more]

40 Jahre Cap Anamur: Appelle zur Flüchtlingshilfe

31.08.2019 (SZ) - Mit Appellen zur Flüchtlingshilfe ist in Köln des 40-jährigen Bestehens der Hilfsorganisation Cap Anamur gedacht worden. 1979 hatte das Ehepaar Christel und Rupert Neudeck (1939-2016) ein Schiff gechartert, um damit Menschen zu retten, die über das Südchinesische Meer vor der kommunistischen Regierung von Vietnam flohen. Der nordrhein-westfälische Ministerpräsident Armin Laschet (CDU) appellierte am Samstag, diesen "Geist von 79" wieder wachzurufen. In einer Zeit, "wo Hass und Rechtspopulismus wieder salonfähig sind und im Parlament vertreten sind, in einer solchen Zeit machen wir heute mal in Köln in Gegenbewegung", sagte Laschet. "Das, was im Südchinesischen Meer möglich gewesen ist, muss doch wohl vor unserer Haustür im Mittelmeer ebenfalls möglich sein." [Weiterlesen]

U.K., France, Germany ‘Concerned’ About South China Sea Tensions

30.08.2019 Philip J. Heijmans (Bloomberg) -- The U.K., France and Germany have called for restraint in the South China Sea amid reports that Chinese and Vietnamese vessels are facing off in the disputed waters over competing territorial claims.

The tensions “could lead to insecurity and instability in the region,” they said in a joint statement issued Thursday. The three nations, without mentioning Vietnam or China, said the legal framework set out by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea granting several claimants sovereign rights to the waters “must be carried out.” [read more]

Vietnam seeks 'peaceful' solution to South China Sea tensions

28.08.2019 Tomoya Onishi (Nikkei Asian Review) - HANOI -- Vietnam will work with its Southeast Asian neighbors to seek a peaceful solution to tensions in the South China Sea, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told reporters here Tuesday after a meeting with Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad.

The remarks came a day after the U.S. Department of Defense expressed concern over the situation, in which a Chinese survey ship and escort vessels have sailed off the Spratly Islands for over a month. Vietnam has told China the vessels must leave waters that Hanoi maintains are in its exclusive economic zone. [read more]

Chinese ship inches closer to Vietnam coastline amid South China Sea tensions

25.08.2019 Khanh Vu (Reuters) - A Chinese survey vessel yesterday extended its activities to an area closer to Vietnam’s coastline, ship tracking data showed, after the US and Australia expressed concern about China’s actions in the disputed waterways.

The Haiyang Dizhi 8 vessel first entered Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) early last month where it began a weeks-long seismic survey, triggering a tense standoff between military and coast guard vessels from Vietnam and China.

Yesterday, the Chinese vessel continued to survey Vietnam’s EEZ under escort from at least four ships and was about 102km southeast of Vietnam’s Phu Quy Island and 185km from the beaches of the southern city of Phan Thiet, according to data from Marine Traffic.

The group of Chinese vessels was followed by at least two Vietnamese naval vessels, the data showed. [read more]

Citizens are speaking out in Vietnam

23.08.2019 Author: Benedict J Tria Kerkvliet, ANU (East Asia Forum) - Several times in June 2018, tens of thousands of Vietnamese poured into downtown Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other cities, causing huge traffic jams. The crowds were demonstrating against pending national legislation to create three special economic zones that Chinese enterprises would be able to lease for up to 99 years. The proposed zones are in sensitive areas: the southern end of the country, along Vietnam’s central coast and in the far north near Vietnam’s border with China. Opponents feared that this would create a virtual arc of Chinese control that would encompass Vietnam. The protests, along with massive online commentary and petitions against the zones, compelled Vietnam’s national leaders to withdraw the proposed legislation. [read more]

Vietnam’s uphill battle in the South China Sea: a need for more international actors

23.08.2019 by Nguyen Thanh Trung (AMTI) - The standoff between China and Vietnam near Vanguard Bank has passed the two-month mark without showing any sign of a resolution. Since mid-June 2019, a Chinese survey ship and its coast guard escorts have been maneuvering in a threatening manner in the southern part of Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), a short distance from Block 06-01 where Vietnamese vessels are servicing the Hakuryu-5 drilling rig under the eye of other China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels. The tensions could flare up into a violent confrontation at any time, given that CCG ships are still behaving very aggressively toward much smaller Vietnamese vessels. The situation reflects a widening asymmetry of power between China and Vietnam. [read more]

Vietnam and America: foes on paper, friends out of necessity

23.08.2019 Xuan Loc Doan (SCMP) - Donald Trump has accused Vietnam of treating America ‘even worse’ than China does on trade, and has imposed heavy duties on its steel imports.

“Almost the single worst abuser of everybody.” This was how US President Donald Trump [1] described Vietnam’s approach to trade in an interview in June.

His damning verdict was followed a few days later by an announcement from the US Department of Commerce that it would be imposing duties of up to 456 per cent on Vietnamese steel imports.

Hanoi has been seen as the biggest winner from Trump’s trade war with China [2], but is now also on the receiving end of a hardening approach from Washington. [read more]

Agreement reached on permanent Holy See representative to Vietnam

23.08.2019 By Hannah Brockhaus (CNA) - Vatican City, Aug 23, 2019 / 10:08 am (CNA).- A Holy See-Vietnam diplomacy working group, which met inside the Vatican this week, reached an agreement on establishing a permanent resident papal representative to the southeast Asian country. A resident papal representative is considered an intermediary step in diplomatic relations, below an apostolic nuncio.

According to the 2019 annual report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, religious freedom conditions in the country regressed from 2018 to 2019, and despite small improvements, the government of Vietnam continues to persecute religious individuals and organizations. [read more]

44 Jahre ohne Nuntius

23.08.2019 (Domradio) - Nach dem Vietnamkrieg hatte der Papst seinen Botschafter in Vietnam zurückgerufen – und seitdem keinen neuen eingesetzt. Nach insgesamt acht diplomatischen Gesprächen soll sich das "frühestmöglich" ändern.

Papst Franziskus soll "zum frühestmöglichen Zeitpunkt" einen ständigen Vertreter in Vietnam erhalten. Die Voraussetzungen dafür und für die Einrichtung einer päpstlichen Botschaft in Hanoi waren Gegenstand zweitägiger Verhandlungen von Heiligem Stuhl und der Republik Vietnam, wie der Vatikan am Freitag mitteilte. [Weiterlesen]

Le dialogue progresse entre le Vietnam et le Saint-Siège

23.08.2019 (VaticanNews) - Dans un communiqué publié vendredi 23 août, la Salle de Presse du Saint-Siège fait savoir que les deux parties ont eu un échange de vues approfondies sur les relations entre le Vietnam et le Saint-Siège, y compris sur les questions concernant l’Église catholique au Vietnam.

Les deux parties ont discuté des questions relatives à la situation ecclésiale au Vietnam. Elles ont atteint un accord sur les façons de promouvoir ultérieurement les relations entre le Vietnam et le Saint-Siège dans un futur proche, et, en particulier, sur les principes fondamentaux à la base de la réglementation du statut et de de l’office du représentant pontifical résident au Vietnam, en vue de l’établissement de cet office le plus rapidement possible. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam Seeks Australia’s Support on the South China Sea

23.08.2019 By Du Nhat Dang (The Diplomat) - Vietnam is hosting Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison amid escalated tensions between Hanoi and China in the South China Sea.

Morrison is the first Australian prime minister to travel to Vietnam for a bilateral visit in 25 years. This reflects the importance of Vietnam in Australia’s strategy toward the region in the way that, according to Carl Thayer, emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales, “will redress a lacuna in relations between Australia and Vietnam.” [read more]

El Vaticano y Vietnam destacan avances en la normalización diplomática

23.08.2019 por Miguel Pérez Pichel (ACI Prensa) - El Grupo de Trabajo entre Vietnam y la Santa Sede finalizó el 22 de agosto su VIII encuentro, celebrado en el Vaticano, con un balance positivo, según un comunicado conjunto difundido por la Oficina de Prensa de la Santa Sede.

Ambas partes discutieron cuestiones relativas a la situación eclesial en Vietnam. “Alcanzaron un acuerdo sobre la modalidad en que se promoverán las relaciones entre Vietnam y la Santa Sede en el futuro inmediato y, en particular, en los principios fundamentales en base a la reglamentación del estatuto del Representante Pontificio residente, así como de la Oficina del Representante Pontificio residente en Vietnam, en vista del establecimiento de dicha Oficina lo más pronto posible”. [seguir leyendo]

Estados Unidos critica a China por su “escalada” en el mar de China meridional

23.08.2019 (Metro) - Estados Unidos criticó la “escalada” de China en “sus esfuerzos de intimidación” en el mar de China meridional, en especial contra Vietnam.

China volvió a desplegar un buque de reconocimiento del gobierno, con escoltas armadas, en las aguas frente a Vietnam a principios de este mes, dijo Washington. [seguir leyendo]

US and ASEAN to hold first joint naval drills near South China Sea

23.08.2019 Marimi Kishimoto (Nikkei Asian Review) - BANGKOK -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is holding its first joint military exercise with the U.S. Navy in the Gulf of Thailand early next month.

The 10-country ASEAN and the U.S. had agreed to the drills at a defense ministers' meeting in Singapore last year. While details have not been announced, the drills will likely last five days starting around Sept. 2. The U.S. is expected to deploy a destroyer to the gulf, which neighbors the South China Sea. [read more]

China, Vietnam Coast Guard Ships Face Off Near Indian Oil Block In South China Sea

22.08.2019 By James Patterson (International Business Times) -  China has deployed its coast guard ships near an oil block in the Vietnamese EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) where India’s state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has been carrying out oil exploration in the South China Sea.

New Delhi-based ONGC Videsh shares interests in the oil block along with Russia's Rosneft, a Moscow-based petroleum refining company. The news of the new faceoff between Chinese and Vietnamese ships was reported by Sputnik International, a Moscow based online news site.

Beijing has upset several other countries with EEZs in the South China Sea, including Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. With India and possibly Russia now joining the list, it appears that Sino-Indian relations, always a bit tense, will not improve in the coming months. [read more]

China Escalates Coercion against Vietnam’s Longstanding Oil and Gas Activity in the South China Sea

22.08.2019 (U.S. Department of State) - The United States is deeply concerned that China is continuing its interference with Vietnam’s longstanding oil and gas activities in Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claim. This calls into serious question China’s commitment, including in the ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, to the peaceful resolution of maritime disputes.

China’s redeployment of a government-owned survey vessel, together with armed escorts, into waters offshore Vietnam near Vanguard Bank on August 13, is an escalation by Beijing in its efforts to intimidate other claimants out of developing resources in the South China Sea (SCS). [read more]

Choppy waters: China’s unilateralism in South China Sea doesn’t help anyone, including Beijing

22.08.2019 Rudroneel Ghosh (The Times of India) - In another conflagration in the South China Sea, the Chinese survey vessel Haiyang Dizhi 8 has returned to waters within Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), this time with more air support. It will be recalled that the Chinese ship had first entered Vietnam’s EEZ on July 4 and had stayed in the vicinity for more than a month.

The fact that the Chinese vessel went out of Vietnam’s EEZ and then returned shows that Beijing is unwilling to heed international protests. [read more]

Vietnam edges towards a succession crisis

20.08.2019 By David Hutt (Asia Times) - Ruling Communist Party is splitting on pro- and anti-China lines ahead of a pivotal 2021 Congress that will determine new leaders and directions.

As Vietnam begins preparations for the Communist Party’s 13th National Congress in early 2021, a quinquennial event at which the nation’s next leaders will be decided, cadres’ and cliques’ positions on China could determine who wins and who loses.

At a Central Committee plenum in May, the Party began selecting “strategic cadres” – the next generation of apparatchiks deemed “moral” and untainted by corruption by current leaders – who can be selected as members of the powerful committee in 2021. [read more]

USA kritisieren chinesische „Mobbing-Taktiken“ im Südchinesischen Meer

20.08.2019 (Epoch Times) - Die USA haben sich mit einer neuen scharfen Warnung gegen die chinesischen Aktivitäten und Gebietsansprüche im Südchinesischen Meer gewandt. Die Vereinigten Staaten stünden „fest“ an der Seite jener Länder, die sich gegen das „Zwang ausübende Verhalten und die Mobbing-Taktiken“ Chinas in der Region wehrten, erklärte der Sicherheitsberater im Weißen Haus, John Bolton, am Dienstag. Chinas Verhalten bedrohe Frieden und Sicherheit in der Region.

Die Volksrepublik erhebt Anspruch auf fast das gesamte Südchinesische Meer und weist die Ansprüche anderer Länder wie Vietnam, Malaysia und der Philippinen zurück. In den vergangenen Jahren hat China in dem Seegebiet, auf dessen Grund große Rohstoffvorkommen vermutet werden, Kriegsschiffe stationiert, Militärstützpunkte aufgebaut und Fischerboote gerammt. [Weiterlesen]

La Maison Blanche accuse Pékin de «tactiques d'intimidation» en mer de Chine méridionale

20.08.2019 (Le Figaro) - La Maison Blanche a accusé mardi Pékin de recourir à des «tactiques d'intimidation» en mer de Chine méridionale, eaux riches en ressources naturelles et en proie à des tensions croissantes.

«La récente intensification des efforts de la Chine pour dissuader d'autres pays de la mer de Chine méridionale d'exploiter ses ressources est inquiétante», a tweeté John Bolton, conseiller à la sécurité nationale de la Maison Blanche.

«Les Etats-Unis se tiennent fermement aux côtés de ceux qui s'opposent aux comportements coercitifs et aux tactiques d'intimidation qui menacent la paix et la sécurité régionales», a-t-il ajouté. [en savoir plus]

Südchinesisches Meer: Philippinen warnen China

20.08.2019 (DW) - Im Streit um das Südchinesische Meer hat die philippinische Regierung eine indirekte Drohung an China ausgesprochen. Bisher verhielt sich Präsident Rodrigo Duterte in dem Konflikt eher zurückhaltend.

Schon seit Wochen fordert China die Anrainerstaaten im Südchinesischen Meer heraus. Nun wollen die Philippinen die Provokationen in ihren Gewässern nicht mehr tolerieren.

Künftig müssten sich alle ausländischen Schiffe vor einer Passage durch die Gewässer der Philippinen ankündigen und eine Erlaubnis einholen, sagte ein Sprecher des Präsidenten Rodrigo Duterte. Entweder würden die Regeln "in freundlicher Art und Weise" befolgt, oder "wir werden sie auf unfreundliche Art und Weise durchsetzen", sagte der Präsidentensprecher. [Weiterlesen]

China’s incursion into Vietnam’s EEZ and lessons from the past

20.08.2019 Huong Le Thu (The Strategist) - The Haiyang Dizhi 8, a survey vessel belonging to a Chinese government-run corporation, began surveying a large swath of seabed on 3 July northeast of Vanguard Bank, which falls within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone. The ship has been escorted by other vessels, including from the China Coast Guard and maritime militia. At the same time, China Coast Guard ships have been harassing Vietnamese drilling operations to the south.

China’s actions also pose a diplomatic challenge: Beijing is testing not only Vietnam, but also the United States and the international community. [read more]

Massenproteste in Hongkong: Peking hat schon gewonnen

19.08.2019 Lea Deuber (SZ) - Die Protestbewegung in Hongkong hat bei den Festlandchinesen keinerlei Unterstützung. Chinas kommunistisches Regime hat es verstanden, seinen Bürgern die Lust an der Demokratie auszutreiben.

Die anhaltenden Massenproteste am Wochenende in Hongkong zeigen, wie verhärtet die Fronten in dem Konflikt sind. Peking müsste der Hongkonger Regierung gestatten, auf einen Teil der Forderungen der Demonstranten einzugehen. Dazu gehört, die Proteste nicht als Aufstand zu bezeichnen. Passieren wird das auf absehbare Zeit nicht. Peking spricht inzwischen von Terrorismus und lässt Demonstranten willkürlich verhaften.  [Weiterlesen]

Why Vanguard Bank and Why Now? Explaining Chinese Behavior in the South China Sea

19.08.2019 by Derek Grossman (RAND) - During the course of my recent discussions with Vietnamese interlocutors, one question has recurred: after a period of prolonged quiet in Vietnam-China relations in the South China Sea (SCS), why has Beijing all of a sudden decided to take a stand at Vanguard Bank? And one could easily further ask why at the same time Beijing opened a new front by conducting a major military exercise at the Paracel Islands? I think there are several components to answering these questions. [read more]

Philippines: China Defends Aggressive Arrogance

19.08.2019 (StrategyPage) - The Chinese effort is massive. For example, during the first three months of 2019 China deployed 900 navy, coast guard and naval militia ships around Pagasa Island to block access to fishing areas that Filipinos have been using for centuries. International law makes it clear that these are Filipino waters but the Chinese naval effort, and base constructed on Pagasa challenge Filipino ownership blatantly and often physically.

Of all the nations involved with this Chinese aggression, the Philippines has the most to lose.

