Vietnam's strategic choices

This is one of eight dialogue sessions with heads of state and government organized by the WEF at this year's Davos Conference. The session was attended in person by Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and chairman of the WEF, and 100 leaders and representatives from countries, international organizations, and corporations that are members of the WEF. The session was moderated by Thomas Friedman, a renowned international relations commentator for The New York Times and author of the book "The World Is Flat" .

A pioneering nation in green development.

Professor Schwab assessed Vietnam not only as a rising star in East Asia but also as a country undergoing a transformation into a globally influential economic power. He highly valued and believed in Vietnam's growing role, truly becoming one of the pioneering nations in developing a green and smart economy. Sharing Professor Schwab's view, Thomas Friedman stated that Vietnam is a prime example of reform and development, internationally recognized as a model for rapid and sustainable economic growth.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Professor Klaus Schwab witnessed the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and the WEF.

Speaking at the dialogue session, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed several guiding principles and viewpoints of Vietnam throughout the process of national construction and development. Firstly, building a socialist rule of law state, a socialist democracy, and a socialist-oriented market economy; developing an independent, self-reliant economy; actively and proactively integrating deeply, substantively, and effectively into the international economy. Secondly, steadfastly pursuing an independent, self-reliant, peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and developmental foreign policy. Thirdly, persistently adhering to the "four no's" national defense policy. Fourthly, building an advanced culture rich in national identity, in the spirit that culture guides the nation, and as long as culture exists, the nation exists.

5 major lessons learned

Highlighting the great and historically significant achievements during nearly 40 years of Doi Moi (Renovation), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that these successes were achieved thanks to five major lessons learned. Firstly, steadfastly adhering to the path towards socialism; persistently pursuing an independent, self-reliant, multilateral, and diversified foreign policy; being a good friend, a reliable partner, and a responsible member of the international community. Secondly, considering the people as the makers of history. Thirdly, promoting the strength of national unity. Fourthly, combining national strength with the strength of the times. Fifthly, promoting the leading role of the Party.

Based on that, the Prime Minister shared two suggestions for countries. First, identify resources starting from mindset, motivation from innovation, and strength from the people. The Prime Minister emphasized the role of international solidarity and multilateralism in addressing global issues. Second, place the people at the center, as the subject, the most important resource, the driving force, and the goal of development. Accordingly, the people need to directly participate in and benefit from policies.

Priority areas

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized several priority areas for Vietnam in the coming period, including digital transformation, science and technology, artificial intelligence, green transformation, etc., and identified these as both objective requirements and trends, as well as strategic choices.

In the semiconductor sector, the Prime Minister shared Vietnam's efforts in developing strategic infrastructure, especially information infrastructure, and plans to train 50,000-100,000 semiconductor engineers in the near future. Regarding artificial intelligence, the Prime Minister acknowledged that every issue has two sides, stating that Vietnam will actively exploit the advantages and mitigate the negative aspects of AI, starting with building a national database, while simultaneously improving policies to attract investment and enhancing the effectiveness of human resource training. In cooperation with businesses, the Prime Minister emphasized that the Vietnamese Government will continue to improve and develop three strategic breakthroughs in institutions, infrastructure, and human resources; creating the most favorable conditions for foreign businesses to cooperate, based on maximizing trust, hope, and determination from both sides, and hoping that businesses will link production and consumption with research and training.

The Prime Minister shared that Vietnam is one of the countries most strongly affected by climate change, emphasizing the commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050 at COP26. Accordingly, the Prime Minister stated that in recent years, Vietnam has proactively improved its ability to adapt to landslides, droughts, and natural disasters, while also implementing a new initiative on the sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission specialized rice cultivation...

Leveraging similarities, looking towards the future.

Responding to commentator Thomas Friedman's question about Vietnam's perspective on balancing relations with major powers, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that Vietnam is one of the countries that suffered the most damage since World War II, constantly impacted by war, blockade, and embargo. However, Vietnam has "put aside the past, overcome differences, promote similarities, and look towards the future" to turn enemies into friends.

The Prime Minister affirmed that the visits to Vietnam by General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden in 2023 demonstrated the strong political trust between Vietnam and its two partners, reflecting Vietnam's independent and self-reliant foreign policy for peace, cooperation, development and prosperity, multilateralism, and diversification.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/lua-chon-chien-luoc-cua-viet-nam-185240118001419337.htm