
Critical minerals, LNG projects and defence ties on agenda as Hanoi seeks to build domestic industrial muscle
Vietnamese President To Lam visits Japan to expand trade and investment, pledging cooperation on critical minerals, LNG, gas-fired power, nuclear power, and defence with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi amid uncertainty over US policy direction.
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Vietnam's President To Lam is visiting Japan to expand trade and investment options with Tokyo, especially in technology, amid continued uncertainty surrounding America's future policy direction.
Vietnam's To Lam is expected to use his visit to Japan this week to expand trade and investment options with Tokyo, especially in technology, amid continued uncertainty surrounding America's future policy direction.
After talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Monday, the two leaders pledged to speed up public-private cooperation on critical minerals, with a joint statement calling economic security a top priority in bilateral relations and promising deeper cooperation on defence and investment.
Both sides also reiterated the importance of getting Japanese-funded liquefied natural gas and gas-fired power projects up and running quickly, while pledging to push ahead with plans to bring nuclear power to Vietnam.

Tong Ziwei, the Keelung mayoral candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party, participated in the Keelung Mayoral Webcast Debate hosted by Convergence News Network. He expressed his happiness in reporting public policies and urban vision to the citizens, and took pictures of the media while carrying the Keelung Qing'an Palace Mazu amulet. The debate will be held from 12 noon to 1:20 pm on the 10th, lasting 1 hour and 20 minutes.

DPP New Taipei mayor candidate Su Qiaohui said that although she is 3 percentage points ahead of KMT candidate Li Sichuan in the polls, 19% of voters are still undecided on who to support. She will continue to sweep the streets to win support. There are still 18 days left before the election.

Kuomintang Keelung mayoral candidate Hsieh Guoliang and Democratic Progressive Party candidate Tong Ziwei, who are seeking re-election, participated in a live online debate hosted by Convergence News Network in Taipei today (10th). Xie Guoliang said that this is the first live online debate since the election of Keelung Mayor. The two sides will compete on differences in public policies such as the Keelung MRT. The debate will be divided into four stages: political opinions, cross-examination, media questions and conclusions, and will last from 12 noon to 1:20 p.m.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung urged the government to seek cross-party support in the U.S. Congress to deal with the economic and security implications of the U.S. midterm elections. South Korean officials are assessing the impact of changes in the U.S. political landscape on bilateral issues such as artificial intelligence investment, trade, corporate treatment and defense, and formulating contingency plans to limit the economic impact.

The People's Association released a poll on the Taoyuan mayoral election. Kuomintang candidate Zhang Shanzheng's support was 36.9%, leading DPP candidate Huang Shijie's 32.8%. The gap between the two parties was 4.1 percentage points, which was already within the margin of error. Huang Shijie's biggest flaw is his lack of popularity. More than 55% of voters have no opinion on his suitability to serve as mayor.

The Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee of the Legislative Yuan will review the 11 "Draft Amendment to Article 39 of the Service Regulations for Army, Navy, and Air Force Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers" proposed by KMT legislators and others tomorrow (11th). It plans to amend the retirement salary adjustment standards, frequency and indicators, including adjusting when the cumulative CPI growth rate reaches ±2%, ±3% or ±5%, or reviewing it at least every 2 to 4 years. Another proposal advocates simultaneous review with active-duty personnel salary increases. The Ministry of National Defense objected in a written report, believing that the current mechanism is sufficient. If it is adjusted simultaneously with active-duty salaries, it may reduce the willingness of officers and soldiers to serve long-term, affecting the stability of the force's manpower and the sustainability of retirement funds.