Day: December 19, 2021

A good relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia will positively contribute to the development of each country as well as to ASEAN and the whole region where socio-economic recovery effort is underway, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Nguyen Huy Tang.

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Phnom Penh on the occasion of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s upcoming visit to Cambodia from December 21-22, Ambassador Tang said that Vietnamese and Cambodian people have shared long-standing friendship, which plays an important role in the development in each country.

He stressed that without the support of the international community and Cambodia, Vietnam would not have been able to secure resources for its struggle to liberate the south and reunite the country. Meanwhile, without the timely and effective assistance from the People’s Army of Vietnam, Cambodia would not have been able to eliminate the Pol Pot genocidal regime and revive its nation.

The ambassador highlighted that the Vietnam-Cambodia relationship is developing under the motto of “good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive, sustainable and long-term cooperation,” playing an increasingly important role in the development and international integration of each country.

According to the ambassador, despite ups and downs in history, the Vietnam-Cambodia ties have overcome all challenges to continuously thrive. He said in celebration of the 55th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations (June 24, 1967-2022), the two sides will focus on a number of major tasks to further boost their ties, first of all strenghtening the already sound political relationship, which guides the overall relations.

Along with enhancing awareness of both sides on the strategic and vital significance of the bilateral ties to each country’s national construction and defence, they will work closely together to reinforce political trust and build a firm social foundation for the development of the ties, he said.

The diplomat went on that Vietnam and Cambodia should beef up their collaboration in security, defence and diplomacy, while coordinating closely at regional and international multilateral forums to help Cambodia complete its task as the ASEAN Chair in 2022.

Both sides will work to improve the efficiency of their economic cooperation, creating new motivation for growth in both countries and a factor ensuring the sustainable development of bilateral relationship.

At the same time, they will continue to bolster their partnership in culture, education-training, health care, and science-technology. In 2022, they will coordinate to organise a culture and a film week in each other’s country, while promoting educational activities among people, especially the youth, on the bilateral traditional friendship, he added.

In addition, Vietnamese and Cambodian ministries, sectors and localities as well as people’s associations and organisations will promote mutual support, thus contributing to deepening the comprehensive ties between the two countries.

Regarding what the two countries can do to contribute to the socio-economic recovery in the ASEAN and region, Ambassador Tang said that they can continue to call for the international community’s support to ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund, while sharing with regional countries their experience in controlling the pandemic, fostering economic connectivity and fixing the disruption of supply, production and sale chains.

Alongside, the sound relationship between the two countries will contribute to promoting economic connections and cooperation among ASEAN member countries, thus helping implement common goals of the association, including the ASEAN Economic Recovery Framework, and draft long-term strategies and proper recovery solutions to resume sustainable socio-economic development in the region, he stated.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked the northern port city of Hai Phong to work harder to become the centre for regional connectivity given its favourable location and situation.

At a working session with the city leaders on December 19, he asked the city to further promote its internal strengths for faster and more sustainable development in which science-technology, renovation and digital transformation playing the core role.

Hai Phong should focus on developing green economy and high-tech agriculture, while ensuring harmony between economic development and security, defence protection and socio-cultural growth, he said.

Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hai Phong said that in 2021, Hai Phong has completed 13 out of 19 socio-economic targets. The six remaining, although being below expectation, are at higher level compared to the previous year, he said.

The city leader reported that the regional gross domestic product (GRDP) has expanded 12.38 percent, while the industrial production index has risen 19 percent year on year. Total budget collection has reached over 90.4 trillion VND (3.93 billion USD, exceeding the assigned target by 17 percent. The city has attracted over 3.1 billion USD in foreign direct investment, doubling that in 2020, while total import-export revenue has hit more than 25 billion USD, 23 percent rise year on year, he said.

Leaders of the city made a number of proposals to boost socio-economic development in the city as well as the northern key economic region, including the building of a coastal expressway and issues related to some seaport, airport and power projects.

Hailing Hai Phong’s strong socio-economic performance as well as COVID-19 prevention and control, PM Chinh asked the city to continue focusing on safely and flexibly adapting to and effectively controlling COVID-19, accelerating COVID-19 vaccination, and boosting socio-economic recovery and development.

He asked the city to build a long-term planning to optimise its advantages and potentials, while speeding up administrative reform, boosting logistics development as well as green and clean energy.

The Government leader basically agreed with Hai Phong’s proposals and asked ministries and sectors to coordinate closely with and create optimal conditions for the city to implement projects.

