In the draft documents of the 12th National Party Congress, the Communist Party of Vietnam stresses the importance of ensuring top national interests on the basis of international law, equality and mutual benefit.
This is a lesson Vietnam learned from its 30 years of renovation is finding still relevant. VOV reviews Vietnam’s diplomatic achievements in the last five years.
In the last five years, the Vietnamese Party, State, and National Assembly have effectively and comprehensively implemented bilateral, multilateral, and people-to-people diplomatic activities in various fields.
Diplomatic activities contribute to raising Vietnam’s prestige
In the last five years, Vietnam has set up partnership cooperation with several countries. It has established strategic partnerships with 8 countries, and upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership and an extensive strategic partnership with 2 countries and comprehensive partnerships with 3 countries. Vietnam signed 3 new-generation free trade agreements with the Republic of Korea, the Eurasian Economic Union, and the European Union. Vietnam has proactively implemented the Master Plan on Building the ASEAN Economic Community. In October 2015 Vietnam concluded the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).
Hoang Binh Quan, Head of the External Relations Commission of the Party Central Committee said “The draft political report of the Communist Party of Vietnam stresses that Vietnam’s foreign policy aims to ensure top national interests on the basis of international law, equality and mutual benefit.
Vietnam pursues a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, diversification and multi-lateralization of external relations, proactive international integration, and being a friend, reliable partner and responsible member of the international community. Vietnam’s external relation activities aim at maintaining a peaceful and stable environment and taking advantage of external resources for national development”.
Ensuring top national interests
Former Vietnamese Ambassador to China Bui Hong Phuc said the draft document of the 12th National Party Congress states that ensuring top national interest is the aim and also a requirement for Vietnam’s diplomatic activities in the next five years.
Mr Phuc said “Vietnam’s major strategic tasks in the coming years include boosting national growth, improving people’s lives, and defending national independence, sovereignty and unity amidst unpredictable complications in the East Sea. Ensuring national interests is our primary task. This is also a lesson that the Communist Party of Vietnam learned from 30 years of renovation”.
Vietnam intends to promote national defense cooperation in the face of threatened peace, security and territorial integrity. Major General Vu Tien Trong, Director of the Institute for Defense International Relations says Vietnam’s national defense diplomacy complies with the Vietnamese Party and State’s external policy of being a friend and reliable partner of all nations.
The country wants to promote national defense and military cooperation with neighboring countries, major countries, traditional friends, and especially ASEAN countries. Vietnam pursues a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, equality and mutual benefit. Vietnam enhances cooperation to protect its legitimate and rightful interests in economics, politics, and security, and its territorial sovereignty and national independence.
Major General Vu Tien Trong said “We cooperate to strengthen our national defense-security capacity to protect our sovereignty, independence and territory on the principle of ensuring a peaceful environment to boost national development, contribute to peace in the region, and create prosperity for Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific regions”.
Vietnam’s external policy has contributed significantly to maintaining a peaceful, stable and favorable environment for development, realizing Vietnam’s socio-economic development targets, and safeguarding national sovereignty.
