The World and Vietnam Report to select 10 international spotlights of 2020
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has created the biggest recession in modern history, the US held the most unique election in its history… Those are 2 among 10 international spotlights of 2020 selected by The World and Vietnam Report.
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| 1. The Covid-19 pandemic has created the greatest crisis in modern history, caused unprecedented casualties and economic, social impacts to all countries. It has forced countries to quickly respond with drastic measures as they seek to establish the “new normal”, and promoted cross-border cooperation. |
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| 2. Great powers competition, specifically between the US and China, has escalated politically, economically, militarily, culturally and technologically, and significantly impacted the Asia – Pacific region. US-Russia relations did not improve, US-EU relations continued to be strained, China-Japan relations remained tense as China-EU relations only started to improve… |
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| 3. The US elections: The most unique Election in the US history, with record numbers, controversial surrounding results and the legal battle of President Donald Trump has driven a wedge between the American people. |
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| 4. The global economy sink into the biggest depression (-4.4%) since the Great Depression (1929-1933). Fortunately, Asia-Pacific economic integration has significantly progressed. Many bilateral and multilateral FTAs have been signed and promoted, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Free Trade Agreement between Viet Nam and European Union, UK; between China and Cambodia, Papua New Guinea; between Australia and Indonesia; between China, Japan and South Korea. APEC had endorsed the “APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040”. In addition, the trend of relocating the global supply chains, diversifying investments have become more evident. |
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| 4. The global economy sink into the biggest depression (-4.4%) since the Great Depression (1929-1933). Fortunately, Asia-Pacific economic integration has significantly progressed. Many bilateral and multilateral FTAs have been signed and promoted, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Free Trade Agreement between Viet Nam and European Union, UK; between China and Cambodia, Papua New Guinea; between Australia and Indonesia; between China, Japan and South Korea. APEC had endorsed the “APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040”. In addition, the trend of relocating the global supply chains, diversifying investments have become more evident. |
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| 5. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been active and responsive to new situation, effectively promoting priorities and demonstrating its regional centrality. |
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| 6. Traditional security hotspots in the East Sea, East China Sea, Taiwan Strait have continued to be potentially dangerous and could likely escalate into conflicts. Notably, the circulation of diplomatic notes in the United Nations (as 9 countries issued 10 diplomatic notes) about the East Sea have further declared and upheld the legal order on the sea, as well as the value of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982. |
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| 7. Historical peace agreements have been signed: Israel has signed peace accords with Islamic Arab countries, further complicated its relationship with Palestine; the US has signed a peace agreement with Taliban, therefore created new prospects in South Asia. On the other hand, conflicts of interests, the rise of nationalism have created, as well as escalated tensions in new hotspots such as the India-China border, Nagorno-Karabakh, Belarus, Ethiopia, Syria, Yemen…, threatening the world peace and security. US-Iran relations have become increasingly tense as the US resorted to military actions.
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| 8. Global natural disasters, accidents and riots have caused numerous casualties and showed that there remained unpredictable potentials for instability: Terrified explosion in Beirut, capital of Lebanon; Iran mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian civilian aircraft; forest fires in Australia and the US; tropical storms, floods in Southeast Asia; the wave of widespread violence protests, riots in the US and Europe under the banner of promoting gender inequality… |
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| 9. Negotiations for the Brexit deal have partially completed, opened up a new chapter for the UK and the European Union (EU). Yet, it would not be an easy one, as both sides continued to face the Covid-19 pandemic and global depressions, while EU seek to close the increasingly deeper disparities between member states. |
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| 10. The application of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 and digital transformation have made substantial progress. Under the impacts of the Covid-19 and demand for digital, green transformation, the application of science and technology to daily lives has made major achievements, established the foundation for the transformation of development models for countries. |
| Eleven laws come into force since January 1, 2021 Eleven laws coming into effect since January 1, 2021 include nine laws approved by the National Assembly in 2020. |
| Viet Nam successfully escorts ASEAN through a tough year Viet Nam’s ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020 has officially concluded, with the country successfully leading the association through a challenging year and continuing to promote its ... |
| Top 10 issues that defined the global economy in 2020 Here are the ten most significant global economic issues during the year. |
