The Prime Minister highly appreciated the investment attraction results of Nghe An.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a conference to deploy the Government's Action Program to implement Directive No. 15-CT/TW of the Secretariat on economic diplomacy. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY IN SERVING NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Reporting at the conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son said that in 2022, the world situation has developed complicatedly, rapidly, and unexpectedly, but economic diplomacy has been deployed drastically, methodically, effectively, and promptly shifted the focus from diplomacy serving disease prevention and control to serving socio-economic recovery and development, taking people, localities, and businesses as the center of service.

In addition to the achievements, economic diplomacy still has limitations and shortcomings. In implementing economic diplomacy, there are times when we are not really proactive, creative, and sensitive; we have not fully exploited the potential of economic cooperation with some strategic areas; the proactiveness, timeliness, and sensitivity in research and consulting need to be further improved.

Panoramic view of Nghe An province bridge. Photo: Pham Bang

The Government's action program for the 2022-2026 period to implement Directive No. 15-CT/TW of the Secretariat on economic diplomacy has determined the motto for implementing economic diplomacy to be decisive, active, flexible, effective, creative, innovative, exploiting and seizing all opportunities for national development.

At the conference, ministers, leaders of ministries, ambassadors, heads of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, together with leaders of localities and businesses, had in-depth discussions and contributed many ideas and solutions to effectively implement the Government's Action Program on economic diplomacy in 2023.

Speaking at the conference, comrade Nguyen Duc Trung - Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee emphasized that Nghe An seriously accepted the Prime Minister's direction in Resolution No. 21 on the Action Program to implement Directive No. 15 of the Secretariat on economic diplomacy with 7 specific groups of solutions.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son reported on the implementation of the Government's Action Program. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Emphasizing that Nghe An identifies economic diplomacy as a particularly important and meaningful task for the province's development, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee said that the Provincial Party Standing Committee and the Provincial People's Committee have issued a plan to implement Directive 15 of the Secretariat with 5 key task groups and 26 specific tasks. In the coming time, the province will issue an action plan to implement Resolution 21 of the Government.

Nghe An has also proactively implemented foreign cooperation activities through the embassies of other countries in Vietnam as well as the Vietnamese embassies in other countries, associations, and business organizations to promote investment attraction and trade promotion activities. On the other hand, the province has also organized friendly cooperation activities with localities of countries with traditional relations. The province regularly seeks and receives effective support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as diplomatic representative agencies in other countries.

Thanks to the effective implementation of economic diplomacy activities, Nghe An has recently made positive changes in attracting investment, promoting trade, and exporting labor. Regarding foreign investment, in 2022, Nghe An entered the top 10 localities attracting the largest FDI in the country for the first time with nearly 1 billion USD.

Comrade Nguyen Duc Trung - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee spoke at the conference. Photo: Pham Bang

Sharing the experience of achieving the above results, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee said that Nghe An has prepared "5 readiness": Planning, connecting infrastructure, clean land, human resources and administrative procedure support, creating the most favorable conditions for investors when entering the province. Currently, if investing in Industrial Parks in Nghe An, investors can be granted investment registration certificates within 3-5 working days, even in less than 3 days for some projects.

In the coming time, in addition to implementing solutions and tasks well, Nghe An requests representative agencies abroad to support through a two-way information channel to help the province expand other cooperation partners, in 5 groups: Trade promotion, investment promotion, labor export, tourism promotion and connecting activities with overseas Vietnamese in other countries.

After listening to the speech of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assessed that after the 13th National Party Congress, Nghe An is a bright spot in attracting investment, especially FDI capital. Nghe An's experience sharing is for other localities to learn from, avoiding stagnation. If you want businesses to invest, you must be humble, listen, and be receptive.

STAY CLOSE TO PRACTICE TO PROACTIVELY INNOVATE ECONOMIC FOREIGN RELATIONS

Concluding the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assessed that economic diplomacy has been a bright spot in our country's diplomatic work in recent times. On behalf of the Government, he commended and appreciated diplomats, state agencies, localities and enterprises that have made positive contributions to economic diplomacy.

Based on the results and limitations, the Prime Minister said that there must be an appropriate approach to developments in the world and in the country, in the spirit of connecting state agencies with businesses; ensuring the leadership of the Party, strict management of the State, mastery of the People, closely following practical requirements to have appropriate policies; promoting sincerity, openness, modesty, listening, tolerance; connecting Party foreign affairs, State diplomacy and people's foreign affairs...

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh concludes the conference. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the tasks in the coming time must be linked to the annual, 5-year, and 10-year plans; continue to build a synchronous legal corridor, based on functions and tasks for effective implementation; closely follow the implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, thematic Resolutions of the Politburo, National Assembly, and Government.

In particular, we must make the most of the country's position and strength because "Vietnam has never had such a foundation, potential, position and international prestige as it does today." These are our country's advantages, assets and resources to promote in foreign affairs in general and economic diplomacy in particular.

Leaders of departments and branches attended the conference. Photo: Pham Bang

Faced with the unpredictability of the world, the Prime Minister requested to always keep abreast of practical developments, have innovative thinking, strategic vision, make greater efforts, greater determination, act decisively, effectively, and focus on key points. Choose strengths, distinct potentials, outstanding opportunities, and competitive advantages to move forward, but must maintain principles and steadfastly pursue goals based on sincerity, creativity, and adaptability to conditions.

Continue to expand cooperation with countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, South Africa...; seek new markets, promote trade, promote investment, attract direct and indirect investment. Focus on enhancing sensitivity and expertise in research and forecasting, advising the Government and meeting domestic needs.

Leaders of departments and branches attended the conference. Photo: Pham Bang

Strongly innovate and create substantial changes in implementing economic diplomacy; promote support for sectors, fields, localities and enterprises in the spirit of taking people, localities and enterprises as the center of service.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam's viewpoint in foreign affairs is based on the spirit of "remaining steadfast, responding to all changes", ensuring the highest level of national interests; firmly implementing the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification, being a good friend, a reliable partner and an active, responsible member of the international community.