The Philippines and Vietnam have the most to lose but all other Western Pacific countries feel threatened by growing Chinese naval power and aggressiveness. [read more]

Vietnam Activists Stage Rare Anti-China Protest Amid Concerns Over Survey Ship

19.08.2019 (RFA) - Four activists in south-central Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa province were detained by police on Sunday morning for staging an anti-China protest at a landmark popular with Chinese tourists in the provincial capital Nha Trang, one of the protesters said.

The Nha Trang protest is one of a few small, but rare, demonstrations that have taken place in August in Vietnamese cities, including the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, to protest against what is seen as Chinese aggression and bullying in Vietnam’s territorial seawaters, especially concerning the disputed Spratly Islands. [read more]

Nha Trang: Holding an anti-China banner is "violating the constitution"!

18.08.2019 (Dân Làm Báo) -  This morning on August 18th, 2018, one group of patriotic citizens in Nha Trang city was surrounded by military, police officers and security guards in Hon Chong and Vinh Phuoc beaches area. They are Facebookers Son Dang, Nguyễn Lai, Phạm Hải, Nguyễn Bá Vinh and Trần Vũ Việt.

The Patriotic Citizens group help up these slogans: "China Get Out Of Vietnam's EEZ", “Down with China Communist”, “Vietnamese government go sue China”.

The city’s military, police and security officers immediately appeared to this are and arranged to keep this group of patriotic citizens at the police station. [read more]

Vietnam demands Chinese ship leave disputed waters as end of fishing ban threatens to inflame tensions

17.08.2019 Laura Zhou  (SCMP) - Vietnam protests against ‘repeated Chinese violations’ from surveyors as fishing fleets head for contested waters around the Paracel Islands and the Scarborough Shoal.

Presence of survey vessel in oil-rich waters has already triggered a month-long stand-off between the two sides.

The presence of Haiyang Dizhi 8 (which means Marine Geology 8) and a coast guard escort in the Vietnamese-controlled waters over the past month has already caused the most protracted standoff between the two countries in five years. [read more]

The Vanguard Bank standoff shows China remains undeterred

16.08.2019 Trinh Le (The Interpreter) - Coercion rather than conciliation is Beijing’s preferred tactic in South China Sea disputes.

Tensions have risen once again in the South China Sea. For weeks, Chinese and Vietnamese coastguard vessels have been involved in a confrontation after the Chinese survey ship Haiyang Dizhi 8 (HD8) entered waters near the Vietnam-controlled Vanguard Bank on 3 July. The incident has upset both Hanoi’s leadership and the Vietnamese public, and led the US to criticise Beijing for “bullying behaviour” in the area. The ship briefly left the region to resupply, only to return in recent days. [read more]

Ganze System steht auf dem Spiel: 11 Punkte zeigen, wie wichtig Hongkong für China ist

16.08.2019 Gabor Steingart (Focus) - Derweil die ehemalige britische Kronkolonie Hongkong unter chinesischer Repression leidet, herrscht im Weißen Haus des Donald Trump ein Triumphalismus wie zuletzt unter Ronald Reagan. Die Strategie einer ökonomisch-politischen Kriegsführung gegen die neue Wirtschaftsweltmacht China scheint aufzugehen.

Die jetzige Situation bringt Trump sieben handfeste Vorteile. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam demands Chinese ship leaves its exclusive economic zone

16.08.2019 (CNA) - HANOI: Vietnam has demanded that China remove an oil survey vessel and its escorts from the Southeast Asian country's exclusive economic zone, amid a month-long standoff in waters seen as a potential global flashpoint as the United States challenges Beijing's maritime claims.

Reuters first reported on Tuesday (Aug 13) that the Haiyang Dizhi 8, conducted by the China Geological Survey, had returned to the area escorted by at least two Chinese coast guard vessels. [read more]

Resignation ist keine Option

15.08.2019 Leonie Gubela (taz) - Für die 24-jährige Nhi Le war Leipzig lange ein Sehnsuchtsort. Mittlerweile erlebt sie dort einen immer aggressiveren Rassismus.

Man könnte meinen, Nhi Le sei nicht zum ersten Mal in dieser Küche. Zügig verteilt sie Schneidebrettchen, Messer und Schnibbelanweisungen an die anwesenden taz-RedakteurInnen, stellt den Herd an und erklärt nebenbei, warum sie sich für das Dinner in der Dresden-WG Sommerrollen gewünscht hat.

Seit 2016 gibt Le auch Workshops zu Antirassismus, Antisexismus und Hate Speech. Was sie ihren ZuhörerInnen mit auf den Weg geben will? „Dass es sich um Muster handelt, um gesellschaftliche Strukturen.“ Auf gar keinen Fall dürfe das Bild entstehen, dass Diskriminierung nur ein paar Einzelnen passiere. [Weiterlesen]

Beijing starts military exercise in disputed South China Sea as tensions with Vietnam rise

15.08.2019 Laura Zhou (SCMP) - China started a series of military training exercises near the Paracel chain of islands in the disputed South China Sea on Tuesday, amid growing tensions with Vietnam over the vital maritime trade route.

Ships were prohibited from entering three locations in and near the Paracels from Tuesday morning until Thursday afternoon, according to three brief notices published on the Maritime Safety Administration website on Monday.

On Tuesday, Vietnamese police said they had dispersed a brief protest outside the Chinese embassy in Hanoi, in which about 10 people demanded the departure of the Chinese ships from Vanguard Bank. The protest came just days after a Vietnamese fishermen’s association publicly urged the government to take stronger action to remove the ships, which it said had disrupted fishing in the area. [read more]

EU-Vietnam trade deal shows EU will bend human rights standards if the price is right

14.08.2019 By Skylar Lindsay (ASEAN Today) - The new EU-Vietnam free trade agreement (FTA) shows the EU will look past human rights violations to push a trade agenda. But as FTAs with ASEAN states don’t offer the EU the same economic benefits, it’s unlikely the bloc will pen more in the near future.

The Vietnamese government regularly violates civil rights to freedom of association and expression. Small landholders lose their property and livelihoods to government and private development projects. Political dissidents are regularly silenced and punished. The EVFTA gave hope to other actors in the region. It showed that in cases where the EU stands to benefit economically, trade negotiators are willing to overlook political repression and rights issues. [read more]

Mer de Chine méridionale: un navire chinois de retour dans les eaux revendiquées par Hanoï

14.08.2019 (Sputnik) - Un navire chinois est de nouveau entré dans la zone économique exclusive du Vietnam en mer de Chine méridionale, au risque de relancer la confrontation diplomatique entre Pékin et Hanoï sur ces eaux riches en ressources revendiquées par les deux pays et d'autres Etats d'Asie du Sud-Est.

Haiyang 8, un navire de prospection appartenant au Service géologique chinois, «est de nouveau entré dans la zone économique spéciale vietnamienne le 13 août», accompagné d'au moins deux autres bateaux des gardes-côtes chinois, selon le Centre de recherche américain C4ADS cité par l'AFP. [en savoir plus]

China hammers message as survey ship returns to waters claimed by Vietnam

14.08.2019 (Japan Times) - HANOI – A Chinese survey vessel has re-entered disputed waters in the South China Sea, according to ship tracking analysis, after a tense monthlong standoff in the same area inflamed tensions between Hanoi and Beijing.

China has been accused of deploying warships, arming outposts and ramming fishing vessels in the waters, stoking ire from other claimants on the global shipping route.

Hanoi said last week the ship had left the area, but on Tuesday it had returned, according to the U.S.-based Center for Advanced Defense Studies. [read more]

"Dieselben Bilder, dasselbe Drama, so viele Jahre danach"

13.08.2019 Ein Interview von Alex Raack (Spiegel Online) - 1979 trat das Rettungsschiff "Cap Anamur" in den Dienst - Tausende Flüchtlinge verdanken den Helfern um Christel und Rupert Neudeck ihr Leben. Hier spricht die Gründerin über Mut und Hass, Böll und Rackete.

Gemeinsam mit ihrem Mann Rupert und prominenten Freunden wie dem Schriftsteller Heinrich Böll initiierte Christel Neudeck 1979 das Hilfsprojekt "Ein Schiff für Vietnam" inmitten der humanitären Katastrophe im Südchinesischen Meer. Vier Jahre zuvor hatte der Vietnamkrieg mit dem Sieg des kommunistischen Nordens geendet, ein Terrorregime folgte. Vor willkürlichen Verhaftungen und Umerziehungslagern, vor Folter und Mord flohen etwa 1,5 Millionen Menschen mit oft seeuntauglichen Booten übers Meer. [Weiterlesen]

Flucht aus Vietnam: Gerettet von der "Cap Anamur"

13.08.2019 von Sebastian Stoll (NDR) - Vor 40 Jahren begannen Retter auf der "Cap Anamur" ihre Hilfsaktion im südchinesischen Meer. Auf dem umgebauten Frachter aus Hamburg fanden Menschen Zuflucht, die mit Booten aus dem kommunistischen Vietnam flohen. Eine Überlebende erinnert sich.

Es beginnt mit einem kleinen Schauspiel: Über Monate hinweg streiten sich die Eltern von Alicia Le-Sattler - und immer, wenn die Mutter für ein paar Tage auszieht, nimmt sie ein Möbelstück mit. Die Wohnung leert sich, aber Mama bleibt. Der ganze Streit - alles nur inszeniert, damit die Nachbarn von den Fluchtplänen nichts mitbekommen. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam’s lagging 5G ambitions

13.08.2019 Author: Phan Le, ANU (East Asia Forum) - On 10 May 2019, Vietnam became one of the first countries to successfully establish a 5G-powered phone call. It was a milestone for the country given Hanoi’s ambitious plan to deploy a 5G network for commercial operations by 2020 using domestically-developed technology. But while Vietnam’s 5G rollout is on the right track, fully realising this ambition still requires overcoming myriad challenges in technology, national security and governance.

From a technical standpoint, Viettel’s demonstration on 10 May reveals neither the company’s capability to meet its goal of 5G self-reliance, nor its ability to roll out a 5G network which is standards-compliant, robust and feature-complete. Viettel’s biggest goal of self-developing its core network equipment, including multiple state-of-the-art chipsets, likely amounts to a pipe dream. Even leading 5G suppliers — Huawei, ZTE, Nokia and Ericsson — still rely on external chip developers such as Qualcomm or Intel. [read more]

Vietnamese Scholars Denounce China’s Movements in South China Sea

12.08.2019 (RFA) - A group of well-known Vietnamese scholars gathered this weekend outside China’s consulate in Ho Chi Minh City to protest Chinese ship movements in waters claimed by Vietnam in the South China Sea, dispersing only after an angry exchange with police, sources told RFA.

Participants included retired professors and academics Hoang Dung, Tuong Lai, Vo Van Thon, Le Cong Giau, Ha Thuc Huy, Nguyen Thanh Van, and Huynh Tan Mam, retired professor Hoang Dung told RFA’s Vietnamese Service in an interview. [read more]

What’s in a Deeper EU-Vietnam Security Partnership?

10.08.2019 By Prashanth Parameswaran (The Diplomat) - Earlier this week, the European Union and Vietnam officially announced a number of steps to further deepen their security and defense partnership. While many of these developments were expected, they nonetheless highlighted the efforts by both sides to further strengthen their security ties amid shared priorities and outstanding challenges.

This week, the defense aspect of the relationship was in the headlines again with the visit of Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, to Vietnam. [read more]

Bruderland – Sozialistische Vertragsarbeiter in der DDR

10.08.2019 Armin Siebert (Sputnik) - Auch in der DDR gab es „Gastarbeiter“. Sie kamen aus befreundeten sozialistischen Staaten wie Vietnam, Mosambik, Kuba oder Angola. Wie haben sie die DDR erlebt und was passierte mit ihnen nach der Wende? Die Webdoku „Eigensinn im Bruderland“ erzählt die Geschichte der DDR-Migranten. Sputnik hat mit einer der Autorinnen, Julia Oelkers, gesprochen.

Frau Oelkers, wie kamen die Vertragsarbeiter in die DDR? Aus welchen Ländern kamen sie und war es eine Auszeichnung, in der DDR zu lernen und zu arbeiten?

Wir haben uns in unserer Webdoku auf Ende der 1970er / Anfang der 1980er Jahre fokussiert. Es kamen aber schon seit den 1950ern Studierende und Arbeiter aus sogenannten „befreundeten sozialistischen Ländern“ in die DDR. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnamese Police Disperse Protesters at Chinese Embassy over South China Sea

09.08.2019 Ben Kew (Breitbart) - Police in Vietnam broke up a demonstration outside the Chinese embassy in Hanoi as protesters campaigned against Beijing’s aggressive pursuit of territory in the South China Sea, Reuters reported Tuesday.

The demonstration took place as ships from the two countries remain in a prolonged standoff over an oil block belonging to Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone. Hanoi has accused Beijing of illegally surveying the zone and has demanded that they withdraw all their ships. [read more]

South China Sea stand-off shows Vietnam has few options in dealing with Beijing’s bullying

08.08.2019 Le Hong Hiep (SCMP) - Impasse at the Vanguard Bank suggests diplomacy is Vietnam’s first – and last – line of defence against China’s assertiveness in the contested waters.

The Vietnam–China stand-off at Vanguard Bank in the South China Sea [1] has been going on for more than one month. Despite Vietnam’s repeated diplomatic protests and international pressures, China has not completely withdrawn its vessels from the area, which is part of Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

According to marine traffic data, the Haiyang Dizhi 8 survey vessel, which is at the centre of contention, moved together with some accompanying ships to China-controlled Fiery Cross Reef [2] in the Spratlys last Wednesday evening, but two Chinese coastguard vessels remained in Vietnamese waters near Block 06-01. It is unclear if the Haiyang Dizhi 8 and accompanying vessels will return to Vanguard Bank in the coming days or not. [read more]

Vietnam police disperse protest at Chinese embassy over South China Sea standoff

06.08.2019 James Pearson (Reuters) - HANOI - Vietnamese police on Tuesday broke up a brief protest outside the Chinese embassy in Hanoi against Beijing’s maritime survey of an offshore block in the southeast Asian nation’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a Reuters witness said.

Vietnamese and Chinese ships have been in a weeks-long standoff near the oil block, the latest confrontation in waters that are a potential global flashpoint as the United States challenges China’s sweeping maritime claims.

Protests in the authoritarian and Communist-ruled Southeast Asian country are rare, and police dispersed the short-lived demonstration of about 10 activists of the “No-U” group within minutes. [read more]

Vietnamese Activists Cry Slander at Documentary Accusing them of Incitement

06.08.2019  (RFA) - Vietnamese activists accused of spreading disinformation or incitement in a documentary produced by the country’s state-run media are saying the accusations are slanderous.

In “Opposite: The reverse side of social media,” Vietnam Television (VTV) says that activists have used social networks to provoke protests and misrepresent or falsify information to advance the agenda of “Abolishing the leadership of the Communist Party and overthrowing the People’s Government.”“I challenge any Party organization, radio stations or VTV station to point out any incorrect facts from my articles or interviews, or to show where there is any misrepresentation or agitation,” said independent journalist Pham Chi Dung, one of the accused, in a statement issued shortly after Opposite was broadcast. [read more]

Pianistin darf fertig studieren

06.08.2019 Von Dietrich Mittler (SZ) - Abgelehnte Asylbewerberin aus Vietnam wird nicht wie ihre Eltern abgeschoben.

Monatelang hatte die junge vietnamesische Pianistin Hong An Nguyen bangen müssen, dass sie als abgelehnte Asylbewerberin ebenso wie ihre Eltern in ihr früheres Heimatland abgeschoben wird - doch diese Gefahr ist offensichtlich gebannt. Sie darf in Nürnberg ihr Studium fortsetzen. Kürzlich erst hatte sie die Prüfung zum Masterstudiengang an der dortigen Hochschule für Musik bestanden. Olaf Kuch, Chef des Nürnberger Einwohneramts, sagte: "Ihr Studium kann sie auf jeden Fall hier absolvieren, auch wenn ihr Status noch nicht endgültig geklärt ist."

Nach Angaben von Amtschef Olaf Kuch hat Hong An Nguyen inzwischen mehrere Optionen bezüglich des weiteren Aufenthalts. Unter anderem sei sie bald vier Jahre in Deutschland und könnte folglich auch eine Aufenthaltserlaubnis für gut integrierte Jugendliche und Heranwachsende bekommen. [Weiterlesen]

Warnung vor „Militarisierung“ des Südchinesischen Meeres

05.08.2019 (ORF) - Die EU-Außenbeauftragte Federica Mogherini hat vor einer „Militarisierung“ des Südchinesischen Meeres gewarnt. Die EU sei besorgt über „zunehmende Spannungen“ in dem Gebiet, sagte Mogherini heute bei einem Besuch in Vietnam. Diese Spannungen und die Militarisierung des Gebiets seien „einer friedlichen Umgebung definitiv nicht zuträglich“, sagte sie in der Hauptstadt Hanoi. [Weiterlesen]

Das Schicksal der „Boat people“ im Chinesischen Meer - „Cap Anamur“ rettet Flüchtlinge aus dem Meer – vor 40 Jahren

05.08.2019 (Kirche+Leben) - Humanitäre Großtat oder „Beihilfe zur illegalen Einwanderung“? Unter diesem Vorwurf ist Carola Rackete, Kapitänin der „Sea Watch 3“, angeklagt, weil sie ihr Schiff mit 40 Flüchtlingen an Bord in den Hafen von Lampedusa steuerte, trotz Verbots der Behörden. Ähnliche Diskussionen um die Seenotrettung gab es schon vor 40 Jahren.

