Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends WEF Tianjin Conference and works in China: Promoting growth drivers in the new era

Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Thanh Binh believes that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's working trip to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) Pioneers' Conference and work in China will open up many specific and practical cooperation opportunities for the prosperous and sustainable development of the country in the new era.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the Discussion Session with the theme "Coping with Headwinds: Restarting Growth in a Fragile Context" at the WEF Tianjin Conference 2023. (Source: WEF)

On the occasion of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's upcoming attendance at the 16th Annual Pioneers Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Tianjin City and working in China from June 24-27 at the invitation of Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang and Chairman and CEO of the World Economic Forum Børge Brende, Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Thanh Binh gave an interview toThe Gioi va Viet Nam Newspaper, highlighting the significance of this "2 in 1" working trip.

Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Thanh Binh. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in China)

Could you please tell us the main content of the agenda at the WEF Tianjin Conference as well as the meaning, message and participation and contribution of the delegation led by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attending the Conference and working in China?

In the context of the complex and unpredictable global political and economic situation, this year's WEF Tianjin Conference is a major event, with the presence of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, President of Ecuador and Prime Ministers of Singapore, Senegal, Kyrgyzstan, along with more than 100 ministerial-level leaders and more than 1,700 delegates from businesses, international organizations and scholars from many countries around the world.

The theme of this year's conference is "Entrepreneurship in the New Era", with five main discussion topics including: Decoding the world economy and new growth trends; China's economic outlook; Industrial transformation and smart manufacturing; Investing in people and the planet; and Energy and new materials.

The fact that the Prime Minister of Vietnam has been invited to attend and speak at this important event for three consecutive years demonstrates the respect and appreciation of the WEF, as well as the international business community, for Vietnam's position, role and contributions to global and regional economic growth. I believe that the working trip of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh this time has the following important meanings:

Firstly, by attending the Conference, Vietnam affirms its position, role and responsibility for peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world; proactively contributes to exchanges and discussions to find solutions to economic and development issues in the region and the world; grasps new issues and trends in the world economy; at the same time, shares Vietnam's viewpoints, visions and development experiences, especially after Vietnam has just completed the "Quad Pillars" of policy foundations for the transition period, the new era of development of the country, the era of national growth.

Second, through meetings with leaders, policy makers and the global business community, Vietnam has the opportunity to promote the country's image, convey messages about the Party and State's policies and guidelines; create and promote cooperation opportunities with governments and businesses to serve the country's development goals, first of all, to respond to the complex developments of global trade.

Meeting and exchanging with government partners and global and regional business groups is an important and effective channel for Vietnam to promote the implementation of priorities to maintain and create breakthroughs in growth, including promoting the expansion and diversification of export markets and attracting investment.

Third , Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's third participation in the WEF Conference in China demonstrates Vietnam's respect and strong support for the host country, continuing to add strong momentum to consolidate the good and comprehensive development momentum of Vietnam-China relations.

The Vietnamese high-ranking delegation will have many important activities at the Conference and work in China. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will attend as a Special Guest the Policy Dialogue with the President of WEF Tianjin, deliver a keynote speech at the Discussion Session “Is the Asian Century Facing Challenges?”, and attend the Opening Session of the Conference. In addition, the Prime Minister will have bilateral meetings with leaders of countries, WEF leaders, and major corporations.

I believe that the participation and contribution of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation will make a very important contribution to the overall success of the Conference, demonstrated in the following aspects:

Firstly, conveying the message about the decisive importance of cooperation and dialogue, building a suitable global policy and governance environment to promote new growth drivers, ensuring sustainable and inclusive development in the face of fluctuations, instability and uncertainty in the international environment and the global economy.

Second , at the Conference, the Prime Minister will share his views on the intertwined opportunities and challenges for global economic growth prospects; share Vietnam's views and experiences; and propose a number of specific initiatives to enhance cooperation among countries in the region.

