Asia’s factories slumped in October as global demand for merchandise goods made in the region continues to weaken.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt has been actively and proactively promoting economic diplomacy to further boost bilateral economic, trade, investment and tourism ties, Ambassador Nguyen Huy Dung told Vietnam News Agency in a recent interview in Cairo.

India said it will allow cargoes of white and brown rice backed by letters of credit issued before Sept. 9 to be shipped overseas, a measure that provides some relief to exporters grappling with fresh government curbs.

Trade policy experts have debated India’s past experiences with free trade agreements (FTAs), like the one with ASEAN.

Vietnam is seeking new driving forces for economic growth besides monetary and fiscal policies. VietNamNet spoke with Nguyen Dinh Cung, former head of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), about this issue.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh affirmed Vietnam’s all-out efforts to fight and eradicate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing while meeting with an inspection delegation of the European Commission (EC) in Hanoi on October 28.

Weak export market demand and stable freight rates rendered some wood materials imported into Vietnam cheaper.

Asia-Pacific has more to lose than any other region if the global trade system splits up in the wake of geopolitical tensions.

China has remained Vietnam’s biggest trade partner, while Vietnam has continued to be the sixth largest trade partner of the neighbouring country, and the biggest in the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN).

Vietnam’s fruit export turnover is expected to top 5 billion USD by 2025 and about 6.5 billion USD by 2030.