General Secretary: Putting people at the center of every development strategy

(Dan Tri) - The General Secretary stated: "We put people at the center of all development strategies. The main goal is not growth statistics but truly improving the quality of people's lives."

During the official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on the afternoon of October 28 (local time), General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation met with the leadership of Oxford University, UK. On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam delivered a policy speech to professors, lecturers, researchers, and a large number of students and friends of Vietnam at Oxford University.

General Secretary To Lam delivers a policy speech at Oxford University (Photo: VNA).

"Vietnam understands the ultimate value of peace "

General Secretary To Lam said the world is changing every day. In that context, the question for countries is not only “whose side to stand on, where to stand”, but “how to stand firm, how to be autonomous”. For Vietnam, that is also a question of life and death. General Secretary To Lam said: “Vietnam chooses the path of peace, independence, autonomy, cooperation and development. Vietnam is a nation that had to win independence with blood and paid the price of war for peace. We clearly understand the ultimate value of peace. President Ho Chi Minh’s truth ‘Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom’ is the guiding principle for my people’s actions. That is the moral foundation and principle of our life in social life and international relations today”.

General Secretary To Lam further emphasized: “Vietnam does not encourage confrontation. Vietnam does not choose a path of development based on conflict or antagonism. We believe in equal dialogue, believe in international law, believe that sovereignty should not be asserted by guns or by imposition, but by mutual respect, by agreement to respect common rules and by shared interests. That spirit has helped Vietnam maintain political and social stability, proactively integrate into the international economy, participate in new-generation free trade agreements, and expand multi-level cooperation with partners in all regions, including the UK.”

Sharing the driving force for Vietnam's development in the new era, General Secretary To Lam emphasized that Vietnam has chosen a very clear direction: science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and knowledge economy will be the main growth drivers in the coming period. Vietnam is strongly promoting the national digital transformation strategy, developing the digital economy, green economy, circular economy, low-carbon economy; considering innovation not only as a pure scientific laboratory, but also as the vitality of the economy, as national competitiveness, as the ability to stand firm against geopolitical and geo-economic shocks.

Vietnam continues to build and perfect the model of a "socialist-oriented market economy": an economy that operates according to market rules, encourages healthy competition, respects the role of private enterprises as an important driving force of growth; at the same time, affirms the guiding, leading and regulating role of the socialist rule-of-law State, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, to ensure development goes hand in hand with progress and social equity. Consider the private economy as the most important driving force to promote economic growth; consider the state economic sector as the leading force, ensuring macroeconomic stability, economic security, energy security, food security; consider the rule-of-law State, honest governance, anti-corruption, waste prevention and group interests as conditions for social trust, for social resources to be allocated effectively, for people to enjoy the fruits of development fairly.

General Secretary To Lam stated: “We put people at the center of every development strategy. The main goal is not growth statistics, but to truly improve the quality of life of the people: income, housing, public health, quality education, social security, opportunities for personal development, a safe and clean living environment. We want growth without sacrificing the environment. We want industrialization without losing culture. We want urbanization but leave no one behind.”

The General Secretary affirmed that this is a very fundamental point in Vietnam's development thinking: rapid growth must be associated with sustainable development; sustainable development must be based on knowledge, science-technology and innovation; innovation is only meaningful when people benefit substantially, fairly and equally.

On that basis, Vietnam has set two very clear strategic goals. The first goal: by 2030, marking 100 years of development under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Vietnam is determined to become a developing country with modern industry and high average income. The second goal: by 2045, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Vietnam strives to become a developed country with high income, a modern economy, a civilized society, people with high material and spiritual life, and a country with a worthy position in the international community.

Vietnam - UK need “a new model of cooperation”

Regarding the national vision for the Vietnam - UK relationship, General Secretary To Lam said that, facing a new step of development, Vietnam considers the UK not only a trade partner, an educational partner, a partner in science and technology, but also a long-term strategic partner to jointly shape cooperation standards in the 21st century.

The General Secretary emphasized that the Vietnam-UK relationship is a relationship of friendship, cooperation and mutual development. This is a partnership in which both sides have fundamental interests in maintaining peace, stability, respecting international law, ensuring freedom of navigation, protecting global supply chains, promoting fair and sustainable trade, responding to climate change, green development, and inclusive development. In other words, this is the meeting between the UK's need to engage more deeply in the Asia-Pacific region and Vietnam's need to expand strategic space, technology, education, and high-quality finance with the UK, Europe, and the international community.

General Secretary To Lam said that the two sides need a new cooperation model - practical, measurable, spreading benefits directly to the people of the two countries. "A new cooperation model" means combining the UK's strengths in basic science, applied science, high technology, biomedicine, public health, higher education, urban management, energy transition, financial services with the needs of digital transformation, green transformation, improving the quality of human resources, innovating development governance, and perfecting the socialist-oriented market economic institution in Vietnam.

The General Secretary stressed that it was not just about “technology transfer” cooperation. It was about co-creating the future; he believed that Oxford itself – with its tradition of connecting knowledge and public policy, with its influential alumni network around the world – could play a very specific role in this process.

General Secretary To Lam delivers a policy speech at Oxford University (Photo: VNA).

The General Secretary pointed out that joint training and research cooperation in key areas such as public health, biotechnology, nuclear science, basic science, responsible artificial intelligence, climate change, clean energy policy; expert exchange programs between policy research institutes of Vietnam and policy research centers, public administration, sustainable development in the UK; cooperation in supporting innovation and technology startups for Vietnamese enterprises; jointly testing models of sustainable urban development, green finance, open education, digital health and public health care, areas that both sides are interested in and have urgent needs.

Vietnam enters a new stage of development with strong aspirations.

The General Secretary said that Vietnam is entering a new stage of development with a strong aspiration: to build a strong, prosperous, and humane country; a modern, green, and smart economy; a fair and civilized society where people are guaranteed human security and are given conditions for comprehensive development; and to strive for the goal of "a rich people, a strong country, democracy, fairness, and civilization".

The General Secretary shared: “We love peace, aspire for freedom and development. We seek equal cooperation. We do not accept imposition. We respect international law. We do not want the world to be divided into opposing blocs but desire a world of unity because 'This Earth is ours'. We want the world to develop together.”

In that spirit, the General Secretary hopes that the young generation in the UK, research institutes, universities, innovative businesses, civil society organizations, and future policy makers will consider Vietnam as a sincere and trustworthy partner, sharing responsibilities and benefits in a reshaping world order.

The General Secretary believes that if we join hands to build a comprehensive and substantive strategic cooperation framework based on mutual respect, mutual benefit and long-term vision, the Vietnam-UK relationship will not only advance to a new level on the diplomatic map of the new era. It will become a driving force, a model and a common success story - not only for the two countries but also for peace, stability and sustainable development in the 21st century.

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation and the Oxford University Board of Directors witnessed the handover ceremony of cooperation documents.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/thoi-su/tong-bi-thu-dat-con-nguoi-o-vi-tri-trung-tam-cua-moi-chien-luoc-phat-trien-20251029055141077.htm