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Speaking here, General Secretary and President To Lam mentioned a number of issues on the path towards the era of national growth, the Vietnam-US relationship and the vision to build a bright future for all humanity in the face of great changes, both cyclical and structural, and with unprecedented breakthroughs under the impact of the scientific and technological revolution, especially artificial intelligence and digital technology.
Continue to innovate and integrate in the era of growth
The General Secretary and President said that after nearly 80 years of national founding and nearly 40 years of Doi Moi, under the comprehensive leadership of the Communist Party, Vietnam is standing at a new historical starting point, a new era - the era of the Vietnamese people's rise. The great and historic achievements of the Doi Moi process are the premise for the Vietnamese people to believe in the future ahead.
According to the General Secretary and President, the great achievements that Vietnam has achieved stem from the right path chosen under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, with the efforts and determination of the entire nation. Overcoming many difficulties and challenges, from a country of slavery and war-torn Vietnam, Vietnam has regained its independence and today has affirmed its position as a dynamically developing economy with its economic and trade scale in the Top 40 and Top 20 in the world, respectively. From being isolated, Vietnam today has diplomatic relations with 194 countries, has strategic partnerships and comprehensive partnerships with 30 countries, including all major countries and all 5 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, is an active member of ASEAN and more than 70 regional and international organizations, and has relations with 224 markets on all continents.
Pointing out that Vietnam's development path cannot be separated from the general trend of the world and human civilization, the General Secretary and President said that Vietnam cannot achieve the above-mentioned noble goals without pure international solidarity, valuable support and effective cooperation from the international community. Vietnam will continue to promote the process of Innovation, openness, and comprehensive and deep international integration; and will continue to be a stable, trustworthy and attractive destination for foreign investors, businesses and tourists. The way for Vietnam to overcome the middle-income trap is to innovate, mobilize the strength of national solidarity, and combine national strength with the strength of the times.
In the context of the rapidly changing world situation, the General Secretary and President affirmed that under the leadership of the Communist Party, Vietnam will continue to consistently implement its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification, being a friend, a reliable partner, and an active and responsible member of the international community. Vietnam will persist in its "4 no's" defense policy, strongly support the settlement of disputes and disagreements by peaceful means on the basis of the United Nations Charter and international law, and oppose unilateral actions, power politics, and the use or threat of force in international relations.
The General Secretary and President stated that over the past time, Vietnam has affirmed its responsibility for the common work of the international community with active and proactive contributions. Vietnam is considered by the United Nations as one of the leading countries in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite many difficulties and challenges, Vietnam is committed to achieving the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Over the past 10 years, the presence of Vietnamese peacekeepers at United Nations Missions has left many good impressions in a number of African countries, not only contributing to maintaining international peace and security but also supporting local people in their daily lives.
The General Secretary and President emphasized that with the country's new position and strength, Vietnam is determined to effectively implement new-era diplomacy, ready to make more proactive and positive contributions to world politics, the global economy and human civilization. In particular, Vietnam will join hands with friends and partners to solve urgent global challenges such as climate change, food security, health security, water security, etc. and promote the building of a fair and equal international order, based on the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.
From former enemies to comprehensive strategic partners
Referring to the Vietnam-US relationship, the General Secretary and President said that from the early days of the nation's founding, President Ho Chi Minh wrote eight letters and telegrams to President Harry Truman, affirming that Vietnam wished to "fully cooperate" with the United States. However, due to historical twists and turns, it took 50 years for Vietnam and the United States to normalize relations. Over the past 30 years, from former enemies, the two countries have become partners, Comprehensive Partners and now Comprehensive Strategic Partners. Since the normalization of relations, many Vietnamese leaders have visited the United States, especially the historic visit of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in July 2015; at the same time, all US Presidents since the normalization of relations have visited Vietnam.
Cooperation in all areas from politics - diplomacy to economics - trade, defense - security, overcoming the consequences of war, education - training, people-to-people exchange, in handling regional and global issues such as climate change, counter-terrorism, participating in the United Nations peacekeeping force... have all achieved important and substantive progress. In particular, people-to-people exchange and cooperation in education and training are increasingly vibrant. Currently, there are about 30,000 Vietnamese students studying in the United States, including students at Columbia University.
The General Secretary and President affirmed that for the relationship between the two countries to turn a new page and develop well as it is today, the most important factor is the tradition of humanity and altruism of the Vietnamese people, the talented leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam with its intellectual vision, determination and courage to bring Vietnam into the international flow. Besides, we must mention many American friends and partners such as President Bill Clinton and his successors, Senators John McCain, John Kerry, Patrick Leahy... and many others, especially the strong bipartisan support in the United States for the Vietnam - US relationship. This is one of the important foundations to bring the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between our two countries to become increasingly deeper, more stable, sustainable and more substantial in the coming time.