Damals war der Schauplatz das Chinesische Meer und die Flüchtlinge kamen aus Vietnam. Am 13. August 1979 stach das Hospitalschiff „Cap Anamur“ von Japan aus in See und nahm sechs Wochen später die ersten Bootsflüchtlinge an Bord. „Boat people“ wurden die Menschen genannt, die in winzigen, völlig überfüllten Booten ihr Heil in der Flucht über das Meer suchten. [Weiterlesen]

Wie die "Cap Anamur" die Boatpeople gerettet hat

05.08.2019 (NDR) - Dicht gedrängt flüchten die Menschen auf kleinen Holzbooten über das offene Meer. Schon nach wenigen Tagen gibt es nichts mehr zu essen und zu trinken. Piraten überfallen die überfüllten Boote und bringen die Flüchtlinge um ihr letztes Hab und Gut. Mehr als 200.000 Vietnamesen - Boatpeople genannt - ertrinken auf ihrer Reise.

Am 1. August 1979 heben er, seine Frau Christel und einige Freunde - darunter Literaturnobelpreisträger Heinrich Böll - die Kölner Hilfsorganisation Cap Anamur aus der Taufe. [Weiterlesen]

EU, Vietnam to become brothers in arms

01.08.2019 By David Hutt (Asia Times) - On August 5, the European Union’s (EU) chief diplomat Federica Mogherini will sign a new defense agreement with Vietnam, the first such security deal Brussels will have with a Southeast Asian nation.

It is the latest indication that the EU is trying to forge a closer defense relationship with the region and Vietnam in particular, which is at the heart of disputes with China in the South China Sea.

After taking part in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum and an EU-ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference in Bangkok between August 1 and 2, Mogherini will head to Hanoi to sign “an agreement on Vietnam’s participation in our European military and civilian missions”, she told regional media earlier this week. [read more]

China tells 'nonregional' players to stay out of South China Sea

31.07.2019 Cliff Venzon and Masayuki Yuda (Nikkei Asian Review) - BANGKOK -- China and Southeast Asian countries wrapped up the first round of negotiations for a South China Sea code of conduct on Wednesday, setting the stage for tougher diplomatic brinkmanship that includes Beijing's bid to push the U.S. out of the disputed waters.

The first reading of the draft negotiating text was concluded in Penang, Malaysia, earlier this month and includes "maximum positions" by China and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, diplomatic sources said. The first draft is likely to be endorsed by the countries' leaders when they gather for a summit in Thailand in November. [read more]

Vietnamese fishermen call for action against China

30.07.2019 (Reuters) - HANOI - A Vietnamese fishermen’s group has called on the government to take stronger measures for the removal of a Chinese oil survey vessel that Vietnam accuses of violating its sovereignty in the South China Sea.

Vietnamese and Chinese ships have been in a weeks-old standoff near an offshore oil block, the latest confrontation in waters that are a potential global flashpoint as the United States challenges China’s sweeping maritime claims.

The busy waterway will be high on the agenda this week as countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet in Bangkok with foreign ministers from China, the United States and other powers. [read more]

Katz-und-Maus-Spiel im Südchinesischen Meer

29.07.2019 Patrick Zoll (NZZ) - Wenig beobachtet von der Weltöffentlichkeit, spielt sich im Südchinesischen Meer ein Schachspiel der grossen Dimension ab. Die Spieler sind China und Vietnam, die Figuren sind alle weiss. Seit mehreren Wochen beäugen und beschatten sich Küstenwachschiffe – sie sind traditionell weiss bemalt – beider Länder nordwestlich der Vanguard Bank, einer Untiefe knapp 400 Kilometer vor der vietnamesischen Küste.

Im Mai hat der russische Konzern Rosneft, der eine vietnamesische Lizenz im Gasfeld Lan Do hält, eine japanische Plattform gechartert, um ein neues Förderloch zu bohren. Doch seit Mitte Juni patrouilliert ein chinesisches Küstenwachschiff in der Gegend, das die Plattform und ihre Versorgungsschiffe bedrängt und behindert. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam briefs India about Chinese action in South China Sea

29.07.2019 (The Economic Times) - Vietnam has briefed India about the escalating tension in the South China sea after China deployed a large number of survey vessels in Vietnamese waters including around areas where India's ONGC has oil exploration projects. On July 4, Chinese survey vessel Haiyang Dizhi 8, escorted by a large number of ships including from the coast guard began conducting marine sesmic surveys near several offshore oil blocks which fall within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone, Vietnamese diplomatic sources said.  [read more]

Rumble At Sea: China’s ‘peaceful rise’ theory is being tested in the South China Sea

29.07.2019 Rudroneel Ghosh (Times of India) - Reports are coming in of another serious incident in the South China Sea (SCS) involving a Chinese seismic survey vessel called Haiyang Dizhi 8 and its activities deep inside Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Haiyang Dizhi is being escorted by several Chinese coast guard and fishing vessels and since July 4 has conducted marine surveys within Vietnam’s waters.

Further, it is reported that the Chinese vessel group has been spotted near Vietnam’s oil and gas Block 06/1 which has seen joint ventures between PetroVietnam, Russia’s Rosneft and India’s ONGC for regular oil and gas production for 17 years. The area lies well within Vietnam’s continental shelf as stipulated by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Therefore, the Chinese presence cannot be construed as totally benign and is a matter of concern for Vietnam, Russia and India simultaneously. [read more]

China’s Disregard for Vietnamese Sovereignty Leaves the Region Worse Off

28.07.2019 By Ankit Panda (The Diplomat) - Approaching the third anniversary of the tribunal ruling in the Philippines’ favour against China over maritime entitlements in the South China Sea, it became clear that Beijing was no closer to adhering to the international court’s binding award.

Instead, China continued to demonstrate its disregard for the landmark July 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, and for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Beijing’s quest to establish a new status quo in the disputed waters of the South China Sea continues. [read more]

China swings a small stick in the South China Sea

28.07.2019 By James R. Holmes (The Hill) - It’s hard to drive China out of the headlines. Yet a dispute between Iran and Great Britain, each of which has seized a tanker ship belonging to the other, has managed it in recent weeks — eclipsing a running feud between Vietnam and China, whose ships have squared off at Vanguard Bank, the westernmost feature in the Spratly Islands. For all that, the South China Sea dispute entails consequences at least as severe as those in the Persian Gulf.

China is trying to consolidate control of 80 to 90 percent of the South China Sea, including waters allocated to its Southeast Asian neighbors under the “constitution of the oceans,” the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). [read more]

Vietnam demands 'immediate withdrawal' of China ship in disputed sea

25.07.2019 (France24) - Vietnam on Thursday called for the "immediate withdrawal" of a Chinese ship in the South China Sea, as the standoff over the disputed waters intensified.

Beijing last week issued a new call for Hanoi to respect its claims to the resource-rich region -- which have historically been contested by Vietnam as well as Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.

Hanoi responded by saying it had sent several messages to Beijing insisting that a Chinese survey ship vacate its waters, and doubled down Thursday with new demands for the vessel's removal. [read more]

Mer de Chine: Hanoï exige le «retrait immédiat» d'un navire de prospection chinois

25.07.2019 (Le Figaro) - Le Vietnam a exigé ce jeudi le «retrait immédiat» d'un navire chinois d'eaux disputées de mer de Chine méridionale, qui font l'objet d'une confrontation géopolitique entre Pékin et plusieurs pays d'Asie du Sud-Est. La mer de Chine méridionale est au cœur de l'un des contentieux territoriaux les plus explosifs du monde en raison des considérables échanges commerciaux dans la zone et des riches réserves en énergies fossiles qui pourraient se trouver sous ses eaux.

Un navire appartenant au Service Géologique de Chine, une organisation publique, a commencé le 3 juillet une mission de prospection autour des disputées îles Spratleys, selon le Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), groupe établi aux États-Unis. Hanoï a envoyé la semaine dernière plusieurs messages à Pékin pour demander que le Haiyang-8 sorte de ce que le Vietnam considère comme ses eaux territoriales, mais que la Chine revendique également. [en savoir plus]

Philippines: China Wants It All

24.07.2019 (Strategy Page) - The government is trying to be more realistic on the Chinese effort to take possession of the South China Sea. The Philippines and Vietnam have the most to lose but all other Western Pacific countries feel threatened by growing Chinese naval power and aggressiveness. These nations are coming together in an anti-China coalition that may (if the Americans take an active role) persuade China to back down and play by the international rules it agreed to in the past. [read more]

Vietnamesische, chinesische Schiffe in wochenlangem Stillstand nahe dem Südchinesischen Meer Ölblock

24.07.2019 (Tekk) - Die Spannungen zwischen China und Vietnam im umstrittenen Südchinesischen Meer sind stark gestiegen, wobei Schiffe aus beiden Ländern in den letzten Wochen “aggressive Manöver” in den ölreichen Gewässern durchführten.

Die Vorfälle veranlassten das vietnamesische Außenministerium, am Dienstag eine Erklärung herauszugeben, in der es “ausländische Parteien” warnte, dass ihre Handlungen eine Beeinträchtigung der venetischen Gewässer darstellen. [Weiterlesen]

Video: Vietnamese-American musician’s song in support of anti-extradition protesters inspires Hongkongers

24.07.2019 (Hong Kong Free Press) - A song written by a Vietnamese-American composer who was inspired by the anti-extradition bill protests in Hong Kong has gone viral among both Vietnamese and Hong Kong netizens.

The song was released at the beginning of July 2019, following demonstrations in Hong Kong demanding the withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill that would allow mainland China authorities to order the arrest and extradition of dissenters, activists, and even journalists. The bill would undermine free speech and other civil liberties currently being enjoyed by Hong Kong citizens. [read more]

Vietnam's 'homespun Facebook' swamped after launch

24.07.2019 (Daily Mail) - A homegrown Vietnamese social media app was overloaded with users hours after launching as the one-party state tries to boost its own web platforms while tightening its grip on internet freedoms.

Gapo has been billed as a local version of Facebook, which is wildly popular in communist Vietnam with more than 53 million registered users in the country of 95 million. [read more]

New social media app Gapo aims to rival Facebook in Vietnam, as state clamps down on tech giants

24.07.2019 (SCMP) - Gapo, a mobile app that lets users create personal profiles and share posts to a Facebook-style ‘news feed’, is eyeing 20 million users by 2021. The app has launched as the Communist government tightens its grip on the internet.

A Facebook-style social network was launched in Vietnam [1] on Tuesday, following calls by the Communist-ruled government for domestic tech companies to create alternatives to US tech giants Facebook and Google [2].

Gapo, a mobile app that lets users create personal profiles and share posts to a Facebook-style “news feed”, has received 500 billion dong (US$21.5 million) in funding from tech corporation G-Group, its chief executive said. [read more]

Entführter vietnamesischer Ex-Politiker - Hanois Türen bleiben verschlossen

23.07.2019 Marina Mai (taz) - BERLIN - Vor zwei Jahren wurde der aus Vietnam stammende Asylbewerber und ehemalige Politiker Trinh Xuan Thanh im Berliner Tiergarten vom vietnamesischen Geheimdienst gekidnappt und wenige Tage später in einer geheimdienstlichen Aktion bis nach Vietnam gebracht.

Vietnam warf Thanh vor, in seiner Zeit als Manager eines staatseigenen Unternehmens durch Misswirtschaft 142 Millionen Dollar Verlust verursacht zu haben. Dahinter stand allerdings ein Machtkampf zwischen zwei Flügeln innerhalb der Kommunistischen Partei. Thanh gehörte dem unterlegenen Wirtschaftsflügel an. Ein Auslieferungsantrag an die Bundesrepublik war zuvor gescheitert, weil Vietnam die Tatvorwürfe juristisch nicht begründen konnte. [Weiterlesen]

What’s in the New China-Vietnam South China Sea Tensions?

22.07.2019 By Prashanth Parameswaran (The Diplomat) - The new tensions reinforce existing worries about Chinese conduct in the South China Sea.

Over the past few weeks, another round of tensions has been simmering between China and Vietnam over energy resources in the South China Sea. The renewed tensions fit into a familiar pattern we have seen regarding Chinese conduct in the South China Sea disputes and reinforce the fragility of the situation between claimant states in the strategic waterway.

While some specifics remain unclear, the incident fits into a familiar pattern where China has been obstructing efforts by other claimant states in the South China Sea to carry out energy exploration activities, including through periodic activities that could result in escalation. [read more]

US State Department is concerned by 'China's repeated provocative actions' after Vietnam reports interference in South China Sea

21.07.2019 (Daily Mail) - The U.S. State Department said on Saturday it is concerned by reports of China's interference with oil and gas activities in the South China Sea, including Vietnam's long-standing exploration and production activities.

'China's repeated provocative actions aimed at the offshore oil and gas development of other claimant states threatens regional energy security and undermines the free and open Indo-Pacific energy market,' the State Department said in a statement. [read more]

USA besorgt über Chinas Einmischung in South China Sea

21.07.2019 (Miet Spiegel News) - Die Vereinigten Staaten sagte, es besorgt über die Berichte von China Störungen mit öl-und gas-Aktivitäten in den umstrittenen Gewässern des Südchinesischen Meeres, wo Vietnam wirft Peking der Verletzung seiner Souveränität.

State Department Sprecherin Morgan Ortagus sagte in einer Erklärung, dass China "wiederholte provokative Aktionen richtet sich an die offshore-öl-und gas-Entwicklung von anderen geschädigten Staaten gefährden die regionale Energiesicherheit und untergraben die freie und open-Indo-Pazifik-Energie-Markt."

Vietnam am Freitag forderte China entfernen einer Umfrage vom Schiff Vanguard Bank, das heißt es liegt in Vietnam 200-Meile ausschließlichen Wirtschaftszone. [Weiterlesen]

Will Vietnam’s Trong loosen his grip on absolute power?

20.07.2019 Author: Hai Hong Nguyen (East Asia Forum) - The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) is preparing for its 13th Congress scheduled to be held in early 2021. Surely it will elect someone else to take over from 75-year-old Nguyen Phu Trong as general secretary. Trong has served as the CPV chief for almost 10 years now. Last year, he also took power as head of the Vietnamese state following the sudden death of incumbent president Tran Dai Quang. He is the most powerful leader of the country in the post-Ho Chi Minh era.

Trong has been the Party’s chief for two consecutive terms and, therefore, cannot be re-elected for a third term by the party statutes. He could, however, be re-installed as head of state. [read more]

The Chinese Merchant Marine Supports Beijing's Security Interests

17.07.2019 By Devin Thorne and Ben Spevack (The Maritime Executive) - On a late June morning in 2014, Vietnamese fisheries inspection vessel KN 951 approached HYSY 981, a Chinese-owned mobile oil platform operating within Vietnam’s claimed exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Three Chinese state-owned commercial vessels retaliated by spraying, ramming, and chasing KN 951 for approximately11.5 nautical miles, ultimately doing substantial damage to the Vietnamese vessel’s hull.

During the pursuit, these three Chinese tugboats displayed a considerable degree of tactical coordination: there is video footage showing that two boats worked in tandem to “T-bone” KN 951 while a third tug positioned itself in front of the Vietnamese vessel to prevent it from escaping.

Civil-military fusion (CMF) is a defining strategic concept in China’s quest to modernize its armed forces.  [read more]

China-Vietnam: Comrades in words, not in actions?

17.07.2019 By Xuan Loc Doan (Asia Times) - While a visiting senior politician from Vietnam and her Chinese hosts talked in Beijing about the friendship and comradeship between the two communist neighbors, it was reported that their coast-guard vessels had been involved in a confrontation over a reef in the South China Sea.

According to Xinhua, Xi also referred to the two countries as “comrades and brothers” and said that “they form a community of shared future with strategic significance.”

Judging by this, the relationship between the neighbors sounds very amiable and the comradery between the two ruling Communist parties seems strong. But in reality, all this isn’t as friendly as it sounds. [read more]

China Attempts to "Intimidate" its Neighbors' Offshore Drilling Rigs

17.07.2019 (The Maritime Executive) - According to a new analysis from the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), the China Coast Guard has recently deployed vessels to monitor oil and gas drilling in Vietnamese and Malaysian waters of the South China Sea - often at unusually close range.

AIS data analyzed by AMTI shows that in May, the CCG vessel Haijing 35111 took up a patrol near the Shell-chartered drilling rig Sapura Esperanza, which is working on a lease block in the South Luconia Shoals region about 100 nm off Sarawak. The block is well within the Malaysian EEZ, but like almost all of the South China Sea, the Luconia Shoals are claimed by Beijing under its sweeping "nine dash line" policy. [read more]

South China Sea Standoff Likely Signals China’s ‘Push of Maritime Claims’ Amid Vietnam Backdown

17.07.2019 (RFA) - An ongoing standoff between Chinese and Vietnamese vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea likely indicates that Beijing is “prepared to push its maritime claims” after Hanoi cancelled oil exploration activities in the area in recent years, according to experts.

