Int'l integration serves the nation’s development
A Party Central Committee member has
affirmed the value of proactive international integration to serve the
country’s industrialisation, modernisation, construction and defence in
the new stage while speaking at the ongoing 11th National Party
Congress in Hanoi on Jan. 14.
Pham Binh Minh, who is also
Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister, said external activities over the
past five years were synchronously carried out, harnessing the strength
of the Party’s foreign affairs, State and people-to-people diplomacy.
International
integration linked foreign activities with the expansion of political,
economic and cultural ties, harvesting great achievements and
contributing to maintaining peace and stability, taking advantage of
favourable international conditions for national construction and
unceasingly raising Vietnam’s international position.
“We
moved international relations into a new depth, stability and
sustainability by developing a comprehensive strategic partnership with
China, increasing the significance of the strategic partnership with
Russia and establishing strategic partnerships with Japan, India,
the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and Spain,” he said.
Vietnam also continued to strengthen and intensify comprehensive
cooperation with Laos and Cambodia, as well as improve the
multifaceted relations with ASEAN member countries, he added.
Regarding
relations with other major partners like the United States and the
European Union (EU), Vietnam ’s external affairs saw new steps of
development.
The relations with Cuba and other traditional friendly countries were also renewed and promoted.
Vietnam was extremely proactive in international economic
integration, becoming a member the World Trade Organisation (WTO) – the
largest economic and trade organisation in the world – and accomplished a
new level of participation in regional and international organisations.
Vietnam also participated in bilateral economic and trade
agreements, he said, adding these ties increased the country’s
participation in international economic cooperation forums and
frameworks.
Over the past five years, total registered Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI) exceeded 150 billion USD, seven times higher
than that in the 2001-05 period. Committed Official Development
Assistance (ODA) was over 31 billion USD, three times higher than the
previous period. Exports continued growing.
“We obtained
outstanding achievements in multilateral diplomacy, fulfilling the role
as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2008-09
term with Vietnam-imprinted contributions,” he said.
Vietnam successfully played a proactive and responsible role as ASEAN Chair in 2010.
The
country gained historical achievements in ensuring territorial
security. Regarding border issues, Vietnam completed the demarcation
and planting of markers along the common land borderline with China .
With
the signing of a protocol on demarcation and planting of
border-markers, agreements on border management regulations and border
gates and border gate management, Vietnam and China ended 35 years of
negotiations on the issue, creating a basis for building a borderline of
long-lasting peace, friendship and stability.
“We exerted
efforts to carry out projects on the upgrade of national border markers
with Laos , and closely work with Cambodia in demarcating and
planting of border markers, striving to accomplish the issues by 2012.”
On
the East Sea, Vietnam submitted to the UN its report on the outer
limits of its continental shelf, actively implemented cooperation
agreements with countries on joint anti-piracy patrols in the Tonkin
Gulf and reached an agreement on fisheries as well as an agreement on
demarcation of the Tonkin Gulf with China . The country
accelerated the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of
Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and fought activities violating
sovereignty, borders and territorial waters.
“These results
made positive contributions to defending the country’s sovereignty,
territorial security and interests,” he affirmed.
Outstanding
achievements in foreign affairs over the past five years originated
from the soundness of an external policy of independence, self-reliance,
peace, cooperation and development, advocating openness,
diversification and multilateralisation of international ties, with
orientations to bring relations into a deep, stable and sustainable
manner, proactive international integration for economic cooperation and
expand ties to other fields.
These achievements were results
from joint efforts of the Party, State, National Assembly, ministries,
agencies and localities under the leadership of the Party.
He
highlighted the foreign affairs thinking development, saying that they
are orientations on “active and proactive international integration” and
guideline on “synchronous and comprehensive implementation” of external
activities, performing the task of maintaining a peaceful and stable
environment, conducive to the country’s sustainable development in order
to turn Vietnam into a modern industrialised country by 2020.
To implement the external policy of the 11th National Party Congress, Minh mentioned the following proposals:
First,
grasp thoroughly the guidance on international integration in a
proactive and responsible manner, focusing on actively and proactively
catching opportunity, effectively creating and taking advantages and
dealing with challenges from the process of integration.
Promptly
develop a comprehensive strategy on international integration with
specific goals and roadmaps for each stage, particularly until 2020 in
the immediate term and in the areas of economic development, defence,
security and social culture.
Quickly raise the nation’s overall
strength, an essential condition for the success of international
integration. This requires good performance of the Party-building work
and consolidation of the national unity and solidarity, including the
community of more than 4 million overseas Vietnamese. This task also
means to raise competitiveness and the resilience of the economy in face
of international upheavals, increase defence and security potential,
gradually achieving international cooperation in security-defence and
regional and international security mechanisms.
Secondly, carry
out the guideline on “synchronous and comprehensive implementation” of
external affairs orientations adopted by the 11th Congress, stepping
up the unified management of external activities. Improve coordinating
efficiency of external activities of the Party, State, National
Assembly, localities and people-to-people diplomacy, as well as
coordination between branches, channels and agencies at all levels
involved in external affairs.
During the process, diplomacy
should work as a comprehensive sector with three pillars – political
diplomacy, economic diplomacy plus cultural diplomacy and oversea
Vietnamese-related affairs. Defence and security diplomacy needs to be
developed extensively and intensively.
Thirdly, along with the
implementation of new diplomatic orientations and guidelines, it is
necessary to carry out major orientations of the external policy in the
renewal stage, especially the direction on “upgrading established
diplomatic ties to a profound, stable and sustainable plane”.
“Looking
back on the great achievements of the renewal process in general and
diplomacy in particular in recent years, we firmly trust in the
intelligence and political firmness of our Party,” he said./.