Third, the Prime Minister will emphasize Vietnam's strategic vision and strong determination in realizing growth and development targets; efforts to adapt to the new situation; share major policies of the Party and State and Vietnam's socio-economic development achievements; affirm the determination to maintain growth targets, ensure rapid growth but still maintain sustainable efficiency; emphasize the potential and attractiveness of the Vietnamese market.

Fourthly, through this Conference, Vietnam affirms its respect for the world business community, is willing to exchange openly and frankly, listen to positive constructive opinions of businesses; shares the efforts of the Vietnamese Government in creating a favorable investment and business environment for the business community, resolutely implementing comprehensive solutions in terms of institutions, infrastructure, financial resources and human resources; and calls for investment cooperation in areas that Vietnam is interested in promoting and needs to create breakthroughs such as artificial intelligence, automation, biotechnology, clean energy, infrastructure, and financial services.

"The fact that the Prime Minister of Vietnam has been invited to attend and speak at this important event for three consecutive years demonstrates the respect and appreciation of the WEF, as well as the international business community, for Vietnam's position, role and contributions to global and regional economic growth." (Ambassador Pham Thanh Binh)

WEF Tianjin 2025 - "Summer Davos Forum" promotes entrepreneurship in the new era. (Source: WEF)

What should Vietnam and China do to further boost growth momentum and create momentum to promote the development of both countries in the context of many fluctuations in the world economy? Could you share the role of the Vietnamese Embassy in China in preparing for the Prime Minister's "2 in 1" trip combining multilateral and bilateral activities?

Over the past time, the economic and trade relations between the two countries have continuously developed strongly and become increasingly deep. Vietnam has maintained its position as China's largest trading partner in ASEAN for many years and has now become China's fourth largest trading partner in the world. China is Vietnam's largest trading partner, largest import market, second largest export market and has become the third largest foreign investor in Vietnam.

In the context of the volatile and unpredictable world economy, I believe that the two sides need to continue to expand and improve the effectiveness and quality of substantive cooperation in depth, achieving many practical results and new bright spots.

Firstly, actively and effectively implement the common perceptions of the two Parties and two countries' senior leaders on substantive cooperation in all fields. Strengthen the material foundation for bilateral relations, promote investment and trade cooperation, expand the import of goods, especially high-quality agricultural products of Vietnam; focus on implementing major projects, new symbols of cooperation in Vietnam-China relations. In particular, considering the implementation of 3 standard gauge railway lines connecting the two countries (Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong, Lang Son - Hanoi, Mong Cai - Ha Long - Hai Phong) as the highest priority in strategic infrastructure connection cooperation between the two sides.

Second , encourage Chinese enterprises to expand cooperation and increase investment in areas where China has strengths and Vietnam has needs such as science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, green growth, clean energy, etc.

Make good use of the complementary advantages of each country's economy, in which Vietnam has the advantage of young, dynamic human resources, a growing domestic market, and is an attractive destination for global supply chain shifts. Meanwhile, China has a large market, abundant capital, technology, experience, and financial potential with many large enterprises.

Third, promote the strengths of regional free trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) version 3.0 to promote balanced bilateral trade development. Promote strategic connectivity of intermodal railways, upgrade and improve infrastructure and logistics systems, effectively exploit distribution, retail and e-commerce systems, accelerate the construction of smart border gates at customs clearance points and dedicated routes for transporting goods.

This is the first working trip to China by a key Vietnamese leader in 2025, taking place right after the extremely successful State visit to Vietnam by General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping (April 2025), in the context of Vietnam and China celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations and jointly implementing the Year of Humanitarian Exchange. With this extremely important significance, the Vietnamese Embassy in China has identified this as one of the top political tasks from the beginning.

The Embassy has mobilized all its resources and proactively coordinated with relevant agencies and localities on both sides to actively promote important bilateral contacts of the Prime Minister; coordinated the development of programs and content, ensured security, reception, logistics, and supported press and media work.

I believe that this working trip will continue to realize and deepen the important common perceptions reached between the top leaders of the two Parties and two countries, maintain and consolidate the stable and positive development momentum of Vietnam-China relations, and at the same time enhance Vietnam's position in global cooperation mechanisms, opening up many specific and practical cooperation opportunities for the prosperous and sustainable development of the country in the new era.

