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Strengthening Vietnam-US business partnership in the agricultural sector: Towards sustainable development and trade balance
Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
The visit aims to boost bilateral trade and create new opportunities for Vietnam to import more agrifood and timber from the U.S., helping to balance trade between the two countries. Besides trade, the Vietnamese delegation expects to access to new technologies, hence improving the competitiveness of their own value chains.
According to Minister Do Duc Duy, both Vietnam and the U.S. have strong agricultural sectors, but their strengths complement rather than compete with each other. “With active support of both Vietnam and US government, Vietnam’s and US’s agriculture have been increasingly connected. Even we’re now sharing the same supply chains, boosting our competitiveness, thereby supporting both producers and consumers in each country”. The Minister emphasized, “Vietnamese agribusinesses have cooperated strongly with the Government to increase the purchase of agrifood and timber products from the U.S. This effort helps balance bilateral trade and strengthens the agricultural supply chain between the two countries, hence contributing to global food security.”
Earlier, in September 2024, the largest U.S. agribusiness delegation in history visited Hanoi to mark the one-year anniversary of the Vietnam–US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Led by USDA Deputy Secretary Alexis Taylor, the delegation was consisted of representatives from nine state governments, 35 businesses, and 25 major industry associations. Their visit underscored the growing interest of U.S. businesses in Vietnam market.
Beyond boosting trade, both countries work to build inclusive development, enhance rural resilience, and promote sustainable production and clean energy. A key highlight is the “International Year of Women Farmers 2026” initiative, co-led by the U.S. and Vietnam and adopted by a United Nations resolution in May 2024. Following the resolution, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment partnered with the U.S. Mission to ASEAN and the USDA to launch the initiative with a series of events. As part of the program, two American female farmers – Jennifer Schmidt and Jaclyn Wilson – traveled to Southeast Asia to engage with other female farmers, with Vietnam as their first destination.
Driving global economic growth
Today, American consumers increasingly choose Vietnamese agrifood, especially spices, fruits, seafood, and furniture. Meanwhile, Vietnamese producers rely more on U.S. imports, including cornmeal, soybeans, meat, dairy, lumber, livestock equipment, and seedlings.
Vietnam’s farmers are enhanced with better skills and knowledge to adopt advanced American technologies to boost production, improve produce quality and protect the environment. High-quality materials and cutting-edge technologies from the U.S. are helping Vietnam build more competitive and sustainable supply chains.
Vietnam’s agriculture continues to deepen partnerships with U.S. stakeholders, from federal and state governments to associations and businesses. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has signed multiple agreements with U.S. authorities and state governments. Vietnamese agribusinesses have signed 18 Memorandums of Understanding since 2020 to purchase agrifood from the U.S., totaling 6 billion USD, with half already implemented.
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has created favorable conditions for U.S. agricultural exporters to enter the Vietnam market. Vietnam has completed registration procedures for 509 meat and meat exporters and 232 seafood exporters from US to Vietnam; no backlog remains to be processed. Both countries are actively working to open their fruit markets to each other, enabling exporters to reach new customers and for consumers to enjoy the distinctive flavors of both tropical and temperate regions.
Vietnam is also among the first eight Asian countries to approve biotechnology-based plant seeds from the U.S. So far, it has approved all 61 biotechnology applications dossiers submitted by U.S. companies. The two sides have also agreed on transparent and practical methods, procedures, and protocols for animal and plant quarantine. These agreements help pave the way for the development of the agrifood markets in both countries. In addition, the new Decree 73/2025/ND-CP, effective from March 31, 2025, cuts import tarriff to 0% for agrifood products that US has strong competiveness. As a result, agricultural exports from both sides have grown steadily, by around 10% annually over the past decade.
Holistic and sustainable cooperation
The visit of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment delegation to the U.S. in June 2025 reflects Vietnam’s strong commitment to building trust and strengthening strategic partnerships by promoting the shared agricultural supply chains of the two countries. The visit also aims to deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as the two countries celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations.
