Party leader: Fast changing world requires new thinking

Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong delivers a keynote speech at the Center for International Strategic Studies in Washington D.C. on July 8 in which he touches upon the history of Viet Nam-U.S. relations, the development of the bilateral ties over the past years, Viet Nam's foreign policy, and Viet Nam-the U.S relations in the time to come.

The Party chief made the statement at the Center for International Strategic Studies in Washington D.C. on July 8 while refering to Viet Nam’s foreign policy.

Scientific and technological advances, cooperation and development trends, gloablization and democratization are opening up new opportunities for prosperity and cooperation among nations, he said.

Economic and financial crisis along with social and humanitarian ones pose new demands for equitable and sustainable growth models for economic cooperation among nations and for international economic order. Traditional and non-traditional security challenges, including territorial disputes, terrorism, religious extremism, cyber security, aviation and maritime security have emerged in new forms, affecting international peace, stability and development, requiring new mindset and approaches to security, he added.

Environmental and ecological crisis, climate change, natural disasters, and epidemics continue to unfold with complexity, posing new demands for production methods and people’s ways of life and for managing human relationship with nature. In a gloablized world, while interdependence among nations becomes increasingly both in terms of development and security, international law, mutual respect and cooperation among nations must be upheld more than ever before, the Party leader stressed.

Asia-Pacific, the world’s most dynamic region, embraces all the common features of the world while maintaining its unique attributes. While economic cooperation and integration are taking place rapidly with the huge variety of initiatives for intra and extra regional connectivity, peace, security and stabiltiy challenges have become ever more acute, especially increasing tensions in maritime disputes.

While economic interdependence among countries is increasing, our region lacks an efficient arrangement, mechanism and architecture for collective security to cope with emerging risks and challenges, among which nationalism, religious extremism, and unilateralsism tend to rise, Mr. Trong highlighted.

Against such context, all countries, including Viet Nam and the United States are required to increase their intersts and cooperation efforts for the region and the world of peace, security and prosperity, he said.

From the economic perspective, Viet Nam suports the models for equitable, sustainable and mutually beneficial development between countries. Viet Nam also supports the initiatives to boost trade and investment to bring about equal benefits to all, especially to workers in all countries.

Mr. Trong expressed his belief that the best way of cooperation is based on the principle of mutual reinforcement for shared development to narrow down development gap among nations.

From political and security perspective, Viet Nam supports friendship and equal cooperation among nations on the basis of respect for each other’s independence, sovereigty, territorial integrity and political regime, non-interference into each other’s internal affairs, peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law, non-use or threat of force.

Viet Nam backs the formulation of economic and security cooperation mechanisms among countries in the region and the world in keeping with such principles.

Viet Nam also advocates an Asia-Pacific region of peace, stability, cooperation for shared prosperity, connected by intra, extra regional economic linkages and economic cooperation for mutual benefits, having agreements and mechanisms to ensure common security, freedom of navigation and over-flights.

Party leader Trong said holding ASEAN centrality in evolving political-security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region is conducive and beneficial to regional and international peace and security. He believed that the Asia-Pacific region also offers enough opportunities to all countries inside and outside the region, including the U.S., China, Japan, India, Russia and the EU.

In that spirit, Viet Nam continues to pursue a foreign policy of indepence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and developmemt, multilateralization and diversification of external relations and active international integration, Party General Secretary Trong affirmed, adding that Viet Nam has established diplomatic ties with over 180 countries, comprehensive and strategic partnership with important partners in the region and the world.

Viet Nam has acceded to many bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements in which TPP with the United States and other partners is of great significance to Viet Nam, the U.S. and the entire Asia-Pacific region.

Regarding the future of Viet Nam-United States relations

Party leader Trong said the two countries have established the comprehensive partnership that is the important premise for advancing the bilateral ties over the coming years.

Looking ahead, both countries need to work together to deepen and broaden the comprehensive partnership in order to lay the foundation for lifting the relations to the next level in the future. An important impetus to the Viet Nam-U.S. partnership towards that end lies in the shared interest between the two countries.

Party leader Trong stated his views on common interests shared by the two countries.

First, the two countries have shared common interest in promoting bilateral comprehensive cooperation for development and prosperity in each country and for the happiness of both peoples.

Second, both sides have shared interest in advancing regional cooperation for peace, stability and cooperation for prosperity in Asia-Pacific, particularly in maintaining peace, maritime security, safety and freedom of navigation and over-flights in the East Sea on the basis of respect for international law.

Third, the two sides have shared interest in cooperation and coordination of efforts to contribute to common global issues as responsible members of the international community.

Mr. Trong believed that a strong, prosperous, stable, independent and self-reliant Viet Nam, fully integrated into the world and making responsible contributions to the international community is in the interest of peace, security, cooperation and development in Asia-Pacific and the world, and is conducive to the interest of the U.S. and countries in and outside the region.

Looking ahead, Party leader Trong said both sides have much to do to advance the bilateral ties further forward:

According to him, first and foremost, strengthening mutual understanding, building and consolidating political trust between the leaders, political circles and peoples of the two countries are essential to deepen and broaden friendship and cooperation between Viet Nam and the U.S.

To this end, both sides need to increase high-level contacts and exchanges, expand consultation and dialogue mechaisms in the areas of mutual interests. This is also one of the objectives of his visit to the U.S. this time. He said he is looking forward to welcoming President Barack Obama in Viet Nam in the time to come.

The Party chief noted that economic, trade and investment cooperation remains the focus of bilateral ties and must be advanced further. So far American investment in Viet Nam remains modest and the U.S. only ranks 7th among countries and territories investing in Viet Nam.

The U.S. has yet recognized Viet Nam as a market economy and still imposes trade barriers against Vietnamese goods. He hopes that the conclusion of TPP will give a strong boost to American investment in Viet Nam and will faciliate trade between the two countries, faciliate trade between the U.S. and ASEAN. The U.S. recognition of Viet Nam’s market economy status is a necessary step toward that end.

Cooperation in science and technolgy, education and training, health, and environment and others are the bright point with huge potentials in the bilateral relations. These are also the areas closely related to quality of sustainable development that Viet Nam pays great attention to and the U.S. has many strengths that can be shared with Viet Nam.

Mr. Trong said during his visit, Ho Chi Minh City will hand over licence to the foundation of Fullbright University in Ho Chi Minh City. He encouraged and called on American enterprises, universities, research institutes, organizations and individuals to increase investments in and cooperation with Viet Nam in this area.

Party General Secretary Trong said cooperation in defense and security is another element contributing to enhancing trust and adding stategic values to bilateral ties, which should be fostered with proper steps in line with the interests of the two coutries.

Both sides must continue implementing effectively the Memorandum of Understanding of bilateral defense cooperation signed in 2011 and especially the Joint Vision Statement on defense relations signed in Ha Noi last June.

At the same time, the two countries should expand cooperation in law enforcement, counter-terrorism, maritime security and others to contribute to the maintenance of peace, stability and cooperation in Asia-Pacific.

Cooperation on humanitarian issues must continue to be strongly fostered to overcome the consequences and build trust and enhance friendship between the two peoples as many generations of Vietnamese are still struggling with the hard consequences of the war.