Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính delivers a speech at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. — VNA/VNS Photo

WASHINGTON D.C — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính delivered a presentation at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C on Wednesday (local time) as part of the activities during his working visit to the US, spotlighting sincerity, trust and responsibility for a better world.

The Vietnamese Government leader’s speech was broadcast live on technology platforms by CSIS.

In his welcome speech, Dr John Hamre, President and CEO of CSIS, said that the PM's arrival and presentation at the centre was a privilege for CSIS. This is also the third time CSIS has welcomed Vietnamese leaders.

​In his presentation, PM Chính said in nearly three decades of normalising relations, the relationship between Việt Nam and the US has borne fruit with sincerity, trust and responsibility as well as sympathy, sharing and mutual respect to achieve the goals of the two countries and their people.

The two sides have overcome their differences and achieved fundamental principles for bilateral relations, as affirmed in the Việt Nam-US Joint Vision Statement when General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Nguyễn Phú Trọng visited the US in 2015, which emphasises respect for each other's political institutions, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

Việt Nam appreciates the US’s continuous support for a strong and independent Việt Nam over the past years. 

According to PM Chính, in the context of profound, rapid and unpredictable changes in the international situation, both the Governments and academics need to strengthen coordination, exchange and sharing of ideas to build a better world together.

PM Chính emphasised that as an active and responsible member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the international community, Việt Nam always strives to contribute to dialogue and cooperation, and is willing to play a proactive and active role in accordance with their potential and position.

Việt Nam strives to be a modernity-oriented industrialised developing country and graduate from the lower-middle group by 2025. It aims to become a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle-income by 2030, and a developed and high-income country by 2045.

The PM said that Việt Nam's development aspiration is associated with the aspiration for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

He expressed his hope that the US and its partners will cooperate and support Việt Nam in realising that strategic vision, saying that this will open up great opportunities for more comprehensive and deeper cooperation between Việt Nam and the US and other countries.

The PM affirmed that Việt Nam consistently pursues the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, diversification and multilateralisation of relations; and being a good friend and a reliable partner with countries around the world, and a responsible member of the international community.

Việt Nam has always shown sincerity, consistency and transparency in building and implementing this policy, he stressed. 

Việt Nam is ready for dialogue and cooperation to handle differences and disagreements, contribute to peace, stability and development in the world; and ensure the harmonisation of interests and satisfactorily address the concerns of partners, countries and the international community, he stated.

For that reason, in the process of resolving disputes and conflicts in the region and the world, including the East Sea - an important sea for countries inside and outside the region, Việt Nam has always advocated maintaining peace and stability; ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation; protecting legitimate rights and interests; settling disputes by peaceful measures and through dialogue based on respect for international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); effectively and fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and working actively towards the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), PM Chính said. 

To contribute responsibly to common international and regional issues, Việt Nam has actively participated in and promoted its role in multilateral mechanisms, especially ASEAN, the UN and regional and inter-regional forums, and Mekong sub-region cooperation mechanisms in accordance with specific requirements, capabilities and conditions.

The PM stated that Việt Nam has been proactive, active and responsible in promoting its role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2008-09 and 2020-21 tenures. It has directly participated in and contributed military personnel to the United Nations peacekeeping force since June 2014. The country was also the venue for the second US-DPRK Summit in 2019.

Regarding the Ukraine issue, Việt Nam supports and is willing to join efforts and initiatives of the international community to facilitate the parties’ dialogues to find long-term and sustainable solutions, PM Chính said, adding the country has provided humanitarian aid of US$500,000 for Ukraine.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, despite many difficulties, Việt Nam donated masks and medical supplies to 51 countries, including the US; and made financial contributions to the COVAX Programme.

Although it is a developing country with numerous difficulties in socio-economic conditions, Việt Nam has shown its great responsibility and determination in its efforts to respond to climate change and fulfil its commitments under the Paris Agreement and at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 26) in the UK to bringing net emissions to zero by 2050.

​Việt Nam has been strongly promoting economic, trade and investment cooperation with almost all countries in the world. In particular, it has negotiated and signed 15 free trade agreements (FTAs), opening up a large free trade market with more than 60 countries and partners, including all major economies in the world, thus demonstrating its responsibility in the realisation of equality and free trade.

​For the US, the Government leader said that Việt Nam always wishes to strengthen cooperation with the US on a basis of sincerity, continue to reinforce trust and enhance the responsibilities of both sides, for the common interests of the two countries’ people as well as for peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

​Việt Nam and the US have come a long way in showing sincerity and building mutual trust. First of all, the two sides have focused on and showed their determination in overcoming the war consequences. Since the normalisation of relations in 1995, bilateral relations have continuously developed in many aspects.

Based on their nearly three-decade relationship, PM Chính stressed the need for sincerity, trust, respect and continued responsibility in overcoming the war consequences, healing the wounds of both peoples and fostering the cooperation between the two countries to meet the aspirations and interests of their people, and contribute to peace and stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world, as confirmed by the two sides during the visit to the US by Party General Secretary Trọng in 2015.

PM Chính affirmed that as the US and many countries are looking to the Indo-Pacific region, while Việt Nam is promoting the implementation of aspirational development goals, the two countries are facing new opportunities to develop their comprehensive partnership in a stable, long-term, substantive, effective and intensive manner, especially in terms of economy, trade, investment, science and technology, digital transformation, high-quality human resources training and climate change adaptation as well as in solving international and regional issues.

He held that along with traditional cooperation areas, the two sides need to look forward to collaboration areas in the future, especially green growth, technological innovation, digital transformation and supply chain diversification.

​He reiterated that sincerity, trust and responsibility are the keys for countries to resolve disagreements and differences in a changing world like today. Sincerity, trust and responsibility have also made important contributions to the strong development of Việt Nam-US relations over the past 30 years.

​He expressed his belief that these will also be key factors in guiding, promoting and bringing the comprehensive partnership between Việt Nam and the US to a new height in the coming years. — VNS