Hanoi (VNA) – Amid numerous difficulties and uncertainties inthe global situation last year, Vietnam has obtained significant results,making breakthroughs and historic achievements. These have become a “highlyimpressive bright spot” in the country’s achievements over the last more thanhalf of the 13th National Party Congress as assessed by Party General Secretary NguyenPhu Trong.

Le Hoai Trung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of theParty Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, made the commentin an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the outstandingachievements in 2023 and orientations for foreign affairs in 2024.

First, he noted, the foreign policy identified at the 13th National PartyCongress attaches importance to neighbouring countries. Last year, Vietnamcontinued enhancing political trust, expanding cooperation, creating newmilestones, and consolidating relations with neighbouring nations.

With regard to China, the successful visit to Vietnam from December 12-13, 2023by General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President of China XiJinping, his spouse, and a high-ranking Party and State delegation of China,and the trip to China from October 30 to November 1, 2022 by Party GeneralSecretary Nguyen Phu Trong right after the 20th National Congress of theCommunist Party of China were historic landmarks in the relations between thetwo Parties and the two countries. These particularly important eventsintensified and elevated the Vietnam - China comprehensive strategiccooperative partnership, helped build a strategic community with a sharedfuture, and created new and important favourable conditions for developing thebilateral ties more steadily, stably, and practically.

To Laos and Cambodia – the two neighbouring countries holding special positionsand importance, the second high-level meeting in 30 years among the top leadersof the three Parties of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia on September 7, 2023, theVietnamese Party leader’s bilateral meetings with his counterparts of the othertwo countries, the meetings among the three countries’ Prime Ministers, and thethree countries’ first Parliamentary Summit on December 5, 2023 stronglyaffirmed that their special solidarity, close-knit ties, and mutual support areobjectively inevitable, vital, and also a factor of leading importance to thesecurity and development of each nation. Vietnam’s economic ties with the othertwo countries were identified as breakthrough fields while defence - securitycooperation also made new progress, Trung continued.

He noted that General Secretary Trong, other key Party and State leaders ofVietnam, and leaders of other Southeast Asian countries paid many mutualvisits, exchanged opinions, and held meetings via different forms to enhancemutual understanding and outline orientations for cooperation in bilateralaspects and within the ASEAN framework, thus meeting demand of each country andASEAN in the new context.

Vietnam joined hands with China, Laos, and Cambodia in improving theeffectiveness of border management, combating crimes, dealing with issuesemerging in a timely manner, and gaining new results in the building of landborders of peace, cooperation, and development.

Besides, Vietnam coordinated with the neighbouring coastal countries to boostpartnerships in multiple areas and promote contact mechanisms on sea-relatedissues, he said, adding that it also persistently and resolutely protected itsrights and legitimate interests in line with international law, including the1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and activelycontributed to the maintenance of peace and stability and the enhancement ofcooperation in the East Sea.

Second, Vietnam actively implemented the 13th National Party Congress’s policyon further promoting and strengthening bilateral cooperation with partners,especially strategic partners, comprehensive partners, and other importantones, the official went on.

Trung elaborated that during the visit to Vietnam by US President Joe Bidenfrom September 10-11, 2023 at the invitation of Party General Secretary Trong,the two sides established the “Comprehensive strategic partnership for peace,cooperation, and sustainable development”. As a result, for the first timesince the foundation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the SocialistRepublic of Vietnam, in 1945 – which was also the year of the UN’sestablishment, Vietnam is a strategic partner or comprehensive strategicpartner with all permanent members of the UN Security Council.

He said that from May 21-23 last year, Dmitry Medvedev, Chairman of the UnitedRussia Party and Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the RussianFederation, visited Vietnam and had talks with Party General Secretary Trong.Via the trip, Vietnam showed the importance it has attached to sound relationswith Russia, the latter’s effective and precious assistance for the SoutheastAsian nation during wartime and for national construction and protection, thestrategic importance of bilateral ties, and the continued promotion of the twocountries’ comprehensive strategic partnership in a way matching each nation’sconditions, thereby contributing to peace, cooperation, and development inAsia-Pacific and the world.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam - India comprehensive strategic partnership continued toflourish in various areas, including politics, trade, and defence, the officialsaid, noting that India views Vietnam as one of its leading partners in theregion.

In late 2023, Vietnam and Japan elevated bilateral relations to a Comprehensivestrategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world.

During a visit to Vietnam by President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeolfrom June 22-24, 2023, the two countries exchanged 17 cooperation documents thatmatch the orientations of their comprehensive strategic partnership set up inDecember 2022, Trung said.

