Deputy PM highlights 2018 as year of proactive, creative and effective diplomacy

ABO/NDO - Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has penned an article highlighting Vietnam’s achievements in external relations in 2018 which he described as proactive, creative and effective.

Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh

Amid global and regional uncertainty and unpredictability, Vietnam’s foreign policy was implemented in a well-prepared and solid manner, said Deputy PM Minh, citing General Secretary Nguyen Phuc Trong as saying that diplomacy was a bright spot in the country’s overall achievements.

In his article, the Deputy PM underlined the importance of the Secretariat’s Directive 25 on promoting multilateral diplomacy until 2030 as a realisation of the 12th Party Congress’s guidelines on proactive and active international integration in which Vietnam aims to play a core, guiding and reconciliatory role at multilateral forums and organisations of strategic importance to Vietnam.

 

Building on the success of the APEC Year 2017, Vietnam continued to successfully hosted many important international conferences in 2018, particularly the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in September in Hanoi. In 2018 the international community also placed their confidence in Vietnam by assigning the country with many important responsibilities, notably the nomination of Vietnam as the only Asia-Pacific candidate to the UN Security Council’s non-permanent membership and election to the UN Commission on International Trade Law.

 

Amid complex and unpredictable international relations, Vietnam not only reinforced but also expanded relations with key partners. In 2018 Party and State leaders made 28 foreign visits and welcomed 33 foreign high-ranking delegations to Vietnam. The country upgraded its relationship with Australia to a strategic partnership and established a comprehensive partnership with Hungary.

 

In 2018 Vietnam braved the headwinds of protectionism to further deepen its international economic integration. Vietnam signed the CPTPP with ten other economies in the Pacific and was working with the EU towards ratifying the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement. Economic diplomacy played a considerable part in helping to increase Vietnam’s trade value with major trading partners. Vietnam also made contributions to international security by sending doctors for UN peacekeeping operations in South Sudan.

 

The diplomatic sector also worked closely with defence and security forces to firmly safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity in 2018. The land border was properly managed while in the sovereignty over the waters and islands in the East Sea was also firmly protected. The Party Central Committee adopted a resolution that aims for Vietnam to become a strong marine economy. Cultural diplomacy also recorded notable achievements with the UNESCO recognition of an ancient travel document and a geopark.

 

Building on the significant achievements in 2018, Deputy PM Minh expressed his belief that with determination and under the sound leadership of the Party and State, Vietnam’s diplomatic sector will continue to record further achievements, contributing to national development.