In an interview with Vietnamese press, the USDA emphasized: “Any agricultural trade imbalances are largely sector-specific and influenced by factors such as regulations, consumer demand, and supply chain dynamics. Ensuring reciprocal market access and reducing tariffs remain top priorities to sustain long-term trade growth.”
Dr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, General Director of the International Cooperation Department under Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, expressed concern over President Trump administration’s announcement of a 10% tariff from April 2, 2025, and the potential for a 46% reciprocal tariff on Vietnamese exports from July 9, 2025. This tarriff imposition has alarmed not only Vietnamese exporters but also American businesses.
Dr. Tuan explained: “Beyond shrinking profit margins and weakening business competitiveness on both sides, higher reciprocal tariffs will raise prices for essential food products in the U.S. This action not only hurts American consumers but also potentially disrupts the supply chain that both governments and private sectors of both sides have worked hard to build in recent years. Agrifood is a necessity goods, and hiking price of agrifood will significantly burden American average-income households.”
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Woodfibre LNG Marks 2025 as a Year of Construction Progress, Environmental Stewardship and Community Partnership
Over the past year, the project advanced from planning into visible, on-the-ground execution. Major construction milestones included the pouring of foundations for key modules, continued progress on marine piling, and further implementation of modular construction techniques designed to reduce on-site footprint while accelerating delivery timelines.
These advancements were achieved through close collaboration with project partners, suppliers and contractors, and in partnership with the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation).
In 2025, Woodfibre LNG, a member of the RGE group of companies founded by Sukanto Tanoto, continued to operate its floatel workforce accommodation solution, designed to minimise pressure on local housing and community services. As of November, two floatels were in active operation, providing high-quality, safe and comfortable living conditions for the project workforce while supporting construction efficiency.
Environmental protection remained a central focus throughout the year. The project’s Marine Mammal Monitoring Programme, which includes hydroacoustic monitoring, exclusion zones and shore-based observation posts, delivered measurable outcomes by enabling real-time operational decisions, including pauses to marine activities when marine mammals entered exclusion areas.
In parallel, remediation of legacy materials from the former pulp mill site continued, with hundreds of thousands of tonnes of historical waste removed. These efforts have contributed to improving site conditions for both local communities and marine and terrestrial ecosystems in Howe Sound.
Woodfibre LNG’s Operator Training Programme, delivered in partnership with the Squamish Nation Training and Trades Centre and the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), progressed throughout the year. The programme’s first cohort of graduates transitioned into full-time roles, supporting the development of long-term, skilled local employment opportunities linked to the project.
Through its Community Partnership Programme (CPP), Woodfibre LNG continued to invest in local communities across the Sea-to-Sky corridor. In 2025, the programme surpassed $1 million in total grants since its inception, supporting initiatives in sports, healthcare, emergency services, arts and culture, and youth development.
Luke Schauerte, CEO of Woodfibre LNG, said, “2025 has been a year of significant progress for Woodfibre LNG. We are proud of what our team and partners have accomplished together and look forward to building on this momentum in the year ahead.”
With more than half of the project’s development now complete, Woodfibre LNG remains focused on advancing construction safely and responsibly, while maintaining strong partnerships with Indigenous communities, local stakeholders and regulators.
As the project looks ahead to 2026, Woodfibre LNG continues its work toward delivering lower-carbon, responsibly produced Canadian energy to international markets.
Hashtag: #RGE #PacificEnergy #PacificCanbriamEnergy #WoodfibreLNG #LNG #environment #partnerships #LNG #liquefiednaturalgas #energy #sustainability
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About Woodfibre LNG
The Woodfibre LNG Project is owned by Woodfibre LNG Limited Partnership, owned 70 per cent by Pacific Energy Corporation (Canada) Limited and 30 per cent by Enbridge Inc. The Woodfibre LNG facility is being built on the site of the former Woodfibre pulp mill site, which is located about seven kilometres southwest of Squamish, B.C. Woodfibre LNG will source its natural gas from Pacific Canbriam Energy, a Canadian company with operations in Northeastern British Columbia. Pacific Canbriam is an industry leader in sustainable natural gas production. Woodfibre LNG and Pacific Canbriam Energy are subsidiaries of Pacific Energy Corporation Limited. Woodfibre LNG is the first industrial project in Canada to recognise a non-treaty Indigenous government, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), as a full environmental regulator.
