VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

India's richest businessmen, led by rivals Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, will join G20 leaders at a dinner in the capital on Saturday, as the South Asian nation showcases its position as the world's fastest growing major economy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to wield leadership of the G20 grouping of the world's most powerful economies to promote India as a destination for trade and investment, particularly as China's economy slows.

U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to be part of the gathering in New Delhi.

Among the 500 businessmen invited are Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla, Bharti Airtel (BRTI.NS) founder-chairman Sunil Mittal, in addition to Reliance Industries' (RELI.NS) Ambani and the Adani Group chairman, two sources said.

"This dinner ... will host various state heads and makes for an opportunity to gather India's Who's Who during the leaders' summit," said one Indian official who spoke about the closed-door event on condition of anonymity.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the weekend summit, however.

Saturday's dinner will afford Modi another opportunity to highlight business and investment opportunities in India.

To be held at a brand-new $300-million venue in the shape of a conch shell, the menu will feature Indian food with a special emphasis on millets, a grain the country has been promoting.

For years, Ambani and Adani have competed across a wide range of industries from telecoms to media, and energy to finance. Both have been ranked, by turns, Asia's richest person.

Adani's companies were in the spotlight this year following two reports by short seller Hindenburg Research and an investigative outlet that accused the company of using opaque funds to invest in its own stocks.

Adani Group has denied any wrongdoing.

Reliance Industries, Adani Enterprises, Tata Sons, Bharati Airtel, Aditya Birla Group and the Indian government did not reply to emails seeking comment on the invitation. (Reuters)

Days before a visit by President Joe Biden to Vietnam in which he aims to upgrade diplomatic ties, a U.S. government commission accused the country of backsliding on commitments to ensure religious freedoms.

In a report on Tuesday, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said that since Washington dropped Vietnam from a list of "countries of particular concern" (CPC) over religious freedom in 2006, the Hanoi government had created "more space in some areas" for expressions of belief.

However, a "recent crackdown on civil society, increased pressure on independent religious communities, alarming reports of forced renunciations of faith, and other growing religious freedom violations add up to a clear reversal in that once-positive trajectory," it said.

The report said a May visit to Vietnam by USCIRF Vice Chair Frederick Davie and Commissioner Eric Ueland found that while religious groups experienced relatively greater freedom in urban areas, "serious challenges are pervasive in many rural areas."

Vietnam's requirement for religious groups to register contrasted with Hanoi's obligation to provide religious freedom to all its people, it said.

"Government authorities continue to closely monitor all religious activity, often harassing, detaining, or otherwise preventing unregistered faith communities from exercising their fundamental right to religious freedom," the report said.

Vietnam was on a "similar trajectory to China in terms of its regulation and control of religion," the report said.

Washington sees Vietnam as an important partner in the face of China's growing power in the Indo-Pacific region. It is looking to elevate its diplomatic relations with Hanoi to the top level when Biden is in Hanoi on Sept. 10, but analysts say human rights concerns could be an obstacle to certain cooperation.

Vietnam's constitution allows for freedom of religion and government media have rejected criticisms from groups such as USCIRF.

In its 2023 annual report, the USCIRF recommended the redesignation of Vietnam as a CPC, accusing it of "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom."

Last year, the U.S. State Department added Vietnam to its Special Watch List for violations of religious freedom under the 1998 U.S. Religious Freedom Act, a lesser designation than that of a CPC, but its first since 2006.

The act provides for a range of policy responses, including sanctions or waivers, but they are not automatic. (Reuters)

China sent a senior official to Vietnam to enhance "political trust" between the two countries, ahead of a scheduled visit by U.S. President Joe Biden designed to boost diplomatic ties between Washington and Hanoi.

The Chinese Communist Party's international department head Liu Jianchao met with Vietnam's ruling Communist Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong, the official Chinese Xinhua news agency reported.

During his three-day trip, which ends on Wednesday, Liu also had talks with his Vietnam counterpart and met think tanks and media in Vietnam, Xinhua said.

Both sides said they had agreed to solidify their mutual political trust and enhance cooperation in meeting challenges.

Biden is due in Vietnam on Sunday for a visit that is expected to result in an upgrade in bilateral relations, pulling Vietnam away from the orbit of its larger Asian neighbour.

China and Vietnam have long had close ties but have been at odds on maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea. The United States, already Vietnam's largest export market, is a draw due to potential access to U.S. capital and technology to bolster its economy.

Biden said his Vietnam visit aimed to elevate their relationship and make the United States a major partner.

He will meet Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong during his trip. (Reuters)

VOInews, Jakarta: Leaders of ASEAN and the People's Republic of China (PRC) agreed to take their cooperation to the next level. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the Leaders agreed to strengthen economic cooperation through enhancing the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) 3.0.

"Why 3.0, because it includes new cooperation for example in the digital economy, green economy, and supply chain. The Leaders also welcomed the guidelines for accelerating COC (Code of Conduct) negotiations in the South China Sea," she said in a statement delivered in Jakarta, Wednesday (6/9/2023).

Retno further said that the ASEAN-RRT Summit produced several cooperation in various sectors, which were contained in 6 documents.

Two documents adopted are the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on Mutually Beneficial Cooperation on ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) which contains an agreement to encourage concrete cooperation on the implementation of AOIP, including in the fields of maritime, energy transition, infrastructure, smart cities, e-commerce, and MSMEs, as well as the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on Deepening Agricultural Cooperation.

"This contains a cooperation agreement that makes agriculture a new growth engine to build food security," she said.

While the 4 documents noted are:

1. ASEAN-China Action Plan on Green Agricultural Development. Aims to increase the competitive value of ASEAN agricultural products in the middle of the global supply chain.

2. ASEAN-China Joint Initiative on Enhancing Cooperation on E-Commerce. Aims to promote e-commerce cooperation to promote inclusive economic growth and reduce regional development gaps.

3. Guidelines for Accelerating the Early Conclusion of an Effective and Substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. Aims to accelerate the completion of COC negotiations with effective and substantive outcomes.

4. Joint Initiative on Advancing the China-ASEAN Science, Technology and Innovation Enhancing Program. Aims to strengthen technology transfer cooperation and joint research on strategic issues such as Industry 4.0, digital infrastructure, and clean energy. (VOI/Andy)