On July 15, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, a ship operated by the China Geological Survey, completed a 12-day survey of waters near the disputed Spratly Islands, according to a recent report from Washington-based think tank the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS). [read more]

China and Vietnam in stand-off over Chinese survey ship mission to disputed reef in South China Sea

12.07.2019 Liu Zhen (SCMP) - Coastguard vessels eye each other across Vanguard Bank. Haiyang Dizhi entered waters near reef to carry out seismic survey operation.

Chinese and Vietnamese coastguard vessels have been involved in a week-long confrontation over a reef in the South China Sea, risking the biggest clash between the two nations in five years.

The stand-off may trigger a wave of anti-China sentiment in Vietnam not seen since 2014, when a Chinese oil rig arrived off the disputed Paracel Islands. [read more]

Die Neuaufteilung der Welt: Führen alle Straßen nach Peking?

08.07.2019 Von Stephan Bierling (FAZ) - Die globale Dominanz Europas und der Vereinigten Staaten neigt sich ihrem Ende zu. Heute strebt Peking entschlossen nach Wiedergewinnung früheren Einflusses, indem es den eurasischen Wirtschaftsraum integriert. Zwei Faktoren beschleunigen dies: Europas interne Konflikte und Donald Trumps irrlichternde Politik. So argumentiert Peter Frankopan. Der Professor für Globalgeschichte an der Universität Oxford will damit thematisch und zeitlich anknüpfen an seinen Bestseller „Licht aus dem Osten. Eine neue Geschichte der Welt“, in dem er die zentrale Rolle des Orients für den Okzident herausarbeitete. [Weiterlesen]

China: Raketentests im Südchinesischen Meer unterstreichen Pekings Ziele in der Region

08.07.2019 Von Frank Fang (Epoch Times USA) - Pekings jüngste Raketentests im Südchinesischen Meer verstärkte die Besorgnis über die militärischen Aktivitäten Chinas in den umstrittenen Gewässern. Am letzten Juni-Wochenende testete China dort mehrere Schiffsabwehrraketen.

Das Pentagon verurteilte am 3. Juli die Tests und erklärte, es sei eine „beunruhigende“ Aktion, welche den chinesischen Zusagen zur Nicht-Militarisierung der Region zuwiderlaufe. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam Gambles on Workers’ Rights

07.07.2019 By Joe Buckley (Jacobin) - In a desperate effort to tame rebellious workers, Vietnam is now building a collective bargaining regime. But empowering independent trade unions could backfire for the country’s authoritarian government — and allow workers to fight back against multinational capital.

On Friday, June 14, however, the country’s National Assembly ratified the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Convention 98 on collective bargaining and the right to organize. This is big news — by ratifying the Convention, Vietnam has put a number of antagonisms and tensions in motion. [read more]

Two Americans sentenced to prison in Vietnam. One got out; the other can’t

05.07.2019 (The Mercury News) - William Nguyen and Michael Nguyen don’t know each other, but their lives are intertwined.

William Nguyen, an American citizen, participated in a political protest in Vietnam last summer, a rally that Michael Nguyen, an American who lives in Orange, was accused by Vietnamese officials of helping to organize.

And as a result of the protest — staged June 10, 2018, in Ho Chi Minh City — both men were arrested.

Initially, William Nguyen was detained for 40 days. When he was convicted, following a brief trial, he faced up to seven years in Vietnamese prison. Instead, authorities ordered his deportation, which meant returning to his then home town of Houston.

Michael Nguyen was detained for nearly a year before he got his own four-hour trial late last month. He was found guilty of conspiring to overthrow the Vietnamese government. He was sentenced to 12 years.

Amnesty International, which monitors human rights, says the country has 128 prisoners of conscience.  The 88 Project, which advocates for Vietnamese advocates and freedom of expression, says it is tracking 368 people, including 264 activists in prison. [read more]

China Missile Tests in South China Sea Highlights Beijing’s Ambitions in Region

03.07.2019 By Frank Fang (Epoch Times) - Over the past weekend, China tested multiple anti-ship ballistic missiles in the disputed waters, said a U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, according to Reuters.

The Pentagon on July 3 condemned the tests, saying it was a “disturbing” act that contradicted Chinese pledges not to militarize the region.

“Of course the Pentagon was aware of the Chinese missile launch from the man-made structures in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands,” Pentagon spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn said in a statement.[read more]

Vietnam Gives Eight-Year Prison Term to Man For Role in June 10, 2018 Protests

28.06.2019 (RFA) - A court in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City handed down an eight-year prison term on Friday to a man convicted of “disrupting public security” during rare and widespread protests last year against controversial draft laws, state media said today.

Truong Huu Loc, 56, had brought bread and water to distribute to protesters and had then shouted slogans and exhorted others to join the protests, which swept Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and other Vietnamese cities on June 10, 2018. [read more]

Vietnam jails man for eight years on charge of trying to overthrow state

27.06.2019 (Reuters) - HANOI - A court in Vietnam on Thursday jailed for eight years a man who formerly worked as a lawyer, on a charge of attempting to overthrow the state, just days after a U.S. citizen got 12 years on a similar charge.

At a one-day trial in Ho Chi Minh City, Tran Cong Khai, 56, was accused of joining, and then recruiting for, the U.S.-based Provisional Government of Vietnam, the Ministry of Public Security said on its news website.

Khai, who practiced as a lawyer from 1989 to 2009, faces three further years of house arrest after completing his term, it said. It was not immediately clear why Khai stopped practising. [read more]

Book Review: Speaking Out in Vietnam. Public Political Criticism in a Communist Party-Ruled Nation

25.06.2019 By: David Brown (Asia Sentinel) - There are two sorts  of ‘politics’ in Vietnam.

First, there are the arguments among the leaders of the Communist Party. Its four million (or so) members staff the government and make all the decisions for over 90 million fellow-citizens. While time has eroded their revolutionary aura and corrupt dealings their moral stature, they endlessly debate what the party must do to sustain its claim to make decisions on behalf of the other 90 million Vietnamese.

Second, there is the sphere that Kerkvliet has focused on, what he calls ‘public political criticism,’ the ‘dialogical relationship’ between the regime and citizens who have grievances. The squabbles he analyzes are mainly local: workers striking for better pay and conditions against foreign factory managers, farmers who resist surrendering their land at a fraction of its value, or people whose livelihoods have been blighted by industrial pollution. [read more]

Vietnam jails US man for 12 years for trying to overthrow state

24.06.2019 (Al Jazeera) - A court in Vietnam has sentenced a US citizen to 12 years in prison after finding him guilty of "attempting to overthrow the state", the man's lawyer said.

Michael Phuong Minh Nguyen, a 55-year-old father of four, pleaded guilty before the Ho Chi Minh City court on Monday during a trial which lasted only half a day.

Born in Vietnam and raised in the United States since childhood, Nguyen was arrested in Vietnam in 2018 on suspicion of activities against the government, according to his brother-in-law, Mark Roberts.

Michael Phuong Minh Nguyen family says he has never been involved in any type of activism. [read more]

Vietnam calls in Russian experts to help preserve Ho Chi Minh’s body

20.06.2019 (RT) - Vietnam has called on the expertise of four Russian scientists to help preserve the embalmed body of former Communist leader Ho Chi Minh.

Ho’s body was first embalmed after his death, almost 50 years ago, and resides in a glass coffin in a Hanoi mausoleum

A special council of Vietnamese and Russian specialists will gather next month to assess the condition of his remains and figure out the best “technical methods and plans” to continue to preserve Ho’s body, a government decision read. Embalmed bodies require occasional re-embalming and the upkeep can be expensive. 

Curiously, Ho didn’t want to be displayed in a mausoleum and said in his will that he wished to be cremated and have his ashes buried in north, central and south Vietnam. [read more]

Des experts russes au Vietnam pour conserver la momie d'Ho Chi Minh

20.06.2019 (TV5MONDE) - Le Vietnam a fait appel à des experts russes pour aider à prolonger la conservation du corps du père de la révolution, Ho Chi Minh, exposé au public dans un mausolée comme Lénine.

L'équipe de 11 spécialistes (quatre Russes et sept Vietnamiens) doivent "évaluer l'état du corps du président Ho Chi Minh", embaumé depuis près de cinquante ans, a annoncé le gouvernement dans un communiqué mercredi. [en savoir plus]

La lutte des jeunes enseignants face à la jungle de l’éducation vietnamienne

12.06.2019 (Eglises d'Asie) - En 2018, le Vietnam comptait 1,16 million d’enseignants dans les écoles primaires et les collèges. Même si l’éducation vietnamienne a besoin de près de 76 000 enseignants supplémentaires, le secteur reste peu attractif en raison du faible niveau des salaires comparé aux autres secteurs. Les jeunes qui sortent de l’université reçoivent une moyenne de 3 millions de dongs (114 euros) mensuels, les salaires de la profession étant basés sur l’ancienneté, ce qui pousse beaucoup d’enseignants à assumer un deuxième emploi. Les jeunes subissent également la pression de la corruption, certains fonctionnaires n’hésitant pas à « vendre » des postes d’enseignants en échange de pots-de-vin. [en savoir plus]

Fishermen accuse Chinese of stealing squid

12.06.2019 (The Star) - Hanoi: Vietnam’s fishing trade association has accused a Chinese vessel of robbing Vietnamese fishermen near disputed islands in the South China Sea, state media here reported.

According to the complaint from the Vietnam Fisheries Society, a boat from Vietnam’s Quang Nam province with 10 crew members was accosted by a Chinese-flagged vessel 22 nautical miles from Triton Island in the Paracel archipelago on June 2.

After shouting death threats at the Vietnamese sailors, a group of men from the Chinese vessel allegedly forced their way on board and stole two tonnes of squid worth more than US$10,000 (RM41,600) [read more]

Vietnam: un Américain risque la peine de mort pour avoir voulu renverser le gouvernement

11.06.2019 (Le Figaro) - Un Américain d'origine vietnamienne, arrêté en juillet 2018 au Vietnam pour tentative de renverser le régime communiste, sera jugé fin juin, un procès au terme duquel il risque la peine de mort, a annoncé sa famille mardi.

«Il est clairement désavantagé» par le fait qu'il n'a pas accès à un avocat, affirment ses proches dan un communiqué publié depuis les Etats-Unis. Michael Nguyen, père de quatre enfants, est incarcéré depuis près d'un an dans l'attente de ce procès. Il s'était installé aux États-Unis à la fin de la guerre du Vietnam en 1975, fuyant comme des milliers de personnes le gouvernement communiste qui venait de prendre le contrôle du pays. [en savoir plus]

US man Michael Nguyen could face death penalty in Vietnam for ‘attempting to overthrow the state’ by travelling with activists

11.06.2019 (SCMP) - Michael Nguyen’s family said he has been denied access to lawyers during his detention and insisted he is innocent.

Vietnam routinely jails its critics and is accused of tightening its grip on activism in recent years

Michael Nguyen has been held for nearly a year in Vietnam, which has tightened its grip on power since a new administration came to office in 2016 and took a harder line on dissent of any kind. [read more]

Vietnamese Activist to be Deported From U.S. After Seven-Country Asylum-Seeking Odyssey

07.06.2019 (RFA) - A Vietnamese activist on the run is facing possible deportation from the U.S. back to Vietnam after fleeing the country and embarking on a journey through seven countries in a quest to seek asylum.

Ha Van Thanh, born in 1982 left Vietnam on May 12 2018 because he was afraid of being imprisoned like fellow activists Hoang Duc Bing and Nguyen Nam Phong, all of whom were involved in a collective march with hundreds of victims of the Formosa marine environmental disaster in April 2016. [read more]

Seeking asylum: Facing pirates, storms and gunfire to flee Vietnam

06.06.2019 (BBC) - The stories of five people who fled persecution in their own countries and found sanctuary in Wales are being told via a virtual reality exhibition in Cardiff. Hanh Tran was one of thousands of Vietnamese people who escaped by boat once Communist forces took over the country. Here is the story of his voyage to safety ...

He now lives in London, part of a Vietnamese community where he continues to keep alive the stories of those who took their chances on the ocean 40 years ago.

The Freedom 360 exhibition with the Welsh National Opera will run from 7 to 30 June at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. Visitors will be able to experience the stories of persecuted people from across the world who have found sanctuary in Wales. [read more]

Asian Countries Fear Being Forced to Choose between China, US over Disputed Sea

03.06.2019 Ralph Jennings (VOA) - TAIPEI — Asian countries that pride themselves on neutral foreign policies face growing pressure to support either China or the United States in a sticky maritime sovereignty dispute, but they are expected to bid for both and keep the aid coming in.

Southeast Asian claimants to the disputed South China Sea grappled with the prospect of choosing sides over the weekend at the annual Shangri-la Dialogue defense forum in Singapore. The question loomed so large that Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned of smaller countries being “forced” to take sides. [read more]

USA mahnen China zu Zurückhaltung gegenüber asiatischen Nachbarn

01.06.2019 (Yahoo Nachrichten) - Die USA haben China davor gewarnt, mit militärischem Gebahren seine asiatischen Nachbarn zu bedrohen. Die Volksrepublik könne und solle zwar "mit dem Rest der Region" zusammenarbeiten, "aber ein Verhalten, das die Souveränität anderer Nationen untergräbt und Misstrauen in Chinas Absichten sät, muss aufhören", sagte der kommissarische US-Verteidigungsminister Patrick Shanahan auf einer Sicherheitskonferenz in Singapur.

Bis dahin würden die USA "gegen eine kurzsichtige, engstirnige und beschränkte Zukunftsvision" und "für eine freie und offene Ordnung" einstehen, die "uns allen genutzt hat, auch China", sagte Shanahan. [Weiterlesen]

In major speech, Shanahan says China’s behavior must end

01.06.2019 By Simon Roughneen, Singapore (Asia Times) - US Defense Secretary reasserts Indo-Pacific commitment with new ‘toolkit of coercion’ while falling short of asking nations to take sides

In an anticipated major policy address in Singapore, acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan warned today (June 1) China that “behavior that erodes other nations’ sovereignty and sows distrust of China’s intentions must end.”

At the same time, America’s top defense official stopped short of demanding countries take sides in the US-China economic and military face-off and said that there is still a chance for the two superpowers to come to terms [read more]

Washington veut que Pékin cesse "d'éroder" la souveraineté de ses voisins

01.06.2019 (RTL) - Les Etats-Unis ont appelé samedi la Chine à cesser "d'éroder la souveraineté" de ses voisins et prévenu qu'ils investiraient massivement dans les cinq prochaines années pour maintenir leur suprématie militaire dans la région.

"La Chine peut et doit avoir des relations de coopération avec le reste de la région", a déclaré le chef du Pentagone Patrick Shanahan à Singapour.

"Mais les comportements qui érodent la souveraineté d'autres nations et qui sèment la méfiance à l'égard des intentions chinoises doivent cesser", a ajouté le ministre américain de la Défense par intérim, lors d'un discours devant le forum de sécurité Shangri La Dialogue, où la lutte d'influence entre les Etats-Unis et la Chine en Asie a dominé les débats. [en savoir plus]

Mer de Chine méridionale: Manille met en garde contre un «embrasement des tensions»

31.05.2019 (Le Figaro) - Le président philippin Rodrigo Duterte a adressé vendredi une mise en garde à la Chine au sujet de ses revendications sur la mer de Chine méridionale, craignant un «embrasement des tensions».

La mer de Chine méridionale est au cœur de l'un des contentieux territoriaux les plus explosifs du monde en raison des considérables échanges commerciaux dans la zone et des riches réserves pétrolières qui pourraient se trouver sous ses eaux. La Chine, arguant d'une présence plus ancienne, dispute à plusieurs pays riverains (Vietnam, Philippines, Malaisie, Bruneï) des îles de cette vaste zone maritime. Chaque nation en contrôle plusieurs. [en savoir plus]

À 99 ans, Pham Thi Ca résiste contre les bulldozers

28.05.2019 (free) - Malgré la destruction de sa maison, cette Vietnamienne de 99 ans ne baisse pas les bras face à la construction d'une centrale à charbon sur ses terres.

"Non, je ne pars pas. Je reste ici chez moi." Voici les mots de Pham Thi Ca, 99 ans, prononcés avec vigueur. Cette femme fait face à un adversaire de poids : les autorités vietnamiennes qui veulent l'expulser pour construire une centrale à charbon. [en savoir plus]

Un Vietnamien condamné à six ans de prison pour planification d'attentat

28.05.2019 (Le Figaro) - Un Vietnamien a été condamné lundi à six ans de prison pour avoir planifié un attentat, selon la presse officielle du régime communiste, qui l'accuse d'avoir voulu se venger d'avoir été exproprié. Le Quoc Binh avait été interpellé en août 2018, à la veille de la fête nationale vietnamienne, dans la province de Binh Dinh, avec sur lui sept fusils et 500 balles rapportées illégalement du Cambodge voisin.