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New Opportunities in Southeast Asia’s Digital Shift: Thailand Emerges as the New ASEAN’s AI Hub
The expansion of AI and data centers (DCs) in Thailand is driving several transformative trends:
- Changing data traffic patterns. As DCs multiply in Bangkok, Chonburi, and beyond, Thailand is evolving from a traditional data “transit point” into a regional “convergence hub.” East-west digital traffic is accelerating, with Thai DC clusters increasingly meeting the computing demands of Southeast Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific.
- Optimized data routing. Data flows that once relied on submarine cables via Hong Kong and Singapore are gradually shifting to land-based digital corridors linking China, Laos, and Thailand. This route reduces data transmission latency from southwestern China to Southeast Asia.
- Elevated business expectations. Demand is shifting beyond “sufficient bandwidth” toward “high-quality experience.” Thailand sits in a “latency sweet spot” for key Asia-Pacific markets, with latencies to Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia falling within an optimal range—a crucial advantage for latency-sensitive sectors like autonomous driving, telemedicine, and fintech.
New opportunities inevitably bring new challenges, and Thailand also addresses the following three challenges:
1. Massive traffic impacting existing networks: Compared with mature hubs like Singapore, Thailand has insufficient international submarine cables. A large volume of cross-border data still needs to be transmitted through detours. Meanwhile, as DC investments continue to accelerate, traffic will keep rising. Analysis shows that by 2029, Thailand’s DC capacity may reach 2000 MW, with cross-region traffic surging to 630 Tbps. The current network architecture is no longer capable of supporting such heavy traffic.
2. Latency advantages not fully realized: Despite its geographic advantages, Thailand’s network latency performance has yet to reach its full potential. Routes to key markets, like China, still require third-party transit. What’s more, traditional network scheduling lacks intelligent route selection capabilities, making it difficult to provide deterministic assurance for latency-sensitive services like financial transactions and real-time AI interactions.
3. Potential risks in network reliability: Thailand’s network reliability faces structural challenges. Single points of failure have previously caused hours-long interruptions to critical services, directly undermining enterprise users’ confidence.
To overcome these challenges, Thailand can take a systematic approach to upgrading its digital infrastructure, aiming to build next-generation AI-ready networks.
1. Building ultra-high-bandwidth “sea-land” connectivity. By actively introducing new submarine cables, Thailand can significantly enhance its connectivity with the Asia-Pacific region and the world. Meanwhile, accelerating the construction and expansion of key terrestrial cable routes—such as China-Laos-Thailand and Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore—will transform Thailand’s geographic advantage into a tangible connectivity advantage.
2. Optimizing network routes to create a regional low-latency core. Strengthening the Kunming-Laos-Thailand terrestrial cable route will continuously reduce transmission latency between China and Thailand, meeting the needs of real-time applications. In addition, the introduction of autonomous networks will enable automatic selection of the optimal, shortest route, shifting from “best effort” to “deterministic low latency.”
3. Designing a “never-interrupted” high-resilience architecture. Deploying active-active DC networks with millisecond-level switchover capabilities ensures the continuity of core services. Meanwhile, AI-driven intelligent O&M can reduce fault detection and diagnosis from hours to minutes.
Thailand’s booming AI and DC industries are driving rapid growth in regional and cross-border business demand. In this trend, network infrastructure construction centered on DCs is the core engine that drives AI transformation, propelling Thailand toward its vision of becoming the new AI hub for ASEAN.
Hashtag: #huawei
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MyRepublic Launches Card Sub, Singapore’s First Subscription Service for Trading Card Game Fans
Hashtag: #CardSub, #MyRepublic #MyRepublicCardSub #CardSubSG #TCG #GeeksUseUs
https://myrepublic.net/sg/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/myrepublic
https://x.com/myrepublic
https://www.facebook.com/MyRepublicSG/
https://www.instagram.com/myrepublicsg/
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MyRepublic
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