Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivers a presentation at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C on May 11 (Photo: ) The Vietnamese Government leader’s speech was broadcast live on technologyplatforms by CSIS.
In his welcome speech, Dr. John Hamre, President and CEO of CSIS, said thatPM's arrival and presentation at the centre was a privilege for CSIS. This isalso the third time CSIS has welcomed Vietnamese leaders.
Inhis presentation, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh recalled that 77 years ago,President Ho Chi Minh opened the Declaration of Independence with the immortaltruth: “All men are created equal. They are endowed bytheir Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them are Life, Liberty,and the pursuit of Happiness." This is also the spirit of the Declaration of Independence ofthe US in 1776, he noted.
Nearlythree decades of normalising relations, the relationship between Vietnam andthe US has borne fruit with sincerity, trust and responsibility as well as sympathy,sharing and mutual respect to achieve the goals of the two countries and their people.The two sides have overcome their differences and achieved fundamental principlesfor bilateral relations, as affirmed in the Vietnam-US Joint Vision Statementwhen General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trongvisited the US in 2015, which emphasises respect for each other's politicalinstitutions, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
Vietnamappreciates the US’s continuous support for a strong and independent Vietnamover the past years. In 27 years since the two countries normalisedrelations, four consecutive US Presidents have visited Vietnam and left goodimpressions among the people of the two countries.
Accordingto Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, in the context of profound, rapid and unpredictablechanges in the international situation, both the Governments and academics needto strengthen coordination, exchange and sharing of ideas to build a betterworld together.
Prime MinisterPham Minh Chinh emphasised that as an active and responsible member of theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the international community,Vietnam always strives to contribute to dialogue and cooperation, and is willingto play a proactive and active role in accordance with their potential andposition.
Vietnam strivesto be a modernity-orientedindustrialised developing country andgraduate from the lower-middle group by 2025. It aims to become a developingcountry with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030, and a developed andhigh-income country by 2045.
ThePM said that Vietnam's development aspiration is associated with the aspirationfor peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
Heexpressed his hope that the US and its partners will cooperate and supportVietnam in realising that strategic vision, saying that this will open up greatopportunities for more comprehensive and deeper cooperation between Vietnam andthe US and other countries.
Chinh affirmed that Vietnam consistently pursues the foreign policy ofindependence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development,diversification and multilateralisation of relations; being a good friend and areliable partner with countries around the world, and a responsible member ofthe international community.
Vietnam has always shown sincerity, consistency and transparency in buildingand implementing this policy, he stressed.
ThePM affirmed that, between independence and dependence, Vietnam always choosesindependence with the spirit of "nothing is more valuablethan independence and freedom" set by PresidentHo Chi Minh; between negotiation and confrontation, Vietnam chooses negotiation;between dialogue and conflict, Vietnam chooses dialogue; between peace and war,Vietnam chooses peace; between cooperation and competition, Vietnam choosescooperation, and a healthy and equal competition that respects each other'slegitimate rights and interests.
Vietnamis ready for dialogue and cooperation to handle differences and disagreements, contributingto peace, stability and development in the world; and ensure the harmonisationof interests and satisfactorily address the concerns of partners, countries andthe international community, he stated.
Forthat reason, in the process of resolving disputes and conflicts in the regionand the world, including the East Sea - an important sea for countries insideand outside the region, Vietnam has always advocated maintaining peace andstability; ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation;protecting legitimate rights and interests; settling disputes by peaceful measuresand through dialogue on the basis of respect for international law, especially the 1982 UnitedNations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); effectively and fully implementing theDeclaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and working activelytowards the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Codeof Conduct in the East Sea (COC), PM Chinh said.
PM Pham Minh Chinh (R) discusses with the US Ambassador and a representative of CSIS (Photo: ) PMChinh stated that Vietnam has been proactive, active and responsible inpromoting its role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations SecurityCouncil for the 2008-2009 and 2020-2021 tenures. It has directly participated inand contributed military personnel to the United Nations peacekeeping force sinceJune 2014. The country was also the venue for the 2nd US-DPRK Summit in 2019.
Regarding the Ukraine issue, Vietnam supports and is willing to join effortsand initiatives of the international community to facilitate the parties’ dialoguesto find long-term and sustainable solutions, Chinh said, adding the country hasprovided humanitarian aid of 500,000 USD for Ukraine.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, despite many difficulties, Vietnam has donatedmasks and medical supplies to 51 countries, including the US; and made financialcontributions to the COVAX Programme.
Although it is a developing country with numerous difficulties insocio-economic conditions, Vietnam has showed its great responsibility anddetermination in efforts to respond to climate change and fulfill itscommitments under the Paris Agreement and at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in the UK to bringing net emissions to zero by 2050.
Vietnamhas been strongly promoting economic, trade and investment cooperation with almostall countries in the world. In particular, it has negotiated and signed 15 freetrade agreements (FTAs), opening up a large free trade market with more than 60countries and partners, including all major economies in the world, thus demonstratingits responsibility in the realisation of equality and free trade.
Forthe US, the Government leader said that Vietnam always wishes to strengthencooperation with the US on a basis of sincerity, continue to reinforce trustand enhance the responsibilities of both sides, for the common interests of thetwo countries’ people as well as for peace, cooperation and development in theregion and the world.
Vietnamand the US have come a long way in showing sincerity and building mutual trust.First of all, the two sides have focused on and showed their determination in overcomingthe war consequences. Since the normalisation of relations in 1995, the bilateralrelations have continuously developed in many aspects.
On the basis of their nearly three-decade relationship, Prime MinisterPham Minh Chinh stressed the need for sincerity, trust, respect and continued responsibilityin overcoming the war consequences, in order to heal the wounds of both peoplesand foster the cooperation between the two countries to meet the aspirationsand interests of their people, and contribute to peace and stability, cooperationand development in the region and the world, as confirmed by the two sidesduring the visit to the US by General Secretary of the Communist Party ofVietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong in 2015.
Thehead of the Vietnamese Government affirmed that as the US and many countries arelooking to the Indo-Pacific region, while Vietnam is promoting theimplementation of aspirational development goals, the two countries is facingnew opportunities to develop their comprehensive partnership in a stable,long-term, substantive, effective and intensive manner, especially in terms ofeconomy, trade, investment, science and technology, digital transformation, high-qualityhuman resources training and climate change adaptation as well as in solvinginternational and regional issues.
PrimeMinister Pham Minh Chinh held that along with traditional cooperation areas,the two sides need to look forward to collaboration areas in the future, especiallygreen growth, technological innovation, digital transformation and supply chaindiversification.
Hereiterated that sincerity, trust and responsibility are the keys for countriesto resolve disagreements and differences in a changing world like today.Sincerity, trust and responsibility have also made important contributions tothe strong development of Vietnam - US relations over the past 30 years.
Heexpressed his belief that these will also be key factors in guiding, promoting,and bringing the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and the US to a newheight in the coming years.
Afterthe presentation, the PM answered many questions raised by CSIS scholars regardingVietnam - US relations, the implementation of commitments at COP 26, and theIndo-Pacific initiative.
Thepresentation and answers of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the CSIS werewarmly welcomed by participating scholars and experts./.
VNA