Il a été condamné à cinq ans de prison pour «possession d'armes» et un an pour «préparation d'attaque», selon le tribunal. «Binh a utilisé Facebook pour populariser l'usage des armes et de la violence contre l'Etat», assure Bao Ve Phap Luat, le journal officiel du parquet. L'homme était mécontent que sa famille ait été expropriée de sa propriété de Quy Nhon, dans le centre du pays, et n'ait pas reçu en échange une compensation suffisante. [en savoir plus]

Facebook increased Vietnam content restrictions by 500% during 2018 - report

24.05.2019 (Reuters) HANOI - Facebook increased the amount of content it restricted access to in Vietnam by over 500% in the last half of 2018, the U.S. social media giant said in a report released on Friday, as the Southeast Asian country ramps up its crackdown on online dissent.

The website is widely used in the country and serves as the main platform for both e-commerce and dissent. In January, Vietnam accused Facebook of violating local laws by allowing users to post anti-government comments. [read more]

25 Vietnamese fishing boats detained, 123 arrested in multi-agency operation

18.05.2019 (The Star) - Kuala Lumpur: A joint task force has detained 25 Vietnamese fishing vessels for illegal fishing.

The Home Ministry in a statement on Saturday (May 18) said the operation covered Malaysian waters and airspace in Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan between May 2 and May 16. "During that time, a total of 266 vessels were checked and 25 detained.

"The 25 were Vietnamese fishing vessels and 123 crew members were arrested," the ministry said. [read more]

Vietnam Is the Chinese Military’s Preferred Warm-Up Fight

14.05.2019 By Derek Grossman (The Diplomat) - At some point, the Chinese military will need to test its new capabilities – and Vietnam is likely the preferred. adversary.

In mid-April, China conducted a series of fresh military flights through the Bashi Channel and Miyako Strait, on the south and north ends of Taiwan, respectively. As has been the case many times in the past, these new activities were clearly meant to signal Beijing’s resolve to resort to force against the island and its U.S. and allied defenders if necessary.

History also likely looms large on Xi’s mind. The last major war China fought was against Vietnam in 1979 at their border and it resulted in embarrassing defeat. Furthermore, the war was predominantly a ground forces conflict and not the warfighting Beijing expects to face from a variety of current possible scenarios, whether against Taiwan or another regional opponent in the South China Sea or East China Sea, as all would near-exclusively take place in the air and naval domains. [read more]

Why Does Trump Like Communist Vietnam? Because It’s Capitalist

08.05.2019 Mark Karlin (Truthout) - Before Donald Trump’s February summit with Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam, The Washington Post ran an article headlined, “The US wants North Korea to follow the ‘miracle’ of Vietnam’s path.”

“In light of the once-unimaginable prosperity and partnership we have with Vietnam today, I have a message for Chairman Kim Jong Un: President Trump believes your country can replicate this path,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, as quoted in The Post article [read more]

Vietnam: The Net as the New ‘Battlefield’

06.05.2019 by Southeast Asian Press Alliance (PCIJ) - IT WOULD be almost impossible to discuss media freedom in Vietnam without first reviewing the country’s political situation over the past year.

Vietnam in 2018 remains an authoritarian state under the rule of the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP). The VCP had ruled over the north of Vietnam for more than seven decades, and after 1975, it had a political monopoly over the entire country. Since 1980, the Constitution of Vietnam has formally granted the VCP an absolute monopoly over the state and its people underArticle 4, which designates the VCP as the only leading force within society and government. This specific legal clause survived two rounds of constitutional amendments in 1992 and 2013, effectively consolidating the power of the ruling party to date.

The year 2018 was also the year that the courts in Vietnam handed down the harshest sentences against political prisoners to date. Many of these defendants were either citizen journalists or bloggers. Cases of particular concern this year include Hoang Duc Binh, who was sentenced in February 2018 to 14 years, and Le Dinh Luong, who was sentenced in August 2018 to 20 years in prison. [read more]

Vietnam, la Chine émergente?

06.05.2019 Andrea Astone (Allnews) - En s’intéressant de plus près au Vietnam on constate rapidement de nombreuses similitudes avec la Chine d'il y a 15 ans. En effet, le rythme de développement du pays depuis son ouverture au monde en 1990 est presque identique aux 18 premières années de croissance de la Chine après 1977. Mais les similitudes vont bien au-delà du taux de croissance.

Comme la Chine, le Vietnam reste un pays dirigé par un Etat communiste tentant de trouver des compromis avec le capitalisme, en attestent la récente répression de la corruption et de la stricte intolérance à l'égard de toute forme de dissension. Alors que l'entreprise privée est désormais encouragée, les entreprises d'État dominent toujours l'économie et l'autoritarisme du gouvernement se manifeste dans presque tous les secteurs d'activité. [en savoir plus]

Nguyen Phu Trong: la extraña desaparición del ojo público del presidente de Vietnam

05.05.2019 (La Prensa Grafica) - El mandatario del país asiático lleva semanas sin aparecer en público y los rumores sobre una posible enfermedad se extienden a través de las redes sociales. Pero el Partido Comunista prefiere mantener el secretismo.

Nguyen Phu Trong, quien es también el secretario general del Partido Comunista en el poder, desapareció del ojo público tras caer enfermo el 14 de abril.

La especulación se intensificó el viernes, cuando el mandatario, de 75 años, se ausentó del funeral del anterior presidente, Le Duc Anh , un veterano de la guerra que murió el 22 de abril a los 99 años. [seguir leyendo]

An Intense Look into the Evacuation of South Vietnam

04.05.2019 By Elise Cooper (American Thinker) - Honorable Exit by Thurston Clarke delves into the facts behind the evacuation of the South Vietnamese people.  Many Democrats have shown their disgust with President Trump over his stance on illegal aliens and refugees.  Yet these same Democrats blocked Vietnamese refugees, including orphans, when millions were trying to escape South Vietnam as it fell to the communists.  In reading this book, people can see the true meaning of the word "amnesty" as well as the hypocrisy of the Democrats. [read more]

Nguyen Phu Trong: Where is the president of Vietnam?

03.05.2019 (BBC) - The president of Vietnam has not been seen in public for nearly three weeks, fuelling speculation over his health.

Nguyen Phu Trong, 75, vanished from the public eye after falling ill on 14 April.

Speculation intensified on Friday when Mr Trong was absent from the funeral of former president Le Duc Anh.

State media has not explained why Mr Trong, who was due to preside over the state funeral, did not appear. [read more]

Russia sets up engine MRO facility in Vietnam

23.04.2019 Jon Grevatt, Bangkok (Jane's Defence Weekly) - Russian defence industrial group Rostec has announced the opening of a new helicopter engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in Vietnam.

The new facility is located in the southern city of Vũng Tàu, where the Vietnam People’s Air Force (VPAF) and several commercial helicopter operators have bases. [read more]

New book reveals truth behind this famed Fall of Saigon photo

23.04.2019 By Reed Tucker (New York Post) - It’s one of the iconic images of the Vietnam War. Hubert van Es’ snapshot shows a military helicopter perched atop the US Embassy in Saigon as Americans stream up a stairway desperately boarding the last flight out.

Except that isn’t a military helicopter, that’s not the US Embassy, those aren’t Americans and that wasn’t the last flight out.

“As I was researching it, I found that almost everything I had assumed about that photo was wrong,” historian and author Thurston Clarke tells The Post. [read more]

Skyluck, the ship that smuggled 2,600 boatpeople to Hong Kong – and freedom

23.04.2019 By Gary Jones (SCMP) - "In office at 07.45 and then at 09.30 it all started: Skyluck cut her anchor chain and drifting. The proverbial hit the fan and we were off.”

June 29, 1979, turned out to be a “day of high drama” for Talbot Bashall, who had recently been appointed controller of the Hong Kong government’s Refugee Control Centre, and he recorded its chaos in his diary.

The Skyluck was a 3,500-tonne Panamanian-registered freighter. Its cargo on this day was 2,600 men, women and children, a small cross section of the mass migration of refugees from Indochina that the global media had dubbed “the boatpeople”. [read more]

Vietnam: from utopia to geopolitical reality

22.04.2019 By Alexander Casella (Asia Times) - In December 1955, the newly elected president of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, adopted a nationality law that stipulated that all Chinese born in Vietnam were entitled to Vietnamese nationality. There were at the time some 650,000 Chinese in South Vietnam, practically all of whom held Taiwan passports. As a group, they played a dominant role in the country’s economy. [read more]

Students in Vietnam under fire in college admission scandal

22.04.2019 By Elizabeth Shim (UPI) - More than 100 university students in Vietnam are accused of manipulating their test scores in order to gain admission to the country's top colleges, according to a South Korean press report.

Television network KBS reported Monday from Vietnam public anger is rising following revelations 108 students used their elite connections to gain entry into top schools. [read more]

Is Vietnam’s leader Trong on his deathbed?

22.04.2019 By David Hutt (Asia Times) - And if so what would it mean for the nation’s secretive and divided politics ahead of an undecided leadership succession in 2021?

Vietnam’s social media outlets have been abuzz for the past week with claims that Communist Party chief and President Nguyen Phu Trong was rushed to hospital on April 14 and has yet to re-emerge in the public eye.

Some online posts have said the country’s most powerful politician merely had the flu, while others have claimed he suffered either a brain hemorrhage or a stroke and is on his deathbed. [read more]

China to show new warships as Beijing flexes military might

21.04.2019 (Taipei Times) - China is to show off new warships, including nuclear submarines and destroyers, at a parade on Tuesday marking 70 years since its navy’s founding, a senior commander said yesterday, as Beijing flexes its increasingly well-equipped military muscle.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is overseeing a sweeping plan to refurbish China’s military by developing everything from stealth jets to aircraft carriers as China ramps up its presence in the South China Sea and around Taiwan. [read more]

US launches latest clean-up effort for Vietnam War-era site

21.04.2019 (SBS) - The US launched on Saturday a US$183 million clean-up at a former Vietnam storage site for Agent Orange, a toxic defoliant used in their bitter war which years later is still blamed for severe birth defects, cancers and disabilities.

Located outside Ho Chi Minh City, Bien Hoa airbase -- the latest site scheduled for rehabilitation after Danang airbase's clean-up last year -- was one of the main storage grounds for Agent Orange and only hastily cleared by soldiers near the war's end more than four decades ago. [read more]

Men Still Have an Edge in Communist Vietnam’s Gender-Equal System

16.04.2019 Ha Nguyen (VOA) - when considering all of the data that indicate Vietnam is ahead of most other countries in gender equality - like the percentage of women who are in the labor force or who are chief executive officers - it is easy to overlook the fact that men still have an edge in so many areas.

The average income of women in the Southeast Asian country is $224 (5.2 million Vietnam dong) a month, according to figures released in March by Adecco Vietnam, a firm that sells staffing services. That pay level amounts to just 81% of the average income of men. [read more]

Vietnam Dismisses ‘Inaccurate’ Reports of Huge Payout in Arbitration Over Dutchman’s Seized Assets

12.04.2019 (RFA) - Vietnam’s government on Friday dismissed as “inaccurate” reports about the verdict in a case filed by an ethnic Vietnamese man of Dutch citizenship after leaked documents showed he was awarded nearly U.S. $40 million in compensation for the seizure of his property more than 20 years ago.

In a statement, Vietnam’s Ministry of Justice acknowledged that the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitrage, a council founded under United Nations Commission on International Trade and Law's (UNCITRAL) arbitration rules, had come to a decision in a lawsuit brought by Trinh Vinh Binh against the government. [read more]

Thüringens Ministerpräsident in Vietnam - Ramelow hält die Klappe

11.04.2019 Anna Lehmann (taz) - Der Linken-Politiker reist mit Unternehmern durch Vietnam. Die Deutsche Botschaft freut sich. Aber kritische Themen spart Ramelow aus.

Wer erwartet hat, das ein linker Ministerpräsident auch ein paar Worte zum Thema der bürgerlichen Freiheiten fallen lässt, wird enttäuscht.

„Wir haben schon deutlich mehr erreicht, als wir gehofft haben“, sagt Ramelow. Die traditionell guten Kontakte zur Kommunistischen Partei sind sicher hilfreich. „Heikle Themen wie Politik, Armut in Vietnam und Umgang mit Dissidenten sollten vermieden werden.“ [Weiterlesen]

Zahl der weltweiten Hinrichtungen geht zurück - doch die Dunkelziffer ist groß

10.04.2019 (Stern) - DPA - Im vergangenen Jahr wurden nach Angaben von Amnesty International weltweit so wenige Hinrichtungen dokumentiert wie zuletzt vor zehn Jahren. Die Menschenrechtsorganisation verzeichnet im Jahresbericht 2018 zur Todesstrafe mindestens 690 Hinrichtungen in 20 Staaten. Allerdings gebe es eine erhebliche Dunkelziffer vor allem in China.

Vier Länder waren demnach für 78 Prozent der dokumentierten Exekutionen verantwortlich: Iran (mindestens 253), Saudi-Arabien (149), Vietnam (mindestens 85) und der Irak (mindestens 52). [Weiterlesen]

Malaysia: Murder Charge Dropped for Second Defendant in Killing of Kim Jong Nam

01.04.2019 (RFA) - A Vietnamese woman accused of assassinating the half-brother of the leader of North Korea by using lethal chemical weapon escaped the death penalty on Monday after a court reduced her murder charge to a lesser offense of causing injury through dangerous means.

Doan Thi Huong, 30, was sentenced to three years and four months after pleading guilty to the lesser charge. She was expected to be freed from jail in early May, according to her lawyers. [read more]

Driving gender reform in Vietnam’s Labour Code

27.03.2019 Author: Jane Aeberhard-Hodges, Australian Government (East Asia Forum) - Globally, removing sex discrimination from regulatory texts continues to ride a positive wave. This might be a response to a new generation of free trade agreements, which call for regulatory frameworks to be socially and environmentally compliant with international standards.

The Vietnamese government is discussing ratifying the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP-11), under which it will have to conform to the agreement’s international labour standards. Similarly, signing the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will require Vietnam to comply with references to sustainable development. Article 13.4(2) of the EVFTA specifically lists the parties’ commitment to the International Labour Organization (ILO) 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which requires respect, promotion and effective implementation of non-discrimination and gender equality. [read more]

Public criticism pressures Vietnam to back down on new economic zones

26.03.2019 Tom Fawthrop (chinadialogue) - In June 2018, public demonstrations swept through major towns in six provinces, catching the Vietnamese government off guard and pressuring it to postpone a law on Special Economic Zones (SEZs). The Vietnamese government argues that if the law is passed by the National Assembly it could spark new investment and economic reform.

But the Vietnamese public fears that Chinese companies would be the main beneficiary of the new set of investor incentives, including for the first time the offer of 99-year leases.

The Vietnamese public are also deeply worried that with Chinese capital and investment fast expanding in the region, China’s soft power can also imperil their hard-won struggle for independence. [read more]

Report: Fallen North Korea soldiers of Vietnam 'enshrined' in Pyongyang

26.03.2019 By Elizabeth Shim (UPI) - SEOUL -- North Korea keeps the remains of 27 fallen soldiers who died during the Vietnam War at a national cemetery in Pyongyang, according to a pro-North Korea newspaper based in Japan.

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War in 2013, Kim Jong Un moved the remains of North Korean soldiers who died in Vietnam to the Great Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs' Cemetery, according to the Choson Sinbo.

North Korea may have deployed ten MiG-17 fighter aircraft and sent troops to fight with the North Vietnamese in 1966 and 1967. [read more]

Vietnam: Globalized Party-State – Analysis

18.03.2019 By Börje Ljunggren (Eurasia Review) - For US President Donald Trump, his second summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un was reality check rather than success. For host Vietnam, though, the summit was undoubtedly a grand triumph. The country’s rapid economic development and deft diplomacy gained unprecedented spotlight while a recent cybersecurity law and detentions of regime critics went unnoticed.

Vietnam accomplished a lot with Trump. Meeting with President and Party Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trong, Trump said that he “felt very good about having this summit in Vietnam because you really are an example of what can happen with good thinking.” [read more]

Big Read: US tech giants face stricter censorship under new Vietnamese cyber security law

17.03.2019 (NZ Herald) - When Vietnam's government took offense at a game on Google's app store in which a player could battle characters named after the country's political figures, the tech behemoth caved.

It blocked access to the app in Vietnam, one of Asia's most promising online markets and a country whose communist leaders have long restricted free speech and criticism of the government.

Activists worry that tech giants such as Facebook and Google, which gave them an exciting new forum for criticism, will prove willing to comply with the government's escalating demands so they can maintain a presence in this booming market. [read more]

Second Kim slay suspect not released

15.03.2019 by Associated Press (The Manila Times) - SHAH ALAM, Malaysia: Malaysia’s attorney general ordered the murder case to proceed against a Vietnamese woman accused in the killing of the North Korean leader’s estranged half brother, prosecutors said in court Thursday.

