Vietnam will continue to employ its “four nos” defense policy as it seeks to be independent, self-reliant and multilateral in international partnership.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told a government meeting on international partnership Wednesday that the four nos are no military alliances, no siding with one country against another, no foreign military bases or using Vietnamese territory to oppose other countries, and no using force or threatening to use force in international relations.
These principles were listed in Vietnam’s Defense White Book in 2019. Vietnam has been a good friend, a dependable partner, and an active and responsible member of the international community, said Prime Minister Chinh.
He added that the country’s independent and self-reliant economy is associated with deep, substantial, and effective international integration.
According to the Prime Minister, now is the time for Vietnam to take advantage of the 4th industrial revolution and rearrange its supply chains and free-trade agreement networks to put the country in an optimal position in the new international situation.
“International integration is both an opportunity and a challenge. It is a difficult and sensitive task but cannot be ignored,” Chinh said.
The Prime Minister stated that he wants the country to balance its relationship between independence, self-reliance and international integration. Integration must be associated with improving self-reliance, competitiveness, resilience and adaptability.
Vietnam must dare to think, dare to do, and dare to make breakthroughs in the spirit of putting national interests first, he said.
For integration to improve, the fundamental factor is building high-quality human resources and improving institutional capacity, and building domestic policies to keep up with international commitments, according to the Prime Minister.
International agreements and commitments need to be effectively implemented, both bilaterally and multilaterally, in the spirit of fulfilling promises and commitments and achieving measurable results, he added.
The meeting was called to review the implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution 22 on international integration over the last 10 years.
After starting solely with economic integration, Vietnam has moved to comprehensive integration in all fields of politics, security and national affairs.
Vietnam has now established diplomatic relations with nearly 200 other countries. It also participates in UN peacekeeping and has signed 16 free trade agreements with around 60 economies.
Last year Vietnam’s trade value reached $730 billion while the national brand was valued at $431 billion.
However, PM Chinh said that Vietnamese businesses still only modestly participate in global supply chains. The country’s competitiveness has barely changed in the last 10 years.
The level of connectivity between foreign direct investment companies and domestic businesses has yet to meet expectations, he added.
Source: VN Express
