Vietnam Colors

The assessment, which comes at a time of heightened U.S.-China tensions over trade, was contained in an annual report released Thursday that highlighted China’s efforts to increase its global influence, with defense spending that the Pentagon estimates exceeded $190 billion in 2017. “Over the last three years, the PLA has rapidly expanded its overwater bomber operating areas, gaining experience in critical maritime regions and likely training for strikes against U.S. and allied targets,” the report said, using an acronym for China’s People’s Liberation Army. The report comes as China and the United States plan to hold trade talks, offering hope they might resolve an escalating tariff conflict that threatens to degenerate into an all-out trade war. The report said that while the PLA had continued to extend operations, it was not clear what message Beijing was seeking to send by carrying out the flights “beyond a demonstration of improved … [Read more...] about Pentagon says China military ‘likely training for strikes’ on US targets

Le Dinh Luong, accused of carrying out activities to overthrow the government, listens to the verdict during his trial at a court in Nghe An province, Vietnam, August 16, 2018. Photo by Vietnam News Agency via Reuters It sentenced the 53-year-old man, Le Dinh Luong, to 20 years in prison and five years of probation, the Vietnam News Agency reported. The indictment said Luong was a member of Viet Tan, an organization Vietnam has classified as a terrorist group, active in the central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh. He recruited many citizens into Viet Tan through Facebook and helped develop the organization on Vietnamese territory. Luong actively followed Viet Tan's principles and worked to implement its plan to weaken and eventually overthrow the people's administration through violence, the court heard. The indictment also said that on his Facebook page, Luong expressed his support for Viet Tan and followed, published and shared many articles promoting, praising the … [Read more...] about Vietnamese man gets 20 years in prison for ‘overthrow’ attempt

Addressing a conference organized by the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption in Hanoi on Thursday, Trong said several serious corruption cases have been dealt with, fortifying the people’s belief in the Party and officials. He highlighted especially serious corruption cases, including MobiFone’s illegal acquisition of private pay TV firm Audio Visual Global JSC (AVG), a major gambling ring in the northern province of Phu Tho, the $150 million of loss to the national budget due to management in PetroVietnam and the deliberate disclosure of state secrets by real estate tycoon Phan Van Anh Vu. The cases have seen scores of high-ranking officials jailed, arrested or demoted. In the last five years, the Committee has also completed the prosecution and sentencing of 500 people in 40 corruption cases, out of a total of 125 cases exposed. Fifty-six central government officials have also been disciplined between January 2016 and August 2018. “Corruption is slowly … [Read more...] about Corruption dwindling in Vietnam, asserts Party leader