Prosecutor Iskandar Ahmad gave no explanation for the refusal to drop the murder charge against Doan Thi Huong, who is the only suspect in custody after the stunning decision to drop the case Monday against Indonesian Siti Aisyah. [read more]

Malaysia will mutmassliche Kim-Attentäterin aus Vietnam nicht freilassen

14.03.2019 (NZZ) - Nach der überraschenden Freilassung ihrer Mitangeklagten aus Indonesien dämpft Malaysia die Hoffnung der noch in Haft verbliebenen Angeklagten, ebenfalls aus der Haft entlassen zu werden. Beide Frauen hatten stets ihre Unschuld betont, sie seien hinters Licht geführt worden.

Malaysia will einer mutmasslichen Mörderin des Halbbruders von Nordkoreas Machthaber Kim Jong Un weiterhin den Prozess machen. Die Justiz des südostasiatischen Staates lehnte es am Donnerstag ab, die Vietnamesin Doan Thi Huong freizulassen, wie die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur Bernama berichtete. [Weiterlesen]

Assassinat de Kim Jong-nam : la libération de la seconde accusée a été rejetée

14.03.2019 (France24) - Un tribunal malaisien a rejeté jeudi la demande de libération de Doan Thi Huong, une Vietnamienne accusée dans l'assassinat en 2017 du demi-frère du dirigeant nord-coréen Kim Jong-un.

Doan Thi Huong, la Vietnamienne accusée dans l'assassinat du demi-frère du dirigeant nord-coréen Kim Jong-un, ne sera pas libérée. Un tribunal malaisien a rejeté jeudi 14 mars sa demande en ce sens. Sa co-accusée indonésienne avait été libérée à la surprise générale lundi. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam’s Communist Party Ousts Historian Who Criticized Its China Policy

13.03.2019 By Mike Ives (The New York Times) - A prominent Vietnamese historian who criticized his government for not doing more to challenge Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea has been ousted from Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party over comments he made on Facebook.

The political purge of Tran Duc Anh Son, an expert on Vietnam’s claims in the South China Sea, is a rare window into how the party handles dissent among its rank-and-file members. It may also underline the sensitivities around Vietnam’s handling of its relationship with China, its largest trading partner and former imperial occupier. [read more]

China Eyes Alternative Sources for Maritime Expansion

08.03.2019 Ralph Jennings (VOA) - TAIPEI — Officials in Beijing are expected to take money from non-defense sources this year to solidify their military control in the disputed South China Sea following a proposed slowdown in formal defense spending.

China will increase defense spending by 7.5 percent this year, according to a draft budget report submitted to a National People's Congress session Tuesday.

China claims about 90 percent of the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea ranging from Hong Kong to Borneo. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim all or parts of the same sea.

“China’s expansion in the South China Sea is a comprehensive effort,” said Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. “It involves the military but it also involves even the private sector. [read more]

Tensions Soar After Chinese Boat Rams, Sinks Vietnamese Vessel In Disputed Waters

08.03.2019 by Tyler Durden (ZeroHedge/ABC) - Tensions in the South China Sea are once again soaring after a Vietnames fishing boat reportedly came under attack by a Chinese vessel near the contested Paracel Islands, a Vietnamese official said Friday. According to the Australian Associated Press the dangerous incident has sent tensions in the region to "a new high".

The Vietnamese boat was fishing near Discovery Reef some 370 kilometers off Da Nang in Paracel island chain when according to Hanoi government officials it was rammed by the presumably larger Chinese vessel. The fishing boat capsized, leaving five Vietnamese crewmen clinging to the side of their upturned vessel for two hours before they were rescued by another nearby fishing boat. [read more]

South China Sea expert expelled from Vietnam's Communist Party

08.03.2019 By AFP (Daily Mail) - Vietnam's Communist Party has purged a prominent researcher whose work on his country's claims to the disputed South China Sea had threatened to ruffle feathers in Beijing, which says it owns most of the resource-rich waterway.

Tran Duc Anh Son, deputy head of a state-run research institute in central Danang City, was expelled from the party this week after being accused of eroding its prestige, state media reported. [read more]

Vietnam jails 15 over anti-China protests

07.03.2019 (France24) - Hanoi (AFP) - Vietnam on Thursday jailed 15 people for "causing public disorder" after violent demonstrations last year over a proposed investment project that protesters said catered to Chinese firms.

Scores have been jailed in the wake of rare nationwide demonstrations in June 2018 that quickly turned violent in some areas as police struggled to quell the unrest.

On Thursday, 15 people were sentenced to between two and 3.5 years in jail by a court in southern Binh Thuan province, where police stations were ransacked and security vehicles destroyed.

Protests of any kind are banned and dissidents are routinely jailed. [read more]

40 Years After The Vietnam War, Some Refugees Face Deportation Under Trump

04.03.2019 Shannon Dooling (National Public Radio npr) - More than four decades after the Vietnam War brought waves of expatriates to the United States, the Trump administration wants to deport thousands of Vietnamese immigrants, including many refugees, because of years-old criminal convictions.

U.S. officials have been working behind the scenes to convince the Vietnamese government to repatriate more than 7,000 Vietnamese immigrants with criminal convictions. They have all been ordered removed from the U.S. by a judge.

"After years of negotiating, Vietnam essentially agreed to take back people who came to the U.S. after 1995 but not those that came to the U.S. before 1995," says Phi Nguyen with the civil rights group Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Atlanta. [read more]

Nach Treffen in Vietnam - Wer ist Schuld am Scheitern? Auch Nordkorea will es nicht gewesen sein - und widerspricht Trump

28.02.2019 (Stern) - Am Ende stehen widersprüchliche Schuldzuweisungen. Der zweite Gipfel von Trump und Kim in Hanoi endete vorzeitig ohne Einigung.

Mit dem Scheitern des Gipfels zwischen Donald Trump und Kim Jong Un haben sich die Hoffnungen auf eine baldige atomare Abrüstung Nordkoreas zerschlagen. [Weiterlesen]

The Collapse Of Trump-Kim Summit

28.02.2019 (The Nation) - The news says that the Kim-Trump Summit proved a collapse. The failure of Hanoi talks was not unexpected. Experts cited two reasons for the fait accompli of the much-awaited summit on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. Firstly, the vagueness of the Singapore Summit that took place last year. Secondly, Trump’s unilateral revocation of Iran Deal and re-imposition of “biting sanctions” to hit Iran’s economy hard. Out of the two cited reasons, the former one probably counts the most for reaching “no deal” over denuclearisation. [read more]

Treffen mit Kim Jong Un: Zu früh gefreut

28.02.2019 Frederic Spohr, Hanoi (Zeit Online) - Kurz vor dem Scheitern des Gipfels erlebte die Welt eine Premiere. Das erste Mal beantwortete Nordkoreas Machthaber Kim Jong Un die Frage eines ausländischen Journalisten – in einer Art und Weise, wie es auch ein ganz normaler Politiker getan hätte. "Ich bin nicht pessimistisch", sagte Kim. Wenige Stunden später bekam die Hoffnung einen harten Dämpfer.

Der US-Präsident wird sich nun vorwerfen lassen müssen, dass er einen skrupellosen Diktator hoffähig gemacht hat: Schon jetzt ist Kim nicht mehr das Monster mit der Bombe, sondern ein Politiker, der sich sogar Fragen von ausländischen Reportern stellt. [Weiterlesen]

Trumps Gipfel-Debakel

28.02.2019 (SZ) - Hanoi (dpa) - Die Tafel im Hotel "Metropole" in Hanoi war schon gedeckt, Blumen schmückten den Tisch, um 11.55 Uhr wollte US-Präsident Donald Trump hier mit Nordkoreas Machthaber Kim Jong Un speisen.

Nicht nur das Essen, auch die Erklärung fiel am Donnerstag aus. Der Gipfel ist gescheitert. Ein Debakel für Trump - der einen Erfolg angesichts des gewaltigen Ärgers zu Hause so dringend gebraucht hätte.

Nur etwas mehr als ein Jahr ist es her, dass Trump sagte: "Kein Regime hat seine eigenen Bürger totaler oder brutaler unterdrückt als die grausame Diktatur in Nordkorea." In Hanoi spielten Menschenrechte gar keine Rolle. Unmittelbar vor dem Wiedersehen schickte Trump einen Tweet in die Welt, in dem er den Diktator seinen "Freund" nannte. Im Anschluss an den "Handshake" sagte er: "Es ist eine Ehre, mit dem Vorsitzenden Kim zusammen zu sein." [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam Wants Western Politicians, Not Western Politics

27.02.2019 By Bill Hayton (Foreign Policy) - As Hanoi welcomes Trump, it shuts down a key reformist think tank.

As the orange man meets the rocket man this week, the venue is also drawing attention. Vietnam, the host for U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s second meeting, is being held out as a model for North Korea to follow. The message will be: Embrace the free market, make friends with the United States, and investment and economic growth will flow in your direction. But Vietnam is currently giving the world a reminder that, fundamentally, it remains a communist state.

In what appears to be another backward step for intellectual freedom in the country, a leading academic foundation has been obliged to close down. The closure appears to be the latest stage in a campaign by the Communist Party general secretary, Nguyen Phu Trong, to reimpose political orthodoxy after a decade of loosening control. [read more]

Vietnamese Activists Kept Under Wraps During US-North Korea Summit in Hanoi

26.02.2019 (RFA) - Vietnamese dissident bloggers and democracy advocates are being kept under police watch at their homes as U.S. president Donald Trump prepares to meet for talks this week in Hanoi with North Korean national leader Kim Jong Un, sources in Vietnam say.

Speaking on Tuesday to RFA’s Vietnamese Service, Nguyen Lan Thang—an activist blogger and frequent contributor to RFA—said that authorities are watching him closely at his home in Hanoi, adding that he is largely unaware of what is happening now in the capital. “Most common people here have no idea how miserable the lives of North Koreans are under the Kim family’s rule.” [read more]

Doppelgänger unerwünscht

25.02.2019 (Tagesschau) - Sie wollen doch nur posieren - sind aber unerwünscht. Vor dem Gipfeltreffen zwischen Nordkoreas Machthaber Kim und US-Präsident Trump in Vietnam musste einer ihrer Doppelgänger das Land verlassen.

Howard X hat ganz eigene Probleme: "Herr Kim, bitte lassen Sie sich eine anständige Frisur machen, es nervt", flehte der laut Eigenangaben weltweit erste professionelle Kim Jong Un-Darsteller jüngst in einem Interview. Nun macht ihm allerdings nicht nur seine Frisur Schwierigkeiten. Zwei Tage vor dem Gipfeltreffen mit US-Präsident Donald Trump in Vietnam musste der Doppelgänger von Nordkoreas Machthaber Vietnam verlassen. [Weiterlesen]

Thousands of Vietnamese Refugees in the U.S. Fear Trump Will Send Them Back

25.02.2019 By Sheridan Prasso (Bloomberg Businessweek) - At the Banh Mi Cho Cu bakery in Westminster, Calif., in Orange County’s Little Saigon, Andy Trinh, 42, the affable only son of the family that owns the business, worries as he works.

When U.S. President Donald Trump travels to Hanoi for a summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un scheduled for Feb. 27 and 28, he may seek to make progress on another goal: persuading Vietnam to accept Trinh and 8,700 other Vietnamese refugees the White House is trying to deport. [read more]

Hanoi summit nightmare scenario: Bad deals and little change

24.02.2019 By Foster Klug (The News & Observer) - HANOI, VIETNAM - The nightmare scenario heading into the second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un isn't so much "fire and fury" and millions dead. Rather, some experts fear the meeting could result in an ill-considered deal that allows North Korea to get everything it wants while giving up very little, even as the mercurial leaders trumpet a blockbuster nuclear success.

But with the stakes so high, a growing chorus of experts highlight a particular risk: that Trump, burned by criticism that the results of his June meeting with Kim in Singapore were vague at best and an outright failure at worst, will ignore his more cautious aides and try to strike a deal that's cobbled together on the fly with little preparatory work. [read more]

Statt Flugzeug: Kim fährt mit Panzer-Zug zum Treffen mit Trump

24.02.2019 (Stern) - Am Mittwoch trifft Nordkoreas Machthaber Kim Jong Un in Vietnam auf US-Präsident Donald Trump. Weil Kim statt ein Flugzeug seinen gepanzerten Zug nimmt, ist er schon mal losgefahren. Ein Flug hätte ihn nur fünf Stunden gekostet.

Ein Flug von Korea nach Vietnam dauert etwa fünf Stunden, dennoch reist der nordkoreanische Machthaber Kim Jong Un in einem kugelsicheren Zug etwa 4500 Kilometer weit zu seinem zweiten Gipfel mit US-Präsident Donald Trump. Die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur KCNA veröffentlichte am Sonntag Bilder vom winkenden Kim in seinem abfahrbereiten gepanzerten Spezialzug in Pjöngjang. Es war überhaupt das erste Mal, dass der Gipfel in den nordkoreanischen Medien erwähnt wurde. [Weiterlesen]

Les combattants oubliés de la Corée du Nord au Vietnam

24.02.2019 (Le Vif) - Non loin de Hanoï, quatorze pierres tombales rendent hommage aux soldats nord-coréens tombés lors de la guerre du Vietnam contre les "impérialistes" américains. Le fait que la Corée du Nord avait soutenu le Nord communiste lors de la guerre du Vietnam, envoyant des soldats de l'armée de l'air en renfort, reste un aspect peu connu de l'histoire vietnamo-coréenne.

Pendant la guerre du Vietnam, entre 1966 et 1969, Pyongyang avait envoyé en renfort 80 pilotes de chasse pour aider les troupes du Nord Vietnam à contrecarrer les attaques de bombardiers américains. [en savoir plus]

Les blessures profondes de la guerre sino-vietnamienne, quarante ans après

22.02.2019 (Eglises d’Asie) - Quarante ans après la guerre sino-vietnamienne, brève mais meurtrière, qui a frappé la frontière du nord du Vietnam en 1979, les proches des victimes de guerre et les vétérans affirment qu’ils ont été délaissés durant des dizaines d’années par le gouvernement et les autorités locales, par peur de représailles chinoises. Malgré l’absence de chiffres officiels, les archives historiques dénombrent les victimes à près de 26 000 morts et 37 000 blessés du côté chinois, et 30 000 morts et 32 000 blessés côté vietnamien. Cette année, pour la première fois, les médias locaux ont reçu l’autorisation du gouvernement de revenir sur cette période. [en savoir plus]

Vietnam detains impersonators of Kim Jong Un and Trump

22.02.2019 (BBC) - Impersonators of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump have been questioned by police in Vietnam.

Kim impersonator Howard X and Trump lookalike Russell White were reprimanded after staging a "meeting" in Hanoi.

The pair have been released but told news agency AFP they were threatened with deportation.

"They basically said stop doing the impersonation or we will kick you out of the country," Howard X - a Hong Kong resident - told AFP. [read more]

Vietnam’s new view of an old war

20.02.2019 By David Hutt, Phnom Penh (Asia Times) - Hanoi marked the 40th anniversary of its bloody 1979 border war with China with unprecedented candor, a revisionist reflection of declining contemporary ties.

This February 7 marked the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Vietnam-China border war, a short but fierce struggle that took the lives of tens of thousands of Vietnamese and Chinese soldiers, although the exact number of casualties is contested by both sides.

The 1979 border war has since been a taboo subject in Vietnam. While commemorative statues and monuments dot the countryside, state media and ruling Communist Party officials have traditionally played down the conflict’s anniversary, paying only lip service to those who perished in the fighting. The reasons behind the silence are as political as they are economic. China, while still a bête noire for much of the Vietnamese public, is Hanoi’s second-largest trading partner, trailing only the US. [read more]

Vietnam und Deutschland beraten Neuausrichtung ihrer Strategischen Partnerschaft

20.02.2019 (Auswärtiges Amt) - Außenminister Heiko Maas betont im Gespräch mit seinem Kollegen Pham Bình Minh das Interesse an einer engen Zusammenarbeit, die auf der Achtung gemeinsamer Werte beruht.

Beim Treffen mit seinem vietnamesischen Amtskollegen Pham Bình (20.02.) sprach sich Außenminister Heiko Maas für eine Neuausrichtung der Strategischen Partnerschaft aus, die nach der Entführung eines Vietnamesen aus Deutschland im letzten Jahr ausgesetzt worden war. Er machte dabei auch deutlich, dass eine Strategische Partnerschaft „auch die Achtung gemeinsamer Werte, insbesondere die Achtung der universellen Menschenrechte“, beinhalten muss:  [Weiterlesen]

Kriminalität - Deutsch-vietnamesische Krise offensichtlich beigelegt

20.02.2019 Von dpa (Berliner Morgenpost) - Berlin. Deutschland sieht die diplomatische Krise mit Vietnam wegen der Entführung eines vietnamesischen Geschäftsmannes aus Berlin offensichtlich als beendet an. Bundesaußenminister Heiko Maas sagte am Mittwoch anlässlich eines Besuchs seines vietnamesischen Amtskollegen Pham Binh Minh in Berlin, dass es wegen der Verschleppung "in der Vergangenheit" spürbare Differenzen gegeben habe. Es gehe nun darum, "wie wir die Strategische Partnerschaft zwischen Vietnam und Deutschland neu justieren und wieder mit Substanz füllen können."

