Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Hoàng Bình Quân. —VNA/VNS Photo

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Hoàng Bình Quân talks to Vietnam News Agency about achievements of the Party’s external relations during the term of the 12th Party Congress and orientations for the 13th Party Congress term.

With achievements that Việt Nam has made over the past 35 years of Đổi mới (Renewal), the 13th Party Congress has drawn the attention of many foreign parties and international friends. How have international parties viewed the Party’s renewal cause and the development orientation of Việt Nam?

The development of Việt Nam always gets attention from the international community. International friends are paying great attention to the 13th National Party Congress. Many political parties, organisations and state leaders have sent congratulatory messages and letters to Việt Nam on this special event of the Party and country. They praised the traditional struggle for independence as well as traditional leadership of the Party over the past 90 years. International friends also acknowledged and spoke highly of achievements recorded by Việt Nam during the renewal process with many huge achievements with special historical meaning.

Amid the complicated global context, particularly from the economic crisis at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the development of Việt Nam was considered a proper model. Many foreign leaders considered Việt Nam a model of development.  

Particularly during the current context, international friends highly applauded Việt Nam for its success in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic. The “dual goals” of containing the pandemic and maintaining economic growth as well as the spirit of Việt Nam, the sound leadership of the Party, the determination of the Government and the solidarity and sharing of Vietnamese people have brought in huge achievements.

With the 13th Party Congress, international friends have attached great importance to and had many expectations that the congress will open up a new chapter, a new development step for Việt Nam.

How have the Party’s external relations tasks been implemented during the 2016-21 period and what are key results?

In Việt Nam, the Party’s external relations, State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy are combined harmoniously. Over the past five years, the Party’s external relations have made important development steps.

Firstly, we have enhanced relations with foreign political parties around the world. We focused on promoting relations with ruling communist parties in neighbouring socialist countries and political parties of our traditional friends together with political parties of key and big partners of Việt Nam. With this policy, we have achieved the target of increasing political trust and continuing to enhancing the friendship to help promote the bilateral relations of Việt Nam with countries sustainably.

The expansion of relations with ruling parties has not only helped to foster bilateral relations but also to learn and share experience and to help improve leadership and management capacity of the Party.

It could be seen as an outstanding feature in external relations of the Party over the past years. At present, we have relations with many ruling parties.

I also want to mention that through the external relations of the Party, we have learned and got consultation from key political parties around the world. We have also signed training programmes to send thousands of officials to get training with the Communist Party of China, the People’s Party of Singapore and main parties of Australia.

Besides, the Party has proactively played a role and effectively taken part in main Party multilateral mechanisms. The Party of Việt Nam is one of the important political parties and has its voice heard at forums of communist parties and workers’ parties in the world such as the European and Latin American regions. This is an important political support zone of Việt Nam. We have relations with many communist parties and left-wing parties there. And lastly, the Party’s external relations have helped to raise the position and role of the Vietnamese Party and country in the international arena.  

In the current context, which measures will the Party’s external relations need to continue promoting its pioneer role in maintaining a peaceful and stable environment while taking advantage of external resources to develop the country and raise the country’s position and prestige in the international arena?

Việt Nam’s diplomacy is a comprehensive diplomacy that not all countries in the world have. We have Party’s external relations, State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy. Therefore, promoting the Party’s relations means effectively implementing these three aspects to uphold the country’s strength in the diplomatic field, fulfilling the key goals of maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for development and keeping national sovereignty and territory as well as maintaining a friendly situation for future development.

Therefore, the Party’s external relations will have some orientations in the future. Firstly, together with State diplomacy, to acknowledge, update and carefully analyse the world situation thoroughly in order to have effective recommendations in diplomatic policies and to respond to external relation situations.

Secondly, in order to adapt to a changing and complicated world, the Party’s external relations need to enhance and expand relations with main political parties in the world. We need to be flexible and creative to adapt to the new situation.

Also, we need to continue to enrich the Party’s intelligence by taking advantage of international sources, including leadership capacity and experience of political parties, resources in terms of science and technology and human resources training.

As expected, the Party’s external relations, together with other sectors, will contribute to fulfilling targets set by the 13th Party Congress. — VNS