Bui Van Cuong, Secretary-General of the NA, made the remarks at a press briefing held here about the agenda of the session…reports Asian Lite News
The 15th National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam, the country’s top legislature, will gather for its inaugural session from July 20-31, focusing on decisions about high-ranking personnel of the state apparatus, an official said on Saturday.
Bui Van Cuong, Secretary-General of the NA, made the remarks at a press briefing held here about the agenda of the session, reports Xinhua news agency.
At the sitting, Vietnamese lawmakers will spend three working days to review and decide on 50 high-ranking positions of the state apparatus, Cuong said.
In particular, the NA will elect the NA chairperson, the state president, the prime minister and the vice state president among other top positions, and decide on the number of cabinet members as well as approve appointments for those positions.
At the last session of the 14th NA in late March, lawmakers elected Vuong Dinh Hue as the NA chairman, Nguyen Xuan Phuc as the state president, and Pham Minh Chinh as the prime minister, among other personnel decisions.
During the upcoming session, the NA will also review important reports including the country’s five-year socio-economic development plan, the five-year financial plan, and medium-term public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period.
Compared to a previous plan, the duration of the session will be shortened by five days to ensure utmost safety for participants amid the complicated development of Covid-19 in the country, Cuong said.
On May 23, Vietnam held a general election where 499 deputies to the 15th NA for the 2021-2026 tenure, were elected.
Vietnam slams China
As China plans to deploy one of its “largest-ever” oceanographic research and training vessels in Paracel Islands, Vietnam said that all the activities in the islands without the country’s permission are “illegal”.
It has been reported that China plans to deploy one of its “largest-ever” oceanographic research and training vessels, named the Sun Yat-sen University, in October of this year, reported Vietnam News.
Speaking at the press briefing on Thursday Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said, “As we have reiterated many times, Vietnam has sufficient legal grounds and historical evidence to assert its sovereignty over the Truong Sa (Spratly Islands) and Hoang Sa Islands (Paracel Islands). Vietnam has lawful rights over these waters which is provided by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)”.
Paracel Island is also known as Xisha in China and Hoang Sa in Vietnam. The island chain lies about 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of Vietnam and 350 kilometres (220 miles) south of China.
The Vietnamese diplomat stressed that all research activities, surveying, and scientific exploration conducted in the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa islands, without Vietnam’s approval, constitutes a “violation of the sovereignty and relevant rights of Vietnam, and is therefore illegal and null and void.”
The South China Sea is grouped into three archipelagos including the Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands. China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its sovereign territory, and it has aggressively asserted its stake in recent years.
Paracel island is disputed between China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. It has been occupied by China.
Meanwhile, Spratly island is claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and to a lesser degree, Brunei. (ANI)