Es gab zwar keinen gemeinsamen Auftritt der beiden Minister wie sonst bei solchen Terminen üblich. Maas würdigte die deutsch-vietnamesischen Beziehungen aber in einer Pressemitteilung. "Vietnam ist ein zentraler Partner für uns in Südostasien", hieß es darin. [Weiterlesen]

Marxisten gegen Marxisten

18.02.2019 Lea Deuber (Tages-Anzeiger) - Vor 40 Jahren begann der Chinesisch-Vietnamesische Krieg, der für die Angreifer ziemlich desaströs endete. Er war ein Zeichen für Chinas Weltmachtstreben.

Man müsse ihnen «eine Lektion erteilen», die sie nicht vergessen, schimpfte Deng Xiaoping erbost. Er war 1979 gerade für einige Tage auf einer Reise in den USA. Die Volksrepublik China liess nur wenige Tage nach Dengs Wutanfall ihre Soldaten in Vietnam einrücken. Es war der 17. Februar 1979.

Im November 1978 schlossen Hanoi und Moskau einen Freundschaftsvertrag. Vietnam marschierte in Kambodscha ein und stürzte das Regime der Roten Khmer. Damit weitete das Land seine Macht in Indochina aus. Die Wut Chinas über die Neuorientierung Vietnams hin zur Sowjetunion, mit der die Volksrepublik lange schon gebrochen hatte, war masslos. [Weiterlesen]

Reisfelder zu Golfplätzen

16.02.2019 Pierre Daum (taz) - In Vietnam gehört das Land immer noch dem Staat. Er nimmt es den Bauern weg und verkauft es an Spekulanten und Investoren.

"Was an die Öffentlichkeit dringt, ist nur die Spitze des Eisbergs“, erklärt die Journalistin Ly vom staatlichen Sender Vietnam Television (VTV). „Viele bäuerliche Proteste bleiben unsichtbar“, denn die Recherche ist gefährlich. Wissenschaftler und Journalisten warnten uns: „Geht lieber nicht in so ein Dorf, es gibt zu viele Spannungen, ihr werdet bloß von der Polizei verhaftet!“ Andere wollten sich gar nicht erst mit uns treffen.

„Es ist ein Skandal,“ schimpft Frau Nhung, die wir im Dorf Duong Noi treffen. „Die Regierung nimmt uns unser Land gegen eine lächerliche Entschädigungssumme mit der Begründung, es handele sich ja bloß um landwirtschaftliche Flächen, und verkauft es für das Hundertfache weiter, indem sie es als Bauland ausweist.“ [Weiterlesen]

Kim Jong Un to arrive in Vietnam on February 25 ahead of Trump summit

16.02.2019 James Pearson (Reuters) - HANOI - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will arrive in Vietnam on Feb. 25 ahead of a planned second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, three sources with direct knowledge of Kim’s schedule told Reuters on Saturday.

Trump and Kim are due to meet in Hanoi on Feb. 27 and 28 following their historic first meeting last June in Singapore. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday Washington aims to “get as far down the road as we can” at the summit. [read more]

Vietnamese airlines allowed to fly to US for first time

15.02.2019 by Rachel Frazin (The Hill) - Vietnamese airlines are now allowed to fly to the United States for the first time, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday. 

The FAA found that Vietnam complies with international safety standards for "personnel licensing, operations, and airworthiness" and gave the country a "Category 1" rating. This rating gives Vietnamese airlines the ability to fly to and from the U.S. and share codes with American air carriers. [read more]

Displaced Families in Vietnam’s Loc Hung Community Accept Compensation

14.02.2018 (RFA) - A majority of the families displaced by the January demolitions in Ho Chi Minh City’s Loc Hung Vegetable Garden settlement are accepting compensation from Vietnamese authorities, officials said on Thursday.

In a two-day operation at the beginning of last month, authorities demolished at least 112 houses in the settlement in Tanh Binh district claimed by the Catholic Church, where sources say political dissidents and veterans of the former Army of South Vietnam had made their homes.

“They’ve been saying from the very beginning that they met with 50 people, then with 90 people, but this is not true,” said Cao Ha Truc, in an interview with RFA’s Vietnamese Service. [read more]

Kim Phuc: "Ich dachte, nun würde ich hässlich sein"

11.02.2018 Gönna Ketels (DW) - Sie ist "das Mädchen auf dem Foto", eine Ikone des Vietnamkriegs. Am Montag ist Kim Phuc für ihren Einsatz für kriegstraumatisierte Kinder mit dem "Dresden-Preis" ausgezeichnet worden.

Der Fotograf Nick Ut bringt die verletzten Kinder auf dem Foto in ein Krankenhaus in Saigon, Kim Phuc überlebt knapp mit schwersten Verbrennungen. Als junge Frau wird sie vom kommunistischen Regime in Vietnam ausfindig gemacht, das sie für die Staatspropaganda benutzt. 1992 dann entflieht sie der Staatsmacht: Auf einem Flug von Kuba nach Russland verlässt Kim Phuc mit ihrem Ehemann bei einem Zwischenstopp in Kanada das Flugzeug und erhält politisches Asyl. 1997 wird sie kanadische Staatsbürgerin und gründet die Kim Phuc Foundation - eine Stiftung, die kriegstraumatisierten Kindern medizinische und psychologische Hilfe anbietet. Nun wurde sie für ihre Arbeit mit dem internationalen Friedenspreis "Dresden-Preis" ausgezeichnet. [Weiterlesen]

Kim Phuc: 'Napalm Girl' from harrowing Vietnam War image receives German prize for peace work

11.02.2018 Samuel Osborne (Independent) - Kim Phuc, known as “Napalm Girl“ in an iconic photo showing her during the Vietnam War, has received an award in Germany for her work for peace.

The 55-year-old, who now lives in Canada, was handed the Dresden Prize for her support of Unesco and children wounded in war, the organisers said.

She was also honoured for speaking out publicly against violence and hatred. She received 10,000 euros (£8,800). [read more]

Vietnamesischer Blogger verschwunden - Ein neuer Entführungsverdacht

10.02.2018 Marina Mai (taz) - Der nach Thailand geflohene vietnamesische Blogger Truong Duy Nhat ist verschwunden. Freunde vermuten, dass ihn der Geheimdienst entführt hat.

Hat Vietnams Geheimdienst nach der Entführung des Ex-Politikers Trinh Xuan Thanh im Juli 2017 von Berlin nach Hanoi erneut einen vietnamesischen Staatsbürger entführt, der im Ausland Schutz suchte? Das vermuten Freunde, Verwandte und Arbeitgeber des Bloggers und Journalisten Truong Duy Nhat. Von dem Mann, der Anfang Januar nach Thailand geflohen war, fehlt seit dem 26. Januar jede Spur. Auf internationalen Druck ordnete Thailands Chef der Einwanderungspolizei, Surachate Hakparn, inzwischen eine Untersuchung an. [Weiterlesen]

Ich bin das Napalm-Mädchen aus dem Vietnam-Krieg

10.02.2018 von: C. Lord und B. Schilz (Bild) - Dresden – Wer die lachende Frau am Sonntag auf dem Theaterplatz in Dresden sah, dachte wohl an eine der vielen asiatischen Touristen, die Dresden besuchen. Doch diese Frau ist weltberühmt. Hunderte Millionen haben sie schon gesehen – ohne etwas über sie zu wissen.

Kim Phuc Phan Thi (55) ist das „Napalm Girl“ aus dem Vietnam-Krieg, das 1972 nach einem Brandbomben-Angriff schreiend und weinend aus ihrem vietnamesischen Dorf flüchtete. Das Foto von Nick Ut ging in die Geschichte ein. Der Herzog von Kent wird sie am Montag mit dem 10. Dresdner Friedenspreis ehren. Die Jury: „Kim erhält den Preis nicht, weil sie Opfer war, sondern weil sie sich als Opfer dem Hass verweigert.“

Kim Phuc wurde als Kind und Jugendliche jahrelang von der vietnamesischen und auch von der DDR-Propaganda missbraucht. Später studierte sie in Kuba Medizin, konvertierte 1982 zum Christentum. Zehn Jahre später beantragte sie in Kanada politisches Asyl. [Weiterlesen]

US Welcomes Thai Investigation Into Vietnamese Blogger's Disappearance

09.02.2018 (RFA) - The United States on Friday welcomed news that Thailand will investigate the disappearance of Truong Duy Nhat, a Radio Free Asia blogger from Vietnam who disappeared on Jan. 26 after fleeing to Thailand to seek political asylum with a U.N. refugee agency.

Nhat, a former political prisoner and weekly contributor for RFA’s Vietnamese Service, vanished at a shopping mall on the outskirts of Bangkok after going the day before to the Bangkok office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). [read more]

Au Vietnam, la minorité Hmong tente de se réapproprier son patrimoine

07.02.2019 (RTL 5minutes) - AFP - Amère, Vuong Duy Bao se promène dans les pièces sombres et froides de son ancien palais familial, un trésor du patrimoine de la minorité Hmong, réquisitionné par les autorités vietnamiennes pour en faire un musée.

Les lieux sont chargés d'histoire, des sculptures de dragons symbolisent prospérité et longévité, tandis que les fleurs d'opium gravées dans les piliers font écho au commerce du pavot, florissant à l'époque. [en savoir plus]

The battle for Hmong heritage in Vietnam

07.02.2019 (Daily Mail) - Vuong Duy Bao surveys his ancestral palace, a vestige of Vietnam's marginalised Hmong ethnic minority that he says was taken from his family by local officials.

Both sides agree it is an architectural treasure since the historically nomadic Hmong rarely stayed long enough in one place to build anything lasting.

Many Hmong fear the government is simply commandeering their culture to boost tourism dollars. [read more]

China lässt die Nachbarn hoffen – und erzittern

07.02.2019 Manfred Rist, Singapur (NZZ) - Gibt es wirklich Nutzniesser des Handelsstreits zwischen China und den USA? Solche Hoffnungen gab es in Thailand und Vietnam. Realistischer ist die Einschätzung, dass sich Südostasien, das wirtschaftlich zunehmend von China abhängig geworden ist, auf härtere Zeiten einstellen muss.

In den vergangenen zwanzig Jahren haben sich die Gewichte in Asien grundsätzlich verschoben: China ist heute überall präsent.  [Weiterlesen]

Trump und Kim wollen in Vietnam Koreakrieg offiziell beenden

07.02.2019 (derstandard) - Seoul – 66 Jahre nach dem Ende der Kampfhandlungen könnte der Koreakrieg Ende Februar offiziell ein Ende finden. Die "Korea Times" berichtet am Donnerstag in ihrer Online-Ausgabe von angeblichen Plänen der USA und Nordkoreas, zum Gipfel zwischen US-Präsident Donald Trump und dem nordkoreanischen Machthaber Kim Jong-un in Vietnam auch die Staatschefs von Südkorea und China, Moon Jae-in und Xi Jinping, einzuladen. Die Unterschrift aller vier Konfliktparteien wäre nötig, um den Krieg offiziell für beendet zu erklären (die USA führten damals den offiziell unter UN-Flagge laufenden Kampfeinsatz gegen Nordkorea). Über Anreisepläne Xis hatte auch die "South China Morning Post" berichtet. [Weiterlesen]

Nächster Gipfel von Trump und Kim - Wiedersehen in Vietnam

06.02.2019 (Spiegel Online) - Donald Trump und Kim Jong Un wollen sich erneut treffen, dieses Mal in Vietnam.

Wie wichtig ihm die gemeinsame Linie mit Peking ist, das bewies Kim Jong Un vor wenigen Wochen. Lange vor dem geplanten zweiten Treffen mit US-Präsident Donald Trump reiste der nordkoreanische Machthaber in die benachbarte Volksrepublik

Als möglicher Ort wird die 1,1-Millionen-Einwohner-Stadt Da Nang diskutiert. Das berichtete unter anderem der US-Sender CNN. In der Küstenstadt direkt am Südchinesischen Meer hatte Trump bereits 2017 an dem Asien-Pazifik-Gipfel teilgenommen.

Heute ist Vietnam ein Handelspartner beider Staaten, für Südkorea ist es sogar der viertwichtigste. [Weiterlesen]

Pourquoi le Vietnam a été choisi pour la rencontre Donald Trump - Kim Jong-un

06.02.2019 (France24) - Le président américain Donald Trump a annoncé, mardi soir, que son prochain sommet avec le dirigeant nord-coréen Kim Jong-un aura lieu les 27 et 28 février au Vietnam. Un pays hautement symbolique pour les deux États.

Allié de longue date du régime de Pyongyang, pays stratégique aux yeux de Washington : le Vietnam, choisi par l’Américain Donald Trump et le Nord-coréen Kim Jong-un pour leur second sommet – prévu les 27 et 28 février –, jouit de multiples atouts. [en savoir plus]

Why is Donald Trump meeting Kim Jong Un in Vietnam?

06.02.2019 Ate Hoekstra (DW) - In his State of the Union address, the US president announced he would meet the North Korean leader in Vietnam in February, and there are some important arguments in favor of choosing the communist country as a venue.

Vietnam may seem as an odd choice, but there are reasons — part of them symbolic — for why the communist nation could be the perfect place for the two leaders to meet. Just as Singapore, where Kim and Trump met for the first time last June, Vietnam has diplomatic ties with both North Korea and the US. North Korea has an embassy in Hanoi and reports suggest that Kim Jong Un is interested in following Vietnam's economic and political example. [read more]

Trump y Kim Jong-un se reunirán en Vietnam a finales de febrero

06.02.2019 Macarena Vidal Liy (El Pais) - Los dos líderes intentarán destrabar un proceso de negociación nuclear sin apenas progresos desde su reunión de hace ocho meses en Singapur

Sin el drama ni el suspense que rodeó a la convocatoria de la primera reunión, el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, anunció este martes -miércoles ya en Asia- la segunda cumbre con el líder norcoreano, Kim Jong-un, los próximos 27 y 28 de febrero. El país anfitrión, como confirmó el mandatario en su discurso sobre el estado de la Unión, será esta vez Vietnam

Como Singapur en su día, Vietnam es una opción lógica. Está a pocas horas de vuelo de Pyongyang, un requisito imprescindible desde el punto de vista logístico dadas las limitaciones de la flota aérea norcoreana. [seguir leyendo]

Widerstand in Vietnam - Der zarte Protest aus Saigon

06.02.2019 Von Philipp Eins (Deutschlandradio) - Die Kommunistische Partei hat Medien, Militär und 95 Millionen Vietnamesen fest unter Kontrolle. Aber 89 Jahre nach ihrer Gründung begehren junge Studierende in Saigon auf. Sie gehen auf die Straße für Umweltschutz und Meinungsfreiheit im Netz.

Per Moped-Taxi bin ich in ein eher vornehmes Viertel im Nordosten von Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt gefahren – so heißt Saigon offiziell. Hier bin ich mit Cai verabredet.

Ich treffe sie in ihrem Apartment. Cai heißt eigentlich anders, zu ihrem Schutz haben wir ihren Namen geändert. [Weiterlesen]

Gipfeldiplomatie - Kim-Trump-Gipfel - Warum in Vietnam?

06.02.2019 Ate Hoekstra (DW) - In seiner Rede an die Nation erklärte US-Präsident Trump, dass er Nordkoreas Führer Kim Ende Februar in Vietnam treffen werde. Es gibt gute Gründe, die für Vietnam sprechen.

Auf den ersten Blick mag Vietnam eine ungewöhnliche Wahl sein, aber auf den zweiten Blick wird deutlich, warum das kommunistische Land der ideale Ort für das Treffen sein könnte. Zum einen unterhält Vietnam, wie Singapur, wo das erste Treffen stattfand (Artikelfoto), diplomatische Beziehungen sowohl zu Nordkorea (seit 1950) als auch zu den USA.  [Weiterlesen]

Video of Alleged Police Beating in Vietnam Goes Viral

30.01.2019 Eugene Whong (RFA) - A video showing a Vietnamese police officer allegedly kicking a man on the floor of a police station has gone viral after being published on social media, calling attention to police brutality in Vietnam.

The incident occurred on Tuesday in Tuy Hoa city, Phu Yen province. When the video starts, one man is already lying on the ground and the police officer appears to attack him in the chest and head using his foot. It was uploaded to Facebook on the same day.

Human Rights Watch aus New York gab bekannt, dass die Polizeibrutalität in Vietnam systematisch ist. Das Ministerium für Öffentliche Sicherheit hat zugegeben, dass zwischen Oktober 2010 und September 2014 226 Verdächtige und Insassen in Polizeistationen und Haftanstalten im ganzen Land gestorben sind. [read more]

Former chief of protocol involved in Vietnamese businessman's abduction gets new job

30.01.2019 (The Slovak Spectator) - Radovan Čulák, the former chief of protocol at the Interior Ministry, should become a director of the ministry's spa and rehabilitation institute Bystrá in Liptovský Ján (Žilina Region), the Sme daily reported.

Čulák was the main coordinator of the abduction of the Vietnamese citizen Trinh Xuan Thanh, as stems from the testimonies of police officers published by the Denník N daily.