Trung highlighted new strides in Vietnam’s relations with Australia, NewZealand, others in the South Pacific, the European Union and its members, andthe UK. He also mentioned the countries having traditional friendship withVietnam, especially Cuba, as well as the nations currently showing new roles inthe Middle East and Africa like Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Turkey, SouthAfrica, and Tanzania. By establishing diplomatic relations with The Bahamas,and Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam now has diplomatic ties with all 33 countriesin Latin America.

In addition, during a trip to the Holy See by President Vo Van Thuong in July2023, the two sides agreed on the Status of the Resident Papal Representativeand the Office of the Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam at the 10thsession of the Joint Working Group between Vietnam and the Holy See in March2023. Last December, the Pope appointed the first Resident PapalRepresentative in Vietnam.

Third, other important aspects of external affairs and diplomacy were alsopromoted and reaped encouraging results, the official stated.

In particular, economic diplomacy actively helped boost socio-economic recoveryand development after the COVID-19 pandemic and grasp opportunities to meet newdevelopment demand of the country. The issues of economy, trade, investment,official development assistance (ODA), science - technology, labour, andlegitimate economic interests of the Vietnamese State, businesses, and peoplewere among major issues discussed between Vietnam and partners, particularlyduring high-level meetings and visits. Vietnam remained a leading country inparticipating in multilateral trade, economic, and investment frameworks andinitiatives, thus expanding its economic cooperation chances with manypartners.

Besides, multilateral diplomacy in external relations of the Party, State, andpeople considerably helped bring into play the role of internationalinstitutions and laws, strengthen cooperation in the settlement of commonissues, and promote national interests, he remarked, affirming that Vietnam isan active and responsible member of the international community as seen in itsengagement in global efforts in response to climate change.

Fourth, Trung added, researching, forecasting, and advising activities relatedto external relations were carried out frequently and involved the closecoordination among relevant agencies, serving as an important basis forimplementing the Party and State’s foreign policy and responding to new issuesin a timely manner. The research on the foreign policy style of “Vietnamesebamboo” and the publication of the Party General Secretary’s book on thebuilding and development of comprehensive and modern diplomacy deeply imbuedwith the characteristics of “Vietnamese bamboo” also attracted great attentionfrom the public in the country and the world.

The significant results of external affairs in 2023, along with theachievements assessed as “bright spots” of the last half of the 13th NationalParty Congress, have brought into play the role of external relations,identified by the 13th National Party Congress as the pioneer in creating andmaintaining a peaceful and stable environment, mobilising external resourcesfor development, raising Vietnam’s stature and prestige, and generating newstrategic opportunities so that the country can enhance foreign relations,secure a favourable complexion of external relations, and capitalise on new andimportant conditions to realise the industrialisation, modernisation, andnational development targets set by the 13th National Party Congress.

The implementation results of Vietnam’s foreign policy also had manyinternational impacts such as contributing to common affairs of theinternational community, consolidating the role of ASEAN and developingcountries, and reflecting the significance of a foreign policy of independence,self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, development, and diversificationand multilateralisation of foreign relations in the current world, according tothe official.

He attributed the success of Vietnam’s external relations firstly to thefortune, strength, and international stature and prestige that the country hasnever had as it does nowadays; the Party’s sound guideline for foreignrelations and the foreign policy style deeply imbued with the characteristicsof “Vietnamese bamboo”; and the leadership of the Party Central Committee, withthe direct and regular leadership of the Political Bureau and the Secretariatof the Party Central Committee, headed by General Secretary Trong.

The Party leader, State President, Prime Minister, National Assembly Chairman,along with the Permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat,Politburo members, members of the Secretariat, the Vice State President, DeputyPMs, and National Assembly Vice Chairpersons directly engaged in importantdiplomatic activities, thus strongly stepping up the implementation of theParty and State’s foreign policy, particularly towards major and importantpartners.

Underlining the coordination among the three pillars of the Party’s, State’s,and people’s external relations, Trung noted officials of the Party at alllevels met and worked with not only those of foreign political parties but alsothe governments and people’s organisations of other countries. When visitingVietnam via the State channel, international partners also wished to meet withleaders of the Vietnamese Party, which showed that they are knowledgeable aboutand respect Vietnam’s political regime as well as the stature, role, andprestige of the Party and its leaders.  

 Talking about the orientations for external relations in 2024, Trung saidVietnam will continue implementing the foreign policy identified at the 13thNational Party Congress, adhere to General Secretary Trong’s directions givenat the recent national conference on external affairs and the 32nd diplomatic conference,and focus on the leading task of sustaining a peaceful and stable environmentand firmly protecting the country's independence, sovereignty, unity, andterritorial integrity.

Another important thing is to effectively carry out the agreements withinternational partners and make use of new and favourable strategicopportunities, he added./.