Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held a phone talks with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on May 19 to discuss measures promoting bilateral ties and COVID-19 response.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pointed to strong trade with China as evidence of a valuable relationship despite Chinese criticism, as Australia's main opposition party accused him of using alarmist rhetoric for domestic gains.

Central Asia is seen as integral to the stability and development of China’s western regions due to its geographical proximity. Further, the regional connectivity between Central Asia and China with Europe and the Middle East has been enhanced through the Belt and Road Initiative projects.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand Don Pramudwinai agreed to implement measures to raise bilateral trade to US$25 billion soon during their phone talks on May 19.

Seafood exports are expected to fetch US$2.1 billion in the second quarter, a year-on-year increase of 10 per cent, according to the Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Trade ministers from the United States, Canada and Mexico said on Tuesday they held "robust" talks on the new North American trade deal and pledged to fully enforce its higher standards, while downplaying differences over a range of other irritants.

The scarcity of chip supply that began in late 2020 has affected most manufacturing industries.

On May 14, Deputy Director General of Vietnam Customs Mai Xuan Thanh and Deputy Director General of Japan Customs Genshin Hideaki chaired a conference on the smart customs model.

China is pushing ahead with behind-the-scenes talks to join a major trade deal that originally aimed to exclude Beijing and cement U.S. economic power and trade ties in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Thai Ministry of Commerce on May 17 said three State agencies of this country are speeding up issuance of related regulations to submit the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to the ASEAN Secretariat in October.