Diplomacy should Serve Economic Development

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs organised a seminar in Hanoi on July 19 and 20 on the role of diplomacy in Vietnam's economic development. The seminar saw the participation of representatives from relevant agencies, foreign organisations in Hanoi, localities, associations and enterprises.

Vu Dung, deputy minister of foreign affairs, stated that Vietnam had increasingly integrated into the international economy. The participation in many regional and international economic co-operation organisations, including the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in the near future, had offered Vietnam many opportunities and also imposed many challenges and difficulties for local enterprises. Never before, however, have Vietnamese enterprises enjoyed as many as development opportunities as they do at present. This had also resulted in a greater demand of enterprises to reach regional and international markets. In the near future, not only major enterprises but also small and medium-sized enterprises will reach foreign markets.

The Government issued the Decree N⁰ 08/2003/ND-CP on activities of Vietnamese representative agencies in foreign countries, which should serve economic development. These missions act as a bridge for boosting external economic relations of enterprises and localities.   

To this end, diplomatic activities should go along with external political and economic relations, creating a favourable environment for Vietnam's economic development via the 13^th Asian Conference in Hanoi, the Vietnam-Africa International Co-operation Seminar, the Dialogue between ASEAN leaders and Vietnamese enterprises.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contributed to the success of negotiations with major partners, including the EU, Canada, Japan and the Republic of Korea. The ministry has provided useful information about the developments of oil price and some important foreign currencies, which produce an impact on Vietnam’s economic development, for ministries and localities. The ministry has helped boost labour export, trade and investment promotion activities.

However, according to Dung, these activities have not been as effective as expected because a lack of economic experts, financial sources and material and technical base. Many Vietnamese representative agencies in foreign countries have not yet analysed economic and trade relations between Vietnam and countries, where they are based. The study of potential, economic and trade policies, has yet to be concretely enough to help ministries, agencies, localities and enterprises in Vietnam to promote their international co-operation. Also, Vietnamese diplomatic missions in foreign countries have not focused on developing relations with import and marketing channels in foreign countries. Some incidents of external economic relations, such as fraud in guest worker sending and contract violations, have produced a negative impact on the prestige of Vietnamese diplomatic missions in foreign countries.

At the seminar, participants discussed the experience of China, Singapore and Thailand, and measures to promote economic development in the future.

• Thi Van