Earlier the same day, the PM visited Lach Huyen international container port, and presented gifts to policy beneficiary families and soldiers’ families in Cat Bi township of Cat Na district.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The 31st National Diplomatic Conference, which took place in the first year of implementing the 13th National Party Congress’ Resolution and right after the first National Conference on Foreign Affairs, had a special meaning in terms of both content and context, marking a new period of inheritance and development of Vietnamese diplomacy, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung.

Speaking to the media on the outcomes of the event, which concluded on December 18 after five working days, Dung said that the conference was a success with fruitful outcomes.

Along with in-depth discussions on external relations orientations, policies and solutions set out at the 13th National Party Congress and directions by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the National Conference on Foreign Affairs, participants reached high consensus in awareness and high resolve for actions, he said.

They agreed on the need for the diplomatic sector to improve its quality and efficiency, expanding its coverage and strengthening coordination and increasing proactiveness amid the changing domestic and world situation.

The conference dwelled on lessons learned during the 76 years of national defence and construction as well as 35 years of implementing “Doi Moi” (Renewal) policy, and sketched out orientations for the diplomatic sector to implement the new viewpoints about external relations reached at the 13th National Party Congress and the tasks assigned by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, focusing on comprehensively, creatively and effectively implementing external relations activities along with proactively promoting comprehensive and extensive international integration, and strengthening the pioneering role of diplomacy in building and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment and mobilising outside resources for national development, as well as building a comprehensive and modern diplomacy on the three pillars of Party, State and people diplomacy, said the Deputy FM.

He said greater efforts will be made to strengthen multilateral diplomacy, safeguarding the national independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity as well as peaceful and stable environment for development, and promoting the implementation of international law and the settlement of disputes through peaceful measures.

At the same time, the sector will strive to enhance the effectiveness of economic diplomacy, renew the content and method of cultural diplomacy and foreign affairs information to optimise the country’s soft power, he said, adding that citizen protection work will continue to be promoted.

The Deputy FM said that within the framework of the 31st National Diplomatic Conference, the 20th National Conference on Local Diplomacy was held, creating a chance for localities to exchange experience and ideas on how to effectively implement external affairs and international integration in the time to come.

Particularly, localities paid great attention to economic diplomacy, which is considered a leverage for their economic recovery and development, he said.

Notably, for the first time, foreign diplomatic corps and business associations contributed their opinions on local diplomacy, recommending the development of green businesses and green industrial parks to attract foreign investors.

Deputy FM Dung said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to accompany localities in international integration through strengthening economic diplomacy to attract high quality foreign resources for sustainable and rapid development

Source: Vietnam News Agency

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue had a meeting with Indian President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi on December 19 during his official visit to India from December 15-19.

The Indian President warmly welcomed the visit of the Vietnamese top legislator to India on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership and the upcoming 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relationship.

Chairman Hue congratulated India for its accomplishments in socio-economic and scientific-technological development as well as its efforts to contain COVID-19 and restore the economy. He reiterated Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of attaching importance to the time-honoured traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with India.

The two leaders shared the view that the bilateral ties have seen strong development across the fields, from politics-diplomacy, economics, culture to people-to-people exchange, and most recently the two countries have given each other timely and effective support in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

They agreed to maintain mutual visits and all-level contacts of the two States, Governments, parliaments and through the Party and local channels. They also reached consensus on organising practical and meaningful activities to mark the 50th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations in 2022.

NA Chairman Hue suggested that the two countries work closely together to implement well the plan of actions for 2021-2023 and the Joint Vision for Peace, Prosperity and People adopted in December 2020, so as to further promote their current fine relationship.

He also proposed strengthening cooperation in priority and potential aspects such as economics-trade-investment, defence-security, energy, science-technology, digital transformation, health care, education-training, culture, religion, tourism and people-to-people exchange.

The two sides agreed to the need to have plans for boosting people-to-people exchanges, culture and tourism in the post-COVID-19 period.

They promised to continue coordinating and supporting each other at international and regional forums, while renewing their support of efforts to push the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, for the sake of peace, cooperation, stability and development in the region and the world.

On the occasion, NA Chairman Hue conveyed an invitation to visit Vietnam from President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to the Indian President.

The meeting with the Indian President is the last activity in the official visit to India of the NA Chairman and the NA delegation.

Source: Vietnam News Agency