Int’l integration expands country’s development space
International integration has helped heighten the country`s international position and expand the its development space, said Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh.
Under the direction PM Nguyen Tan Dung at the 27th diplomacy conference and the Commercial Counselor Conference 2011, international integration has yielded positive results, contributing to protecting sovereignty and national interests and consolidating a favorable international environment for the country to develop.
The diplomacy sector has contributed to building a Party resolution on international integration, making suggestions to enhance strategic and long-term interests with powers, strategic, comprehensive and potential partners, and traditional friends. Vietnam has established strategic partinership with five countries and comprehensive partnership with two countries over the past two years while expanding and deepening relations with other partners.
The country has also actively participated in international fora, particularly playing a responsible role in building an ASEAN community, proactively boosting cooperation to address challenges of food security, water resources and responses to natural disasters in the frameworks of ASEAN, APEC, ASEM, Mekong cooperation and other multilateral fora.
Viet Nam has implemented commitments to the World Trade Organization (WTO), free trade agreements and conducted negotiations for six more new FTAs with key partners.
Facing economic difficulties in and outside the country, Viet Nam has taken various measures to improve the efficiency of economic external affairs.
Besides key and traditional markets, such potential markets as Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa are initially being exploited to encourage and attract investment and create jobs.
Vietnamese diplomatic missions abroad have supported sectors and localities to mobilize official development assistance (ODA) and foreign direct investment (FDI), promote trade, tourism and labour export while backing Vietnamese businesses to invest in other countries and protect their legitimate interests in commercial disputes.
The realization of the Party resolution on international integration not only requires changes in the understanding of integration and awareness improvement, but also needs joint resolution of all sectors and localities.
The policy should be specified in a master plan to link integration in all fields with a focus on economic integration. Relations with other countries and regional and international cooperation mechanisms should also be deepened to maintain security and develop the country.
International integration in the future needs to focus on quality and effectiveness, especially domestic preparations which include renewing the regime, fostering law and policy enactment, improving the economy’s competitiveness and communication, and enhancing management capacity and human resources quality to meet new requirements and grasp development al opportunities.