Firstly, the sector will continue to strengthen the renovation of mindset on external relations, the FM said, stressing the need to boldly go beyond old-fashioned mindset and find new methods for the benefit of the nation. 

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

It is necessary to strengthen strategic research, consultation and forecast on external relations, discovering new issues and identifying the strategic position of the country, and making full use of international trend to design proper policies and take suitable steps, he said.

Secondly, the sector will promote its pioneer role and coordinate with Party, people diplomacy as well as other sectors to concertedly deploy foreign relations and diplomatic forces, thus firmly consolidating a peaceful and stable environment, protecting the Fatherland early and from afar, and mobilising new external resources for economic development and enhancement of the country’s position and prestige, the official underlined.

Thirdly, the diplomatic sector will focus on creating a new breakthrough in building and developing itself in a strong, comprehensive and modern manner, he said.

Noting that the “Vietnamese bamboo diplomacy" was first mentioned by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in 2016, he said that contents of the policy were highlighted by the leader during the National Conference on Foreign Affairs in December 2021.

The policy is built and developed on the foundation of inheriting and creatively applying the Ho Chi Minh ideology and diplomatic art as well as the cultural and diplomatic identity of the nation, using the image of the Vietnamese bamboo with strong roots, solid stems, and flexible branches.

Directions by the Party leader has served as a loadstar for the Vietnamese diplomacy to implement tasks in the current tenure, said the FM.

Looking back on external relations activities in 2023, Son said that the activities have been bustled with 15 visits abroad by key national leaders and 21 visits to Vietnam by leaders of other countries, contributing to expanding the country’s external relations in both bilateral and multilateral aspects. Particularly, economic diplomatic activities have made significant contributions to promoting the national economic growth, enabling the country to secure an import-export turnover of nearly 700 billion USD and an increase of 14.8% in foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction, he stated.

Regarding major orientations to turn economic diplomacy into an important motivation for fast and sustainable national development in 2024, FM Son said that economic diplomacy will be extensively associated in all external relations activities, especially those at the high level, with close combination with political and cultural diplomacy as well as diplomatic areas. Economic cooperation has become a key pillar in all external relations, especially with important partners, he said.

The official noted that along with effectively implemented signed free trade agreements (FTA), this year Vietnam has signed an FTA with Israel and is negotiating for FTAs with other partners, while ministries and sector have inked more than 70 deals, localities reached nearly 100 agreements, and businesses signed hundreds of deals.

In 2024, amid many difficulties and risks as well as opportunities and headwinds, economic diplomacy will continue to focus on specifying newly upgraded relationship frameworks into practical and effective economic cooperation programmes and projects, especially in expanding markets and accessing new sources of capital for promotion of infrastructure development, high technology, digital transformation, green growth, tourism attraction, and labour export.

Alongside, the sector will work with other sectors and localities to remove obstacles in economic cooperation with partners, especially important ones, enhancing the efficiency of support to industries, localities and business following the motto of taking the people, localities and business as the centre of its services, stated FM Son.

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Source: VNA