Deputy PM Minh mentions fierce disputes in East Sea

 In the context of complex and unforeseeable developments across the globe and more acrimonious disputes in the East Sea, Vietnam needs to uphold an independent and self-reliant foreign policy.

Deputy Prime Minister cum Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh made the remarks on January 23 in the continued document discussions at the ongoing 12th National Party Congress in Hanoi.

Active integration with independent and self-reliant foreign policy

In his speech, Deputy PM Minh emphasized that in the next five years, the global situation would experience rapid changes amid increasingly complex and unpredictable developments like territorial and resource disputes, ethnic conflicts and harshly emerging non-traditional security.

 “The globalization process and scientific and technological advances will have a wide-ranging impact on the restructuring of the world economy with increased economic, trade and investment links, strengthened infrastructure connection, new financial and monetary institutions along with the next generation bilateral and multilateral economic, trade and investment agreements.

The Asia - Pacific region, including Southeast Asia will continue to be considered a dynamic growth centre as well as a key strategic position of competition between major countries with potential risks and uncertainties,” Minh said.

Severer and complicated disputes in the East Sea

In this context of fiercer disputes in the East Sea, Vietnam should stay active in international integration while maintaining its independent and self-reliant external policy which is the major strategic orientations of the Party in order to successfully carry out the task of building and safeguarding the nation.

Bringing the country to a higher position

Deputy PM Minh said Vietnam’s deeper international integration over the next five and ten years will be demonstrated across a variety of fields.

Accordingly, in the fields of politics, defence and security, it is imperative to create long-term and closely linked interests between Vietnam and partner nations, especially with those of strategic importance to national security and development aiming to develop established relationships in an efficient and practical manner.

Minh underlined the need to enhance trust building and build effective cooperation mechanisms for promoting relations, preventing threats, controlling disagreements and resolving arising problems that can seriously affect national security and development.

Economically, Vietnam will have to fully implement its commitments in the ASEAN Community and the WTO and join the next generation free trade agreements over the next five years.

Therefore, boosting deeper integration is to make use of international commitments to expand the market, redistribute and improve the efficiency of use of resources and competitiveness of the national economy as well as businesses.

It is essential to increase the level of economic autonomy, set up a higher position in the production-supply chain regionally and globally, strengthen the resilience of the national economy against external impacts and contribute more to the development of domestic resources and regional connectivity.

The country should take advantage rules and regulations set by international organizations to protect the legitimate interests of the State, enterprises and Vietnamese people in relations with foreign partners, the Vietnamese diplomat noted.

In terms of culture, social affairs, health care, education, science and technology and other areas, in-depth integration is to be active in researching and selecting sets of criteria and common standards so as to raise the development level of the country in these fields and serve the goal of building a knowledge-based economy in the process of national industrialization and modernization and promoting the nation's cultural identities.

Deputy PM Minh stressed external work needs to be done during the country’s international integration with focus on implementing external orientations approved by the 12th Party Congress, stepping up the Party leadership on international integration and improving the efficiency of coordination between the Party’s external affairs, State’s diplomacy, people-to-people diplomacy as well as between sectors, levels and localities.

"In other words, given in-depth integration is to create long-term stable relationships with partners, stabilize the political and security environment to elevate our country to a higher international and regional profile," Deputy PM said.

He proposed actualizing major orientations on integration stated in the Congress’ documents, focusing on the international integration master strategy till 2020 and a vision to 2030 and projects and plans implementing the Politburo’s Resolution 22.

He suggested promptly completing and raising capacity of institutions on integration, developing human resources training for the process, striving to achieve a high level in terms of integration in fields in ASEAN by 2020.

At the session, Thao Xuan Sung, member of the 11th Party Central Committee and Deputy Head of the Central Committee’s Mass Mobilisation Commission, discussed a report on enhancing close relations between the Party and people to promote the great national unity in the renewal process. He made clear the Party’s view on mass mobilization and future reforms to enhance the relations as defined in the Political Report submitted to the 12th Party Congress.

Nguyen Dac Vinh, alternative member of the 11th Party Central Committee, discussed education of revolutionary ideology, morality, lifestyle for the young generation.