"Police officers also serve in each facility of this kind," the ministry said, as quoted by Sme, adding that the director of the ministry's institute is a civil job position. This means Čulák would be forced to leave the police corps, Sme wrote. [read more]

Die Thanh-Entführung – ein Schurkenstück im Staatsauftrag

28.01.2019 Miguel Sanches (Westfälische Rundschau) - BERLIN  Das Urteil gegen einen der Kidnapper des Vietnamesen Trinh Xuan Thanh in Berlin legt offen, wie Geheimdienste das Recht brechen.

Für das Dessert bleibt keine Zeit. Nach nur 50 Minuten drängt der Gast aus Vietnam auf Abreise. Innenminister To Lam hat es eilig, nichts hält ihn auf. Nicht der Abschluss eines mehrgängigen Mittagessens, nicht die einzigartige Architektur von Hotel Borik in Bratislava, auch nicht der weite Blick auf die Donau.

Der Gast will an diesem 26. Juli 2017 umgehend den EU-Raum Richtung Moskau verlassen und weiter nach Hanoi fliegen. Denn in Lams Delegation ist ein blinder Passagier der besonderen Art: Trinh Xuan Thanh, 51 Jahre alt, Geschäftsmann, Ex-Funktionär der Kommunistischen Partei Vietnams, in Ungnade gefallen, zum Staatsfeind erklärt, drei Tage zuvor in Berlin auf offener Straße vom vietnamesischen Geheimdienst entführt. [Weiterlesen]

Graying Vietnam can’t afford to get old

28.01.2019 By David Hutt (Asia Times) - At first blush, Vietnam’s socialized healthcare system looks hale and hearty, a key measure of the ruling Communist Party’s ability to deliver crucial public goods. But underneath the surface, shifting demographics and financial woes signal ill health ahead.

Still, Vietnam’s healthcare system suffers from various maladies. Despite state efforts in recent years to expand the Vietnam Social Security (VSS) public insurance scheme, as of the end of last year some 13% of the population, or more than 10 million people, were uninsured. [read more]

Vietnam’s Politburo clamps down

20.01.2019 Author: David Brown (East Asia Forum) - Nguyen Phu Trong and his proteges have consolidated their command of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party and its government.

When, last September, state president Tran Dai Quang succumbed to illness, Trong’s colleagues accorded him the additional responsibilities of president. That includes oversight of the sprawling ministries of National Defence and Public Security. It’s a concentration of authority not seen in Vietnam for 40 years and a remarkable apotheosis for a Marxist-Leninist theoretician who toiled in obscurity for decades. [read more]

Second Trump-Kim summit to take place in Vietnam: report

20.01.2019 By Brett Samuels (The Hill) - President Trump's second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is slated to take place in Vietnam next month, Bloomberg reported Sunday.

The news outlet reported that the meeting is expected to be held in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, but Danang and Ho Chi Minh City are also being discussed. [read more]

Hun Sen turns to China as Cambodia-EU relations cool

20.01.2019 (RFI) - Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has begun a four-day visit to China amidst cooling relations with Brussels. China is a long-term backer of Cambodia, supporting it against Vietnam under Khmer Rouge rule, and more recently it is interested in Cambodia's strategic position in southeast Asia.

Hun Sen's arrival in Beijing on Sunday came just days after the EU reinstated "normal" customs duty on rice imports from Cambodia. As of 18 January, it will pay 175 euros per tonne, to be reduced progressively over three years. [read more]

What does Vietnam’s new cyber law mean for online dissent?

15.01.2019 Written by Quinn Libson (AsiaNews) - Facebook is in violation of a Vietnamese new cybersecurity law by allowing its users to post content critical of the communist government on its platform, the Ministry of Information and Communication announced on Wednesday of last week.

The new legislation requires internet companies to comply with government demands to remove user-posted material it doesn’t like.

This new legislation follows a pattern of increasing digital scrutiny by the Vietnamese government. In late 2017, the government launched Force 47, a 10,000-person cyber unit that trawls the internet and monitors dissenting views that run contrary to the official line of the communist government. [read more]

Viethaus: eine seltsame Geschichte

14.01.2019 Marina Mai (taz) - Mit Kultur machte das Viethaus nicht von sich reden, eher mit Veranstaltungen der Neuen Rechten, mit Mauscheleien und diplomatischen Tricks der Verantwortlichen.

Ende 2018 schloss das Viethaus am Spittelmarkt in Berlin. Das Gebäude, das in den letzten Jahren ein trostloses Dasein gefristet und hauptsächlich als Ort von Veranstaltungen der extremen Rechten Schlagzeilen gemacht hatte, war 2008 als das größte Geschäfts- und Kulturhaus Vietnams außerhalb seiner Landesgrenzen feierlich durch den damaligen Wirtschaftssenator Harald Wolf (Linke) eröffnet worden.Der Betreiber Sasco, eine Tochterfirma der vietnamesischen Fluggesellschaft Vietnam Airlines, hat das elf Jahre lang betriebene Haus in einem solchen Zustand hinterlassen, dass die Wohnungsbaugesellschaft Mitte nach Angaben ihres Sprechers Christoph Lang Strafanzeige wegen Sachbeschädigung gestellt hat. Anwohner berichten von mitsamt den Fliesen aus der Wand herausgerissenen Toiletten- und Spülbecken, die an vietnamesische Restaurants verkauft wurden, sowie von einem riesigen Schuttplatz vor dem Haus. [Weiterlesen]

Mgr Long describes the ordeal of parish land seizure in Ho Chi Minh City

11.01.2019 (AsiaNews) - Sydney - Hundreds of Catholic families from Lộc Hưng have lost everything. Many are poor, students, former prisoners of conscience and South Vietnamese army veterans. “I call on the people of good will, both inside and outside Vietnam, to support the victims of the land seizure in their struggle for justice and dignity,” writes the Bishop of Parramatta (Australia).

Mgr Vincent Long Van Nguyen, Vietnamese bishop of Parramatta (Australia), sent a message of solidarity and support to the victims of forced seizure in Lộc Hưng parish, Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), highlighting their "struggle for dignity" amid "incredible ordeal". What follows is the letter the prelate sent to “Concerned citizens, civil society, human rights groups, religious organizations”. [read more]

Homes Destroyed, Residents Evicted in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City

10.01.2019 (RFA) - Authorities in southern Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City have demolished at least 112 houses in a parcel of land claimed by the Catholic Church, forcing many residents from their homes, Vietnamese sources say.

The two-day operation on Jan. 4 and Jan. 8 in the Tan Binh district’s Loc Hung Vegetable Garden settlement took residents, including political dissidents and veterans of the former Army of South Vietnam, completely by surprise, some of those evicted told RFA’s Vietnamese Service on Thursday.

“They sent about a thousand people here, including uniformed forces and people wearing masks,” one source told RFA. [read more]

Despite Assurances, Vietnam Arrests Returned Asylum Seekers

10.01.2019 Written by Carmen Munir, Sluchanksy and Ryan Flynn (Diplomatic Courier) - It was a stormy June night in 2016 when Van Huynh loaded a fishing skiff with rice, spices, meat, and fish—provisions that were supposed to be enough to last for a month at sea.

“We wanted to leave Vietnam because our country has no human rights,” Huynh said. “We have no freedom here.”

The trip did not go as planned.

On the 21st day they were stopped by Australian authorities and detained. Huynh feared that she would be returned to Vietnam and sent to jail. However, Australian officials assured her they would be fine; agreements were in place with Vietnam to ensure they would not be arrested. [read more]

Facebook rebuts Vietnam claims over alleged illegal content

09.01.2019 (The State) - HANOI, VIETNAM - Facebook was defending itself Wednesday against allegations that it allows illegal content in violation of Vietnam's new cybersecurity law.

The social media giant said it has restricted illegal content and is in discussions with the government.

"We have a clear process for governments to report illegal content to us, and we review all those requests against our terms of service and local law," the company said in a statement. [read more]

Vietnam acusa a Facebook de violar la ley de ciberseguridad del país

09.01.2019 (La Vanguardia) - HANÓI (Reuters/EP) - Las autoridades de Vietnam han acusado este miércoles a la compañía Facebook de violar la controvertida ley de ciberseguridad del país al permitir a los usuarios difundir comentarios antigubernamentales a través de su plataforma, según han informado medios locales.

"Facebook no ha respondido a las solicitudes para retirar varias páginas web por incurrir en actividades provocativas contra el Estado", ha indicado la Agencia de Noticias de Vietnam.

Facebook se ha negado a ofrecer información sobre "cuentas fraudulentas" a las agencias de seguridad de Vietnam. [seguir leyendo]

Vietnam wirft Facebook Verstöße gegen Gesetz zur Kontrolle des Internets vor

09.01.2019 (Deutschland Today) - Hanoi (AFP) - Vietnam wirft dem sozialen Netzwerk Facebook Verstöße gegen sein neues Cybersicherheitsgesetz vor. Der staatliche Fernsehsender Vietnam Television berichtete am Mittwoch, Facebook habe trotz mehrfacher Aufforderung des Informationsministeriums Seiten mit regierungsfeindlichen Inhalten nicht gesperrt. Zudem werde dem Unternehmen die Veröffentlichung von Werbung für "illegale Produkte" wie gefälschte Waren, Waffen und Böller vorgeworfen.

Facebook äußerte sich am Mittwoch nicht direkt zu den Vorwürfen. Das Unternehmen habe ein "klares Verfahren für Regierungen, uns illegale Inhalte zu melden", hieß es in einer Erklärung an die Nachrichtenagentur AFP. [Weiterlesen]

How Vietnam lost and China won Cambodia

07.01.2019 By David Hutt (Asia Times) - Forty years ago today, some 100,000 Vietnamese soldiers accompanied by almost 20,000 Cambodian defectors marched into Phnom Penh to overthrow the radical Maoist Khmer Rouge regime.

“It’s clear that while Vietnam invaded Cambodia, it’s China that won Cambodia and now calls the shots,” says Sophal Ear, associate professor of diplomacy and world affairs at Occidental College at Los Angeles. “Hanoi looks at Phnom Penh wistfully, sometimes even with quite a bit of resentment; the client they created has broken away and married China.” [read more]

Vor 40 Jahren endete die Terrorherrschaft der Roten Khmer in Kambodscha – doch für den Westen standen die Befreier auf der falschen Seite

07.01.2019 Manfred Rist, Singapur (NZZ) - Im Jahrzehnt nach der Vertreibung des Pol-Pot-Regimes aus Kambodscha wurde das südostasiatische Land zum Spielball der Grossmächte. Die Hauptrollen hatten dabei die USA, Vietnam, China und – bis zu ihrem Zerfall – die Sowjetunion.

Vietnams Einmarsch in Kambodscha war keine humanitäre Mission; auf die menschliche Tragödie im Nachbarland waren seine Truppen nicht vorbereitet. Aber die Militäraktion beendete immerhin eine der schlimmsten Diktaturen der Neuzeit und befreite Millionen, die ums nackte Überleben kämpften. Für den damals 27-jährigen Bataillonskommandanten Hun Sen, einen früheren Roten Khmer, der zuvor geflüchtet war und nunmehr an der Seite vietnamesischer Soldaten zurückkehrte, begann am 7. Januar 1979 auch eine politische Karriere. Von Vietnam seinerzeit als Regierungschef eingesetzt, führt er Kambodscha seit 1985 mit eiserner Hand. [Weiterlesen]

Schmeicheleien am Arbeitsplatz verboten

05.01.2019 (Der Farang) - HANOI (dpa) - In Vietnam dürfen Regierungsbeamte ihren Vorgesetzten künftig nicht mehr schmeicheln. Die Regierung habe ein Verbot erlassen, dass das Komplimente-Machen am Arbeitsplatz verbiete, berichteten Staatsmedien am Freitag. Zudem sollten Angestellte im öffentlichen Dienst keine Versuche unternehmen, das «Herz des Chefs, zu erobern», sagte Premierminister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. [Weiterlesen]

Vietnam’s Controversial Cybersecurity Law Spells Tough Times for Activists

04.01.2019 By Thoi Nguyen (The Diplomat) - On the first day of 2019, Vietnamese dissidents, human rights activists, and bloggers weren’t celebrating – they were worrying about the new cybersecurity law that went into effect that same day in Vietnam.

Vietnam has a high proportion of internet users, and there are around 53 million people with social media accounts. It has been claimed that the new law will help the Vietnamese regime to silence its critics. From January 2019, the authorities will force technology giants such as Google and Facebook to hand over potentially vast amounts of data, including personal information, and to censor user posts. [read more]

Von Russland gelieferte T-90S-Panzer in Vietnam gesichtet – Militärportal

03.01.2019 (Sputnik) - Im Netz sind Fotos aufgetaucht, auf denen zu sehen ist, dass die erste Partie russischer T-90S-Panzer nach Vietnam geliefert wurde. Darüber schreibt das Militärportal bmpd.

Die Fotos seien höchstwahrscheinlich Ende Dezember 2018 aufgenommen worden, so bmpd.

Im Juli 2017 hatte Vietnam Kampfpanzer des Typs T-90S in Russland bestellt. Im Rahmen des Vertrags soll die russische Maschinenbau- und Rüstungsfirma „Uralwagonzawod“ 64 Panzer nach Vietnam geliefert haben. Die Kosten der Transaktion wurden nicht bekanntgegeben, könnten sich jedoch Experten zufolge auf etwa 250 Millionen US-Dollar belaufen. Es wird erwartet, dass der T-90S der modernste Panzer in der vietnamesischen Volksarmee sein wird. [Weiterlesen]

Südchinesisches Meer: China in der Nationalismusfalle

02.01.2019 Sascha Zhivkov (Zeit) - Um seinen Anspruch auf das Südchinesische Meer zu bekräftigen, hat Chinas Regierung ein nationalistisches Geschichtsbild aufgebaut. Das könnte gefährlich werden.

Unfreundliche Begegnungen von Kriegsschiffen sind kein gutes Zeichen. Im Südchinesischen Meer geschieht so etwas zunehmend öfter, zuletzt am 30. September, als ein US-amerikanisches und ein chinesisches Kriegsschiff beinahe kollidierten. Das Ereignis nährt Sorgen um eine militärische Eskalation in der Region, denn die Beziehungen der USA mit China sind ohnehin angespannt.

China reklamiert fast das gesamte Areal für sich – und schafft dafür seit einigen Jahren Fakten, indem es Atolle und Felsen zu militärischen Stützpunkten ausbaut. [Weiterlesen]

Cybersécurité: une loi draconienne entre en vigueur au Vietnam

02.01.2019 (informaticien) - Une loi obligeant les entreprises de l'internet à supprimer tout contenu jugé « toxique » par les autorités communistes est entrée en vigueur mardi au Vietnam, ses critiques dénonçant « un modèle totalitaire de contrôle de l'information ». Cette nouvelle loi sur la cybersécurité, votée en juin par les députés, s'est attirée les critiques des États-Unis, de l'Union européenne et des avocats de la liberté du web qui l'accusent de s'inspirer de la censure exercée par la Chine sur l'internet.

Le texte contraint les entreprises internet à retirer sous 24 heures tout commentaire menaçant la « sécurité nationale ». [en savoir plus]

Hanoi setzt Gesetz zur Internetkontrolle um

01.01.2019 (DW) - In Vietnam ist ein drakonisches Gesetz zur Kontrolle des Internets und seiner Nutzer in Kraft getreten. Unternehmen wie Google und Facebook werden verpflichtet, der Regierung Daten von Nutzern preiszugeben.

Vietnams kommunistische Führung schränkt die Meinungsfreiheit weiter ein: Internetkonzerne werden in dem südostasiatischen Land von nun an verpflichtet, jegliche Inhalte, die nach Einschätzung der Regierung den Interessen des Staats zuwiderlaufen, zu löschen. Nach Angaben des Staatssicherheitsministeriums in Hanoi richtet sich das Gesetz gegen "feindliche und reaktionäre Kräfte", die über das Internet zu Gewalt und Aufruhr anstacheln.

Die Journalistenvereinigung Reporter Ohne Grenzen kritisierte das Gesetz als "totalitäres Modell der Informationskontrolle". [Weiterlesen]

Communist Vietnamese government enacts strict Internet censorship laws

01.01.2019 Leon Wolf (Blaze) - The communist government of Vietnamese has enacted a series of Internet censorship laws that will help the government monitor and censor what its citizens view online.

The law passed last June and goes into effect today.

The Vietnamese government claims that the law is necessary to provide cybersecurity for Vietnamese citizens, but the law's opponents point out that it actually does very little to provide cybersecurity, and quite a lot to allow the communist government to oppress its citizens' free expression. [read more]

Vietnam’s new cyber law curbs dissents and business

01.01.2019 By Jan van der Made (RFI) - A law requiring Vietnamese internet companies to remove content deemed "harmful" to the state has come into effect, in a move denounced by critics as "a totalitarian model of information control".

The new cybersecurity law, introduced on 1 January, has received sharp criticism from the US, the EU and internet freedom advocates who say it mimics China's repressive censorship of the internet. [read more]