The Party’s External Affairs: Five overarching goals and four main focuses
With a view to elevating the Party's external affairs to a new height in a more professional, contemporary, effective and substantive manner, Chairman of the Central Committee's Commission for External Affairs Le Hoai Trung says the Party's external affairs have identified five overarching goals and four main focuses.
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| General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong led a high-ranking Party delegation to attend the Communist Party of China and World Political Parties Summit on July 6, 2021. (Photo: VNA) |
Creating changes in each historical period
General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong once reaffirmed “our country has never had the opportunity, potential, position and international prestige as it has today”, over the years, the Party's external affairs have joined with the state and people-to-people diplomacy in making important contributions to transformations of great historical significance in the country at each stage of the Vietnamese revolution.
Chairman of the Central Committee's Commission for External Affairs Le Hoai Trung says that over the years, the Party's external relations have been constantly expanded. In the early days, only relations with Communist parties, workers and progressive movements were established but now relations have been developed and expanded with many parties, multilateral forums, political parties, organizations and movements in all regions in the world. From a number of 206 parties in 2012, to date, our Party has formed relations with 247 political parties in 111 countries around the world.
The Party's external activities have made an important contribution to creating a political foundation for the stabilization, expansion and tightening of our country's bilateral relations with other countries. Overall, the Party’s diplomacy has contributed to consolidating, or establishing new frameworks of cooperative relations with other countries; proposed strategic guidelines and measures, and at the same time, identified specific measures to promote cooperation and promptly address difficulties in bilateral relations.
External activities of the Party's senior leadership have created a new impetus to deepen relations with key partner countries, especially to upgrade and establish new frameworks for relations between our country and other countries. Visits of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam have directly brought about the elevation of relations with 10 countries to strategic partnership, comprehensive partnership or comprehensive strategic partnership.
The expansion of relations with Communist, worker, leftist parties, multilateral forums of political parties, progressive organizations and movements has also helped create favorable conditions to promote understanding and emotional connection of other peoples with Viet Nam, thereby, creating a favorable political environment to promote multi-faceted cooperation between Viet Nam and other countries.
Besides, the Party's external affairs have helped handle issues related to security and national development.
Therefore, according to Mr. Le Hoai Trung, a very important outcome is that the Party's external affairs have helped enhance the position and prestige of the Communist Party of Viet Nam in the international arena, the legitimacy and proper perception of the leadership role of the Communist Party of Viet Nam in carrying out the revolutionary cause of our Party, State and people. Through the Party’s external activities, countries with different political and social backgrounds, have become more aware of the leadership role of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and wish to strengthen and expand relations with Viet Nam.
In the face of complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in Viet Nam and in the world, the Party's external affairs and people's diplomacy have made great efforts to help fight against the pandemic by further promoting political trust with the ruling political parties in other countries, creating a favorable political foundation for vaccine diplomacy and international cooperation in pandemic prevention.
The campaign for vaccines, therapeutic drugs and other resources has become a priority in the Party's external activities. The Commission for External Affairs has made efforts to study, make reports or share information on the fight against the pandemic and successful lessons learned from some countries; host meetings on pandemic prevention and control with partners, invite relevant agencies to attend to learn and apply appropriately to the situation of pandemic prevention and control in Viet Nam.
On the other hand, our Party has timely provided supports to a number of parties and partners, both in terms of finance and equipment for pandemic prevention; given guidance to people's organizations to take appropriate measures to support their respective partners. In return, we received reciprocal support from parties and people of other countries for pandemic prevention and control in Viet Nam.
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| Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung co-chaired a virtual conference to inform the outcomes of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) to the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) on April 1, 2021. (Photo: VNA) |
New perception and high requirement
The 13th National Party Congress outlined the building of a comprehensive and modern diplomacy resting on three pillars politics, economy and culture, and at the same time, clearly stated diplomacy must play a pioneering role in creating and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment; mobilize external resources to build and enhance the country's prestige and position. This is not only a new perception, but also a higher requirement for diplomacy in the new stage of national development.
Chairman of the Central Committee's Commission for External Affairs Le Hoai Trung says that, being well aware of this new requirement, the Party's external affairs has identified a number of overarching goals in the coming time, first to place national interests at the highest, successfully implement the country's vision and strategic goals set forth by the 13th Party Congress until 2025, 2030 and 2045.
Second, create a solid political foundation for Viet Nam's relations with other countries. Third, create and strengthen political consensus and political support from political parties and forces for the cause of renewal, national development and defense. Fourth, contribute to the common struggle of the world's people for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress, enhance the position and prestige of the Party and our country in the international arena. Fifth, contribute to improving the leadership and ruling capacity of the Party.
Mr. Le Hoai Trung emphasized four main focuses to develop the Party's external affairs in the coming time. First, step up and improve the quality of research, advice, appraisal and strategic forecasting, and promptly catch up with major global trends. On this basis, along with relevant agencies, promptly propose advices, guidelines and measures to effectively facilitate the leadership of the Politburo and the Secretariat in foreign affairs, take advantage of opportunities, promptly handle challenges and issues, so as not to stay passive and surprised.
Second, constantly expand and deepen the Party's external relations, enhance trust and create a solid political foundation for bilateral relations. Third, further enhance the role of the Party's external affairs in making practical contributions to the work of Party building.
In particular, it is necessary to acquire experience in Party building, in leadership and administration of the country, management of socio-economic issues, environment or education. Fourth, encourage flexibility, creativity, thoughtfulness in thinking, diverse and deep insight in advice and research, professionalism, discipline and innovation in measures to deploy foreign activities.
Mr. Le Hoai Trung also says, the Commission for External Affairs is the advisory body of the Central Committee, offers direct and frequent services to the Politburo, the Secretariat in the field of foreign affairs and executes the Party’s external affairs; at the same time, it is also an agency assisting the Politburo and the Secretariat to lead and direct people's diplomacy and uniformly manage foreign affairs activities in the system of Party agencies, mass organizations and people's organizations.
Over the past years, the Commission for External Affairs has always attached great importance to the coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially in making forecast, developing and implementing diplomatic plans of senior leadership, and handling emerging issues in foreign affairs. This has helped enhance the unity of the Party's external affairs, State diplomacy and people's diplomacy, promote synergy, and contribute to the common cause of the country’s diplomacy. External affairs of the Party and people always receive effective coordination and support from various departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representative missions abroad.
In the coming time, in meeting higher requirements of diplomacy and building a comprehensive and modern diplomacy, it is necessary to strengthen coordination. Chairman of the Commission for External Affairs says the two sides need to step up coordination in the unified management of foreign affairs to maintain a comprehensive and direct leadership of the Party and the unified management of the State over foreign affairs as well as external activities of the entire political system, constantly enhance the practicality and efficiency of external activities.
It is recommended that the two sides work together closely to: (i) Research and advise on strategies, implement foreign relations and handle complicated arising issues in foreign affairs; (ii) Implement the policy of comprehensive and extensive international integration; (iii) Guide, inspect and push forward the effective implementation of foreign policy guidelines. The three diplomatic channels also need to coordinate to support, orient, and ensure the active participation and contribution of the whole political system, ministries, agencies and localities in the international integration process.
By Nguyen Hong
