Professor Mach Quang Thang: We must have a new mindset and a new approach to international integration.

General Secretary To Lam wrote an article titled "Striving for international integration". (Source: VGP)

That is the opinion of Prof. Dr. Mach Quang Thang, former Senior Lecturer, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, with The World and Vietnam Newspaper regarding the article "Striving in international integration" by General Secretary To Lam.

Creating new momentum for international integration process

The article “Strengthening in international integration” by General Secretary To Lam emphasized the shift in Vietnam’s thinking and approach to international integration, from “receiving” to “contributing”, from “deep integration” to “full integration”. In your opinion, what opportunities and challenges do these core changes bring to Vietnam in the new development stage towards prosperity and power?

As General Secretary To Lam wrote in the article Rising in international integration : “Facing this historic moment, the country needs historic decisions”. These historic decisions come from great opportunities and challenges.

Regarding opportunities, we see three main points: In nearly 40 years of innovation, our country has created great strength, including strength from the results of the international integration process.

Globalization is an objective trend, creating competition for development among countries. Vietnam has been proactive, active, integrating more deeply, comprehensively, and fully, and has achieved good results, contributing to the development of humanity, especially with a good momentum and pace of development while the world is facing many difficulties.

That creates a position for rapid and sustainable development to continue to further strengthen the implementation of the Party's policies and guidelines on combining national strength with the strength of the times in the new development era of our country.

There are still challenges, the problems from the previous period still exist, now new problems have appeared. It is also shown in three major points: The world is changing faster and more deeply, both in nature and society. That is the rapid increase and deterioration of climate change and the ecological environment (factors affecting non-traditional security).

It is a profound shift in all aspects of politics, economics, culture, society, science and technology, especially the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (with both opportunities and challenges that widen the gap. Vietnam can make many short steps forward, with limited quality and efficiency, while many countries can make fewer steps but can make further progress due to better application of the achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution).

Besides, the world is shaping and establishing a new order, without outstanding courage and intelligence, it will be very difficult for Vietnam to position the country in an internationally dominant position. At the same time, there are still risks of development due to internal and external obstacles. The trend of these obstacles is becoming more and more complex, sophisticated and fierce, requiring the entire Party, the entire people and the entire army to be united, have enough political courage and clear-sighted intelligence.

Resolution 59-NQ/TW is considered a breakthrough policy, positioning international integration as an important driving force for a new era of development. What key elements in this Resolution demonstrate its breakthrough nature and how does it create new momentum for the country's integration process, in your opinion?

Regarding international integration, this Resolution has raised a breakthrough policy; marking a historic turning point in the country's integration process with the international integration mindset shifting from receiving to contributing, from deep integration to full integration, from the position of a behind-the-scenes country to the status of a rising country, pioneering in new fields as the General Secretary clearly stated.

The key elements that we see in Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW dated January 24, 2025 of the Politburo on international integration in the new situation are clearly shown in four points: First, international integration in the coming period is the inheritance and development of the results of the international integration process in previous periods.

Second, international integration puts the country in the flow of the times, it is still an important factor contributing to the civilization and progress of humanity, preserving national identity, never allowed to dissolve.

Third, along with economic development and environmental protection being the central tasks; Party building and rectification being the key tasks; culture being the foundation of society; national defense and security being the important and regular tasks, this time in the new era, the new thing is that promoting foreign affairs and international integration should also be considered a task in the "important and regular" cluster.

Fourth, to create new momentum for the country's international integration process, there must be a new mindset, new position, and new thinking and approach.

General Secretary To Lam speaks at the ceremony celebrating the 30th anniversary of Vietnam joining ASEAN. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

Human resources

The General Secretary's article mentioned Vietnam's transition from a "follower" to a "pioneering, rising nation" in a number of new fields. In your opinion, in which specific fields does our country have the potential and advantages to be a pioneer in the current context of international integration? What strategies and resources do we need to realize this?

It is not easy to change the country's position in the political level compared to other countries in the world. But looking positively and with strong aspirations and beliefs, we can see the following strategies and resources:

Firstly, the quality of Vietnamese people has increased with a new value system of patriotism, innovation, creativity and dynamism when entering a new stage of globalization and in the era of national development, especially Vietnamese people have enough virtue, talent, cleverness and intelligence to grasp and meet the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Second, resources from the achievements of the national liberation revolution and socialist construction over the past 100 years, especially the achievements from the nearly 40-year renovation period.

Third, resources from the quality of the leadership and ruling Communist Party of Vietnam and the entire clean and strong political system with the desire to rise up, with high political mettle, with sharp intelligence, with new thinking and decisive action for development, with perseverance and resilience to overcome all obstacles and resistances, including internal resistances (such as "self-transformation", "self-evolution").

That internal source is the root, the solid foundation to combine national strength with the strength of the times; turn external strength into internal strength, creating a combined strength for self-development; in turn, it contributes to human progress, creating international strength, returning to nourish internal strength. That is the endless "spiral" for development.

