DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “New Zealand FM to hold talks with Southeast Asia leaders” plus 5 more

WELLINGTON, July 10 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully left for a series of key political and economic talks with Southeast Asian leaders Tuesday.

McCully would attend the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Regional Forum in Cambodia before heading to Thailand and the Philippines.

"These meetings are an important opportunity to profile New Zealand's growing relationship with ASEAN and to share our views on key political, security and economic issues affecting the region," McCully said in a statement.

In the Philippines, McCully would meet President Benigno Aquino III and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to discuss improved air services and progress on a proposed working holiday scheme.

The second Thailand-New Zealand Joint Ministerial Commission would be the main event of McCully's visit to Bangkok, where he would discuss trade, education and tourism issues with Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul.

McCully would invite Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to make her first visit to New Zealand since her election late last year, and witness the signing of a police cooperation agreement between Thailand and New Zealand.

PHNOM PENH, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will arrive in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, on Wednesday afternoon to attend the 19th ASEAN Regional Forum and related meetings, said a press release from the U.S. Embassy here on Tuesday.

As scheduled, besides attending ASEAN meetings in Phnom Penh, Clinton will participate in the ASEAN-U.S. Business Forum in Siem Reap province on Friday afternoon.

The forum, which will be presided over by Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, will also be attended by Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Siem Reap, situated some 315 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh, is the country's largest cultural tourism destination. It houses the Angkor Wat Temples, one of the World Heritage Sites.

PHNOM PENH, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials from 18 members of the East Asia Summit (EAS) gathered at the Peace Palace here on Tuesday to discuss cooperation mechanisms and exchange views on various issues, said a press release from Cambodia's Foreign Ministry.

The meeting was chaired by Soeung Rathchavy, Secretary of State of the Ministry.

It was attended by senior officials from the 10-nation ASEAN including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and its eight dialogue partners -- China, Japan, South Korea, the United State, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and India.

The EAS senior officials extensively discussed both regional and international issues and the preparations for the 2nd East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers' Meeting to be held in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, on July 12.

PHNOM PENH, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi arrived in Cambodia's capital of Phnom Penh at Monday mid- night to attend a series of ASEAN ministerial level meetings and to exchange views with his counterparts on East Asian regional cooperation, and regional and global issues.

Yang's visit is paid at the invitation of Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong. At the Phnom Penh International Airport, he was warmly greeted by Cambodia's Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Long Visalo.

From July 10 to 12, the minister is set to participate in the 13th ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting, ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting, the 2nd East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and the 19th ASEAN Regional Forum.

Besides, he is also scheduled to meet with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong and Prime Minister Hun Sen.

PHNOM PENH, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia is willing to withdraw troops from the Provisional Demilitarized Zone (PDZ) surrounding the Preah Vihear Temple in the future in order to comply with the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), a Cambodian senior official said Monday.

"Of course, we are willing to pull our troops out of the PDZ to abide by the ICJ's order," Koy Kuong, spokesman for Cambodia' s foreign ministry, said. "We do not announce the troop pullout today (July 9), but we will do it in the future and it will be good if Thailand is willing to do so in order to honor the Court' s order."

The spokesman's comments were made after The Bangkok Post online reported on Monday that Cambodia is expected to announce the withdrawal of troops from the PDZ near Preah Vihear temple today (July 9), citing anonymous Thai military sources.

Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflicts over territorial dispute near Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple since the UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008 and witnessed fierce clashes in February and April 2011 during Thailand's Democrat Party rule.

The ICJ ordered on July 18, 2011 that Cambodia and Thailand must immediately withdraw their military personnel from the PDZ and refrain from any armed activity directed at that zone.

Also, it ordered both parties to allow ASEAN observers ( Indonesians) to access to the zone to monitor ceasefire.

However, to date, neither Cambodia nor Thailand has withdrawn its troops from the 17.3 square kilometer PDZ.

HANOI, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA), effective since Jan. 2010, has bring about more fierce competition to the Vietnamese automobile industry with its Chinese counterparts, reported the Ministry of Planning and Investment ( MPI) on Monday.

Under the ACFTA, China and six ASEAN member countries, including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Brunei can apply a tariff of between 0.1-0.6 percent to automobiles and auto spare parts, while Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia have to wait until 2015 for the similar tariff application.

Although by 2018, imported automobiles to Vietnam will be imposed a tariff of zero percent, the Vietnamese auto industry is now facing with tough competition with the imported auto spare parts, mostly from China, said MPI.

In the context that the complete-built automobiles are limited to enter Vietnam and domestic auto spare parts are less purchased by customers, imported auto spare parts are on the rise in Vietnam.

According to MPI, in the first five months of this year, Vietnam's import value of auto spare parts and accessories reached 72 million U.S. dollars, doubled than that of the complete- built automobiles, and the figure is forecast to rise in the coming years when the tariff is reduced.

Meanwhile, insiders said that with complete production infrastructure and strong support industries, together with attractive policies, some ASEAN countries have become giant " workshops" for the world's leading automobile brands. That disfavors Vietnam's auto industry, particularly from 2018 when the import tariff of complete-built automobiles from ASEAN countries to Vietnam is reduced to zero percent.

They also said that too much changes in automobile-related policies caused great worries to auto manufacturers in Vietnam.

According to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association ( VAMA), in 2008 the Toyota Vietnam ceased its investment in increasing the number of its most advantaged Innova in Vietnam due to the changes in the especially-consumed tax, which reduced its Innova sale a half. Toyota Vietnam invested only 2-3 million U.S. dollars in its production of spare parts in Vietnam, while it spent 500-700 million U.S. dollars to importing auto spare parts for assembly in the country.

Over the recent three years, auto manufacturers invested about 10 million U.S. dollars in their production, a disappointed amount compared to a bigger figure by investors in Thailand or Indonesia, reported VAMA.

Vietnam, with a population of nearly 88 million as the end of 2011, is a potential market for the auto manufacturers. Currently, Vietnam reaches a rate of 18 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants. But after 2020 when the country's economy further develops with the income per capita increased and transport infrastructure improved, demands for private automobiles (under 10-seat cars) will surely surge.

According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) , Vietnam will have around 166,000 235,000 new vehicles in use by 2015, 347,000 units by 2020 and 836,000 units by 2025. Public buses and trucks will then account for 27 percent of the total vehicles.

If the domestic auto industry does not develop strongly in par with the increasing demand (capable of making under 10-seat cars), by 2025 Vietnam will have to spend 12 billion U.S dollars on importing automobiles, forecasted the MIT.