The brightest spot of Vietnam’s international integration in 2014 was its acceleration and conclusion of free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations.
On March 3, 2015, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung chaired the first plenary meeting of the National Steering Committee for International Integration to review international integration activities in 2014 and preview orientations and tasks in 2015 and multilateral foreign cooperation until 2020.
In 2014, Vietnam’s international integration produced positive results in all three important pillars: politics, security and defence; economy, and culture and society.
The brightest spot of Vietnam’s international integration in 2014 was its acceleration and conclusion of FTA negotiations. Three out of six ongoing FTA negotiations were concluded and leaders of both sides inked Joint Declarations on FTA Negotiations Conclusion or worked out the roadmap for FTA negotiations, including FTA between Vietnam and the Customs Union of Russia - Belarus - Kazakhstan (VCUFTA), EU - Vietnam FTA (EVFTA), and Vietnam - Korea FTA (VKFTA).
Vietnam is urgently completing the final stages of negotiations to conclude remaining FTAs, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and Vietnam - European Free Trade Association (EFTA) FTA.
Regarding multilateral foreign relations until 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed some major tasks: Actively preparing and successfully hosting major multilateral operations to bolster the image of Vietnam; actively contributing to the maintenance of regional and international peace and security; building a strong ASEAN Community, strengthening and promoting the centrality of ASEAN in regional structures; promoting the efficiency of signed FTAs; speeding up and deploying FTAs signed from to 2015 to 2020; increasing involvement and contribution of Vietnam to multilateral economic cooperation mechanisms and forums; uplifting the role and efficiency of cultural, social, scientific, technological, educational and training cooperation.
International integration results have contributed positively to the achievement of general social and economic development of the country. According to many attendants, Vietnam needs to further combine bilateral and multilateral dialogues as well as raise awareness and responsibility and consolidate coordination between ministries, branches and localities and enterprises in international integration. In multilateral foreign relations, Vietnam must shift from active entry and participation to active contribution and proposal of initiatives.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Head of the National Steering Committee on International Integration, said after nearly two years implementing Resolution No. 22, international integration produced significant results and positively contributed to overall national development achievement.
He stated that, given rapid scientific and technologic development, the world is a common market and deeper and broader integration is a trend. “To continue carrying out Resolution of the Politburo and Action Programme of the Government on the enforcement of Resolution 22, ministries, branches and localities must have specific, clear integration programmes and plans,” PM Dung guided.
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Vietnamese
