Secretary Quan Minh Cuong: People's diplomacy is an important driving force for Cao Bang to develop quickly and sustainably.

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (November 17, 1950 - November 17, 2025), Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Cao Bang province, Mr. Quan Minh Cuong, gave an interview to Thoi Dai about the key goals of people's foreign affairs of Cao Bang, one of the localities with a special position in politics and foreign economics.

-Sir, Resolution 59-NQ/TW on international integration in the new situation, recently issued by the Politburo, emphasizes the role of people-to-people diplomacy. In the context of the whole country entering a new era, what specific objectives has the Provincial Party Standing Committee set for people-to-people diplomacy in Cao Bang, sir?

Cao Bang is a border province with over 333 km of bordering Guangxi (China), boasting numerous international, bilateral, and open border crossings. This serves as both a "bulwark" for national security and defense, and a bridge for economic , cultural, and people-to-people cooperation with China and the region. In this context, people-to-people diplomacy plays a crucial role as a "soft barrier" in the border area, contributing to strengthening the friendly relations between Vietnam and China and creating a solid foundation for protecting national security and defense and promoting socio-economic development.

Resolution 59-NQ/TW affirms that people-to-people diplomacy is one of the three important pillars of Vietnam's foreign policy, along with Party diplomacy and State diplomacy . In line with the spirit of the Resolution, the Standing Committee of the Cao Bang Provincial Party Committee has identified several key objectives, specifically as follows:

Firstly, we must leverage the strength of national unity, raise awareness among all levels, sectors, and the people about the role of people-to-people diplomacy; considering this a crucial bridge to build trust, strengthen solidarity and friendship, expand international cooperation, and make Cao Bang a border region trade hub.

Secretary of the Cao Bang Provincial Party Committee, Quan Minh Cuong

Secondly, we will promote people-to-people exchanges, focusing on developing cross-border tourism, linked to promoting the image of Cao Bang – a land rich in revolutionary traditions and home to the UNESCO Non Nuoc Cao Bang Global Geopark – through cultural, artistic, educational, sports, and defense activities; building models of "friendly and cultural villages"; and organizing typical events such as: the Ban Gioc Waterfall (Vietnam) - Duc Thien (China) cross-border half-marathon race, the Border Spring Dragon Festival, traditional ethnic festivals in Quang Hoa, and the Vietnam-China youth exchange program…

Thirdly, people-to-people diplomacy should become a practical bridge to promote cooperation in many fields: border trade, culture, education and training, health, science and technology, and innovation; expanding cooperation in social and environmental matters; and actively participating in peace and friendship activities, thereby enhancing the province's prestige and position in the international arena.

Fourth, focus on promoting the proactive role of political and social organizations, associations, friendship societies, the business community, and overseas Cao Bang residents in people-to-people diplomacy; mobilize social resources to serve local development.

Fifth, innovate content and methods of operation, leverage digital transformation and online platforms to expand channels of people-to-people interaction, especially among the younger generation; contribute to cultural preservation and the dissemination of positive values; link international integration with maintaining political stability, social order and security, protecting the legitimate interests of the locality and national border sovereignty.

We believe that, with the decisive involvement of the entire political system and the positive response of the people, people-to-people diplomacy in Cao Bang will become increasingly effective, becoming an important driving force for the province's rapid and sustainable development, contributing to building a peaceful, friendly, and cooperative border for mutual development, and making a positive contribution to the country's deep integration into the international community.

-To achieve future successes, a prerequisite is that the parallel policy system must be appropriate and predictive. To concretize Resolution 59-NQ/TW, what additional content should be added to foreign policy in general so that Cao Bang in particular can be considered a bridge to introduce its image to the international community, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of attracting investment to the locality?

-First of all, I want to affirm that Cao Bang is facing many opportunities and challenges in international integration. To turn these opportunities into practical results, building a synchronous, predictive and flexible foreign policy system is very important. We propose two key orientations: (1) Specific and clear decentralization of power to localities - especially border provinces, in order to create conditions for localities to be proactive and flexible in implementing international integration. (2) Having policies to mobilize diverse resources to implement effective and sustainable foreign policy contents and activities, in accordance with the practical conditions and development orientation of each locality.

Based on that, we have identified several priority areas to focus on as follows:

Firstly, perfect the mechanisms and policies for border trade and regional cooperation: further facilitate trade, investment, logistics, and infrastructure connectivity with Guangxi (China); coordinate the upgrading of border gates, crossings, and dedicated cargo transport routes; build digital and smart border gates; and invest in essential infrastructure in border gate areas. Simultaneously, issue and effectively implement inter-ministerial coordination regulations on international integration, ensuring that all international agreements and documents are implemented synchronously and promptly.

Secondly, foreign policy needs to include content promoting the image and building the local brand: Strengthening cultural and people-to-people diplomacy; developing tourism associated with the preservation and promotion of historical and cultural values, especially the Pac Bo National Special Monument and the UNESCO Non Nuoc Cao Bang Global Geopark; developing the Ban Gioc Waterfall (Vietnam) - Duc Thien (China) scenic area into a national key tourist area, a model for cross-border tourism, and implementing cross-border "red tourism" routes between Pac Bo (Vietnam) and Mengma (China). Leveraging digital platforms, international trade fairs, and cultural and tourism events to promote the image of Cao Bang – a land rich in potential, safe, friendly, and open – to attract tourists and investors.

Thirdly, it is necessary to build mechanisms to encourage and facilitate the regular, focused, and targeted implementation of economic diplomacy, trade promotion, and investment activities. Policies supporting local businesses in the process of international integration, especially small and medium-sized enterprises and startups, should be supplemented through connecting supply chains and promoting investment in major economic centers both domestically and internationally.

Fourth , enhance the capacity of staff and develop high-quality human resources: Strengthen training in foreign languages ​​(English, Chinese), negotiation skills, diplomatic protocol, cooperation planning, ODA and NGO project management; improve the international integration capacity of local officials to meet the requirements of the new era.

Fifth, Attracting investment and mobilizing international resources: Completing the provincial planning in a comprehensive and transparent manner, building a list of projects to attract ODA, FDI, and NGOs; improving the investment environment. Combining investment promotion with tourism and trade promotion, while mobilizing resources from overseas Vietnamese, intellectuals, and Cao Bang entrepreneurs abroad to participate in the construction and development of the locality.

Sixth, developing border gate economies and key sectors: focusing on agriculture and forestry along value chains that meet international export standards; supporting key enterprises to enhance competitiveness and innovation; effectively connecting with international markets to transform Cao Bang into a center for economic and foreign trade between Southern and Southwestern China and Vietnam and ASEAN, becoming an attractive destination for investment and international integration.

-Thank you very much!

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/bi-thu-quan-minh-cuong-doi-ngoai-nhan-dan-la-dong-luc-quan-trong-de-cao-bang-phat-trien-nhanh-va-ben-vung-217135.html