Vision for a new era
From the path forward of the Vietnamese people and the success story of the Vietnam - US relationship, the General Secretary and President assessed that in order to build a better common future for all humanity, it is necessary to affirm and promote the role of the spirit of healing, respect and mutual understanding, in which respect for each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions is the most important.
With the humane, peaceful and tolerant traditions of the nation, Vietnam has been very proactive in healing the wounds of war. Cooperation in overcoming the consequences of war has become the foundation for the two sides to heal, move towards normalization, build trust and deepen relations. These will remain extremely important areas of cooperation between the two countries for many years to come, because the consequences of war are still very severe, especially for Vietnam.
From that lesson, the General Secretary and President said that for a relationship to develop, both sides need to promote research on each other's history, culture, people, political systems, and socio-economics. In a broader sense, if countries understand and respect each other's legitimate interests and work together to build trust, the world will be more peaceful and less conflicted. In the age of science and technology, we can take advantage of new methods such as digital platforms and tools to promote broader connectivity and deeper understanding among peoples.
On the other hand, according to the General Secretary and President, it is necessary to attach importance to and promote the culture of dialogue, with evidence from the Vietnam-US relationship itself. Although the two sides have made great strides in their relationship, there are still certain differences in views on human rights in the economic, political, social and religious fields... But the important thing is that the two sides have chosen dialogue instead of confrontation in an open, frank and constructive spirit.
The General Secretary and President strongly believes that if countries in conflict and dispute promote peaceful solutions through dialogue on the basis of international law, any problem, no matter how complicated, will be resolved. Dialogue needs to become a common practice, a useful and most important tool for our civilization.
Along with that, the General Secretary and President also emphasized the highest sense of responsibility towards the international community. Going beyond the bilateral framework, Vietnam - US cooperation has gradually reached regional and global levels, especially in responding to climate change, preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, counter-terrorism, UN peacekeeping, cyber security, etc., thereby contributing increasingly positively to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the Asia - Pacific region and the world.
In the current context of many changes, the General Secretary and President said that first of all, countries need to be responsible in their relations with each other as well as with peace, cooperation and development in the world; at the same time, he hoped that countries would together uphold their responsibility towards the future and human civilization, contributing more to maintaining peace, stability, prosperity, cooperation, the rule of law and multilateralism.
Another important factor mentioned by the General Secretary and President in his vision for the future is the viewpoint of always putting the people at the center. In building and developing the country, Vietnam continues to uphold the ideal that President Ho Chi Minh and the founding leaders of the United States shared, which is to build a State "of the people, by the people, for the people". The great and historic achievements that Vietnam has achieved after nearly 100 years of leadership by the Communist Party of Vietnam, including nearly 40 years of Doi Moi, are also because the Party always takes serving the people as its guiding principle and goal, always being infinitely loyal to the interests of the Fatherland and the people.
Referring to the issue of solidarity and looking towards the future, the General Secretary and President affirmed that in the context of the world in a period of epochal change, humanity needs to have a long-term vision and solidarity more than ever. No single country, no matter how strong, can handle the common problems of the times alone, and that is the approach and orientation that the United Nations Future Summit has clearly stated.
Emphasizing Vietnam's motto of putting the past behind and looking toward the future, the General Secretary and President believes that with an approach that promotes international solidarity and looks toward the future, as well as the success story of the Vietnam-US relationship, the world will turn the impossible into possible, continuing to build a sustainable and progressive civilization for all humanity.
The General Secretary and President affirmed that, looking back at the journey that the Vietnamese people have gone through, more than ever, we are steadfast, confident and moving forward. In the new era, the era of the Vietnamese people's rise under the leadership of the Communist Party, Vietnam will do its utmost to realize the nation's aspiration. On the journey towards the future, Vietnam will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with international friends and partners, sharing the same vision, coordinating actions, for the best goals for all of humanity.
The General Secretary and President hopes that friends, partners, and all sectors in the United States will continue to strongly support the promotion of the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, continue the success story, inspire future generations, and that success will not only best serve the interests of the people of the two countries, but also contribute increasingly practically and effectively to peace, national independence, democracy, social progress, and prosperous development of peoples in the region and the world.
In an exchange with professors, lecturers and students of the university, General Secretary and President To Lam frankly answered many questions related to various fields, from national security and defense, socio-economics to Vietnam's relations with other countries and global issues, thereby affirming the consistent policy and stance on independence, self-reliance, and promoting dialogue for peace and stability for Vietnam, the region and the world.
The General Secretary and President also pointed out economic and social orientations and priority areas for development to apply the world's scientific achievements; create breakthroughs in institutions and high-quality human resources, contributing to bringing the country firmly into a new era.
Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/tong-bi-thu-chu-tich-nuoc-to-lam-tham-va-phat-bieu-tai-dai-hoc-columbia.html
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