International integration must seize opportunities for development

On December 17, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Trade jointly organized a Joint Session on international integration and foreign economic relations on the occasion of the 28th Diplomatic Conference and the 2013 Trade Counselors Conference.

This is the second time the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have jointly organized a Joint Session on international integration and foreign economic relations.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh and Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang co-chaired the meeting.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung speaks at the conference. Photo: VNA

The conference took place at an important time for the country. 2013 is the mid-term year of the 11th Party Congress, the final stage of implementing the Congress's plans. The country is striving to achieve the goals of the 2011-2020 socio-economic development plan while focusing on three strategic breakthroughs associated with macroeconomic stability, economic restructuring and growth model innovation.

According to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, at the joint session of the 27th Diplomatic Conference and the 2011 Commercial Counselors Conference, the Prime Minister gave specific instructions on tasks and directions for implementing international integration.

The diplomatic sector has actively contributed to the development of the international integration content of Resolution 22; strengthened research and consultation to consolidate the foundation of strategic and long-term interests with all major countries, strategic partners, comprehensive partners, potential partners and traditional friends. Over the past two years, Vietnam has built additional strategic partnerships with five countries and comprehensive partnerships with two countries, while expanding and deepening and making more effective relations with other partners.

Vietnam has proactively participated in international forums, especially making responsible contributions to the building of the ASEAN Community, proactively promoting cooperation in addressing challenges of food security, water resources, and natural disaster response within the frameworks of ASEAN, APEC, ASEM, Mekong cooperation and other multilateral forums.

Vietnam is actively implementing its WTO commitments and signed free trade agreements and implementing eight free trade agreements, while participating in negotiations for six new free trade agreements with all key partners.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said that in the difficult conditions of the world and domestic economy, Vietnam has implemented many measures to improve the effectiveness of foreign economic activities. In addition to key and traditional markets, foreign economic activities have played a role in opening the way to a number of potential markets such as Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa to contribute to promoting and attracting investment and creating jobs.

Diplomatic missions abroad have supported ministries, sectors and localities to promote ODA, FDI, trade promotion, tourism and labor export in depth, and supported Vietnamese enterprises investing abroad to protect their legitimate interests in trade disputes.

Deep international integration has contributed to enhancing the country's international position and expanding its development space, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh emphasized.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, despite the impact of the global economic crisis, the Vietnamese economy has basically overcome difficulties and continued to grow.

Trade turnover with major partners has increased compared to previous years, initially overcoming the trade deficit; foreign direct investment has increased again since 2012; development aid commitments have remained high; the number of international visitors to Vietnam continues to increase, expected to reach 7.3 million in 2013; labor export abroad continues to increase, in the past 11 months Vietnam has sent 78,000 workers abroad.

Over the past two years, Vietnam has successfully persuaded 14 more countries to recognize Vietnam as a market economy. Vietnam has also promptly campaigned and fought against protectionist and discriminatory acts in international trade, protecting the legitimate interests of businesses and workers in anti-dumping lawsuits...

The policy of proactive and active international integration is pushing Vietnam's international integration process to a new level in all fields, placing higher demands on seizing strategic opportunities and the power of the times for national development as well as maintaining independence, autonomy and a stable environment when deeply and comprehensively integrating with the region and the world.

The upcoming international economic integration requires the implementation of foreign economic relations in depth, focusing on quality and efficiency. Deep and comprehensive international integration poses an urgent need to step up domestic preparation, especially institutional innovation, perfecting legal policies, improving economic competitiveness, strengthening communication, enhancing management capacity and human resource quality to be compatible with new rules of the game as well as taking advantage of development opportunities in new playgrounds.

At the Conference, delegates listened to leaders of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs... speak on the implementation of tasks and plans for socio-economic development 2011-2015 in the context of Vietnam's proactive and active international integration; policies and directions for restructuring agriculture and rural development in the period of active and proactive international integration; international integration in the fields of labor and society...

The speeches of leaders of ministries, branches, localities, and heads of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad assessed the new factors and trends in the picture of regional and global connectivity and integration, thereby identifying suitable new connections to advise and propose Vietnam's participation with the highest benefits.

At the same time, closely assess the current status of international integration and foreign economic cooperation; measures to strengthen coordination between ministries, branches, localities, enterprises and Vietnamese representative agencies abroad to serve immediate and long-term socio-economic goals.

In particular, it is necessary to serve well the restructuring process, growth model transformation and three strategic breakthroughs, contributing to market expansion, attracting foreign investment, high-quality development aid; promoting labor export, technology transfer; proposing breakthrough solutions, priority focuses with partners as well as supporting localities and enterprises in the integration process.

Speaking at the conference, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung emphasized that foreign affairs, international integration, and foreign economic affairs in the past three years (since implementing the Resolution of the 11th National Party Congress) have achieved many important results, contributing positively to the country's overall achievements.

According to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, in the context of the financial crisis and global economic recession that have negatively impacted the country, with the joint efforts of the entire Party, the entire army and the entire people, over the past three years, Vietnam has achieved outstanding achievements in economic development, maintaining macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation, overcoming an important step in the gold-ization and dollarization situation, stabilizing exchange rates, increasing foreign exchange reserves, and sharply increasing exports; despite difficulties, total social investment has been maintained at about 30% of GDP.

Synchronously and effectively implement solutions to ensure social security and welfare; maintain political stability, social order and safety, firmly protect national sovereignty; effectively implement solutions to prevent natural disasters, respond to climate change, rising sea levels...

The results achieved have important contributions from international integration and foreign economic work, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung praised.

Referring to the tasks in the coming time, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung clearly stated that the general spirit of international integration and foreign economic work is to thoroughly grasp and well implement the foreign policy of the Party and State; strengthen peace and friendship, link the country's interests with the common interests of the region and the world; contribute to creating a favorable environment and conditions, seize opportunities to develop the country, maintain political and social stability, firmly protect the country's independence and sovereignty...

In this spirit, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung suggested that in international integration and foreign economic relations, it is necessary to pay special attention to expanding export markets. In particular, it is necessary to effectively expand traditional markets to promote the export of Vietnam's key products such as rice, coffee, pepper, cashew nuts, seafood, textiles, footwear, etc. At the same time, taking advantage of existing free trade agreements and bilateral economic agreements to bring Vietnamese goods into new markets.

In addition, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also requested the industry to focus strongly on seeking opportunities, attracting FDI; bringing new technology into production associated with economic restructuring, institutional reform, infrastructure investment, human resource training... Continue to mobilize ODA for investment in infrastructure development, especially transportation infrastructure, for poverty reduction, for climate change...

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung directed all sectors to continue to promote the results of international integration to serve economic integration; build trust; enhance trust and mutual understanding with partners; seek support from the international community for the cause of socio-economic development, strengthen national defense and security, and protect national independence and sovereignty.

In international integration, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung noted that the diplomatic sector should continue to pay more attention to people-to-people exchanges, cultural cooperation, education-training, science-technology, etc., and at the same time pay more attention to doing better work for overseas Vietnamese, especially protecting the legitimate rights of citizens, integrating with the host country, uniting, and working towards building the homeland.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also emphasized that in the work of international integration and foreign economic relations, it is necessary to pay close attention to perfecting the organization, reviewing the payroll, and ensuring the highest results in implementing assigned tasks.

According to Vietnam+