Ambassador Pham Thanh Binh delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the "Guangxi Fruit Import Festival, Promoting the Role of the RCEP Agreement" in Nanning City, Guangxi, China, on June 18. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in China)

Could the Ambassador share some activities of the Vietnamese community in China in recent times to promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges during the Vietnam-China Humanitarian Exchange Year?

The friendship of “both comrades and brothers” personally established by President Ho Chi Minh and President Mao Zedong and nurtured by generations of leaders of the two countries is a valuable common asset of both peoples and has been continuously promoted to new heights, new highlights, and achieved many important achievements and marks.

The determination of the top leaders of the two Parties and two countries to define 2025 as the “Year of Humanitarian Exchange”, concretizing the common perception of consolidating a “more solid social foundation” in the “6 more” orientation, has created an impressive highlight for the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-China diplomatic relations. This shows that the traditional solidarity and attachment between the two sides in all fields is constantly spreading strongly and positively to all classes of people, especially the youth, creating momentum to open up broader opportunities for people-to-people exchange, cultural-educational-artistic exchange… between the people of the two countries.

As a bridge, the Vietnamese Embassy in China has recently coordinated closely with Chinese agencies and localities, continuously promoting these meaningful exchange activities, encouraging and creating opportunities for the Vietnamese community in China to make practical contributions to promote cultural exchange, contributing to the overall success of the Vietnam-China Humanitarian Exchange Year.

Many effective activities have been implemented, notably the art performance program of the Vietnam National Academy of Music in Beijing on the occasion of the 75th anniversary reception organized by the Embassy (January 2025), which not only attracted the attention of local and international guests, but also received positive reviews and resonance from a large number of overseas Vietnamese.

In the atmosphere of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification, the Vietnamese community in China organized a cultural exchange program, promoting Vietnamese Ao Dai on the Great Wall, contributing to honoring the traditional beauty of Vietnam right at a place that is a cultural symbol of China, inspiring intimacy and bringing Vietnamese culture closer to the Chinese public.

In addition, overseas Vietnamese have the opportunity to visit and experience the atmosphere of artistic exchange between Vietnam and other countries when the Vietnam Women Artists Association participates in the International Painting Exhibition in Beijing. Vietnam will soon participate in the Leshan, Sichuan International Cultural and Tourism Exhibition (July) and the Vietnam Cultural Week in China on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day (September), as well as a number of cultural exchange and investment promotion programs in Beijing and Shenzhen...

The Embassy is also supporting the establishment of the “Vietnam Business Association in China” to strengthen connections and mutual support among the Vietnamese community living and doing business in China, thereby contributing more effectively and substantially to the country’s socio-economic development as well as the friendly cooperation between the two countries.

Taking advantage of modern media methods, we have coordinated to implement many activities to promote the image of Vietnam and its people on Chinese media platforms such as WeChat , the website of the ASEAN-China Center, as well as through interviews with Chinese central and local media agencies.

It can be said that the Vietnamese community in China is and will continue to be an important force contributing to strengthening political trust, enhancing understanding and continuing to foster friendship between the two countries and peoples, building a solid social foundation for bilateral relations, for the cooperation and common prosperity of the world and the region.

Thank you very much Ambassador!

"I believe that this working trip will continue to realize the important common perception reached between the top leaders of the two Parties and two countries, maintain and consolidate the stable and positive development momentum of Vietnam-China relations, and at the same time enhance Vietnam's position in global cooperation mechanisms, opening up many specific and practical cooperation opportunities for the prosperous and sustainable development of the country in the new era." (Ambassador Pham Thanh Binh)

The 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries was organized by the Embassy in January 2025. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in China)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thu-tuong-pham-minh-chinh-du-hoi-nghi-wef-thien-tan-va-lam-viec-tai-trung-quoc-thuc-day-cac-dong-luc-tang-truong-trong-ky-nguyen-moi-318620.html