To achieve the goal of "rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness, civilization" in the context of increasingly deep and complex international integration, what internal factors of Vietnam need to be strengthened and promoted, sir?

First of all, let's start with the Party itself, because the Party has a leadership position and role. The people and the entire nation trust and entrust the Party with that position and role. The Party must always be clean and strong, striving to achieve that noble goal. The Party must be a Party of morality and civilization as Uncle Ho said, including the requirement of high intelligence.

It is the Party, or first of all the Party, not any political organization, that must be the architect of the rapid and sustainable development of the nation so that within the next 20 years, Vietnam can become a developed country, on par with the world powers.

We must be urgent, determined, and make extraordinary efforts to achieve our goals. At the same time, other organizations in the political system must also be clean and strong. The State must fulfill its role of national governance in the new conditions. Socio-political organizations must fulfill their responsibilities well.

Moreover, we must consolidate and further develop the great national unity bloc in the era of striving for better international integration, in which we create increasingly better social consensus and national reconciliation and harmony. Speaking of combining national strength with the strength of the times, we must first of all be with the Vietnamese community living, studying and working abroad.

Unity, strength, and heart are possible if Vietnamese people sincerely come together, limit differences to move towards the goal of a rich, strong, democratic, fair, and civilized Vietnam.

According to Professor Mach Quang Thang, we must further consolidate and develop the great national unity bloc in the era of rising up. (Source: VOV)

International integration must be considered the cause of all people.

In the context of many unpredictable international fluctuations, what requirements does full international integration and active contribution to global issues pose for Vietnam in building foreign affairs capacity and the ability to respond to non-traditional security challenges such as climate change, epidemics, and cyber security?

The first requirement is strong internal strength. Without strong internal strength, it is difficult to make a positive contribution to solving global problems. Only with strong internal strength can we build foreign affairs capacity and have the ability to respond well to non-traditional challenges.

To do so, all organizations and all patriotic Vietnamese people must “Say what you say and do it” as Uncle Ho wrote on the first page of the book The Revolutionary Path (1927) or “Roll up your sleeves and get to work” as Uncle Ho told the cadres and people of Thanh Hoa province in February 1947 before he returned to Tan Trao in Tuyen Quang province with the Party Central Committee and the Government to lead the resistance war against the French colonialists. Another requirement I would like to mention regarding the entire thinking and practical capacity of foreign affairs work is: Always grasp the development requirements of the nation and the world in each period and stage. The “front” of diplomacy/foreign affairs and international integration is always hot.

In the new era of development, this "front" is even hotter and more difficult because the world, although operating according to the laws of nature and society, is still unpredictable to the limited perception of political organizations and the human mind.

So what is the role of different subjects in society in successfully implementing the orientation of "reaching out in international integration" in the spirit of the article by General Secretary To Lam and Resolution 59-NQ/TW? From your perspective, what coordination mechanisms and conditions are needed to promote the combined strength of the entire nation in this process?

Our Party has the role of making correct decisions on further opening up to international cooperation, in which international integration is the form and high level of development of the process of continuing to actively integrate. That is the role of closing the country into the mainstream of the times, beating with the same rhythm, breathing with the same breath of the times. That is the role of the subject of our country's political system in general in integrating the country into the international political and economic system and human civilization. That is the role of promoting international integration more strongly, considering it an important driving force to bring the country into a new era of development. That is the role of the Party and other organizations in the political system to be determined to untie the "knots" that are hindering development, overcoming unfair competition, unsustainable growth, increasing gap between rich and poor, environmental pollution, the risk of "deviation", "cultural invasion", "self-evolution", "self-transformation", and "erosion of people's trust".

Regarding the coordination mechanism and creating conditions to promote the combined strength of the nation to rise up in international integration, first of all, international integration must be considered the cause of the entire people, of the entire political system, under the leadership of the Party and the management of the State.

People and businesses are the center, the subject, the driving force, the main force and the subjects that enjoy the benefits of international integration. It is necessary to ensure synchronization, comprehensiveness, and breadth, in which the role and responsibility of the diplomatic sector are highlighted. It is necessary to closely link and complement each other in an overall strategy, with a focus, key points with a suitable roadmap and steps. Socio-political organizations promote the implementation of international commitments and agreements; must strengthen the supervision of the implementation of policies, laws and commitments on international integration.

In particular, it is necessary to institutionalize the State side, concretize international integration strategies by sector and field, especially building and perfecting laws related to green economy, digital economy, circular economy, energy transition, digital world, carbon emission reduction, space... At the same time, build a team of officials doing international integration work with both virtue and talent. They need to have good political qualities, high expertise and skills, at international level, and be able to participate in mediation and resolution of international disputes. In addition, it is necessary to innovate, enhance the proactiveness and creativity of localities, people and businesses in participating in international integration.

Thank you!

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/gs-mach-quang-thang-phai-co-tam-the-moi-cach-tiep-can-moi-ve-hoi-nhap-quoc-te-310578.html