On the morning of August 2, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the first meeting of the Steering Committee for the Project "Summary of 10 years of implementing Resolution No. 22-NQ/TW dated April 10, 2013 of the Politburo on international integration". The meeting was connected online to connecting points in 63 provinces and cities.

The implementation of Resolution 22 over the past 10 years has achieved many important results. This is a correct and timely strategic orientation of the Party and State. The Prime Minister outlined 3 major changes that the implementation of the Resolution has brought about.

Prime Minister: Changes in awareness and action have led to very clear results in enhancing the country's position and potential, expanding international relations... Photo: VGP

With a major change in awareness, international integration has become "the cause of the entire people and the entire political system", truly becoming the "major strategic orientation" of the Party.

A major change in action, from mainly international economic integration to proactive, comprehensive, and extensive international integration in all fields; from mainly participating to proactively and actively proposing initiatives, building and shaping the rules of the game; both cooperating and struggling.

To date, Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with nearly 200 countries. Since 2013, Vietnam has upgraded its relations with 7 countries to Strategic Partnership or Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and 7 countries to Comprehensive Partnership, contributing to creating a network of Strategic Partnership/Comprehensive Partnership with 33 countries, including all major countries.

Vietnam has officially participated in peacekeeping operations, signed 16 free trade agreements (FTAs) with the participation of about 60 economies...

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presented some lessons learned in implementing integration in the coming time. Accordingly, international integration must be considered a truly strategic issue, the cause of the entire people and the entire political system. Efforts must be made to create more favorable conditions in terms of mechanisms, policies and resources to promote the central role of people and businesses.

The Prime Minister said that international integration is both an opportunity and a challenge; it is difficult and sensitive but must be done. At the same time, it is necessary to properly resolve the relationship between independence, autonomy and deep, comprehensive and effective international integration; to maximize internal resources and take advantage of external resources, in which internal resources are fundamental, decisive and long-term, and external resources are important and breakthrough.

We must consider international integration as an important driving force for innovation and development. Closely link the international integration process with improving our country's autonomy, competitiveness, resilience and adaptability to all external fluctuations....

Photo: VGP

The Prime Minister emphasized that integration work must be implemented very quickly, proactively, promptly, with the mindset of daring to think, daring to do, daring to make breakthroughs, and acting resolutely in the spirit of putting national and ethnic interests above all, first and foremost, while "harmonizing interests and sharing risks"; "responding to all changes with the unchanging".

Maximize the potential for differentiation, outstanding opportunities, competitive advantages, and resolve the country's difficulties, challenges, and conflicts...

Presenting some directions to continue researching, supplementing and perfecting the project, the Prime Minister said that first of all, it is necessary to continue thinking and creatively applying the three pillars in building and protecting the country (building socialist democracy, building a socialist rule-of-law state, developing a socialist-oriented market economy).

The Head of Government affirmed that it is necessary to continue implementing and concretizing the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification, being a good friend, a reliable partner, an active and responsible member of the international community. Building an independent and self-reliant economy is associated with proactive and active international integration, deeply, practically and effectively.

In particular, the Prime Minister noted that Vietnam implements a "4 no's" defense policy. That is, not participating in military alliances; not aligning with one country to fight another; not allowing foreign countries to set up military bases or use its territory to fight against another country; not using force or threatening to use force in international relations.

The Prime Minister stated that after 10 years of implementing the Resolution, Vietnam has expanded in quantity and participated in many different levels of integration both bilaterally and multilaterally.

The Prime Minister also emphasized the need to effectively, seriously, and fully implement international agreements and commitments, both bilateral and multilateral, in the spirit of "what is said must be done, what is committed must be implemented, what is implemented must have measurable results".

vietnamnet.vn