Vietnam intends to maintain good relations with major powers

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The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Republic, Tô Lâm, gave an interview to the Reuters agency.

Photo : VNA/CVN

On the sidelines of the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Friday May 29, the Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Republic, Tô Lâm, gave an interview to the Reuters agency, during which he discussed Vietnam’s foreign policy, its relations with the great powers, the question of the Eastern Sea as well as the country’s economic development directions for the years to come.

Responding to a question on relations between major powers in a context of growing strategic competition, Tô Lâma reaffirmed that Vietnam consistently follows the principle of never cooperating with one country to the detriment of another. Vietnam pursues a foreign policy of independence, autonomy, diversification and multilateralization of its external relations, in the service of peace, cooperation and development.

Develop balanced and constructive relationships

Referring to relations between the United States and China, the senior Vietnamese leader stressed that competition between great powers constitutes an objective reality of current international relations. However, Vietnam does not approach its relations with the great powers from a security angle and does not choose sides. In this spirit, the country maintains and develops balanced and constructive relations with both the United States and China, to the benefit of all parties and in the interest of peace, stability and regional development.

Regarding relations with China, Tô Lâma recalled that the two countries are neighbors linked by a long tradition of friendship and that they are currently implementing concrete cooperation in many important areas. Vietnam remains attached to the development of good neighborly relations with China, which brings together several characteristics which make it a priority partner of Vietnamese foreign policy: neighboring country, major partner and state sharing many common interests as well as certain similarities with Vietnam.

The general secretary of the PCV and president of the Republic, Tô Lâm, delivers a speech during the 23e Dialogue Shangri-La à Singapore.Â

Photo : VNA/CVN

According to the Party General Secretary and President of the Republic, maintaining peaceful, stable, cooperative and responsible relations with China brings tangible benefits to the two peoples while contributing significantly to peace and stability in the region.

Firmly defend your sovereignty

Regarding the East Sea, Tô Lâma reaffirmed Vietnam’s constant position consisting of firmly defending its sovereignty, its sovereign rights, its jurisdiction as well as its territorial integrity, while favoring the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law, in particular the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

He stressed that maintaining friendly relations with China, protecting national sovereignty and managing issues related to the East Sea are complementary objectives that are in no way mutually exclusive.

Asked about the double-digit economic growth objective set by Vietnam, Tô Lâma indicated that the country’s development ambition was that of the entire nation. Vietnam has set itself the goal of becoming a high-income, developed country by 2045. This strategic ambition, defined for several years, was reaffirmed in the main Party documents, notably in the Political Report presented to the XIV^e Congrès national.

Maintain double-digit economic growth

According to him, international experience as well as development laws show that, to achieve this objective, Vietnam will have to maintain a double-digit economic growth rate for a long period, or at least 10% per year. Although this objective is ambitious and demanding, it is based on an in-depth analysis of the country’s resources and development potential.

Tô Lâma indicated that Vietnam had carried out a reassessment of its national capabilities and defined a new growth model based on autonomy, self-sufficiency and strategic independence. The country’s optimism is based on the determination of the entire political system, the broad consensus of the population as well as the active participation of the business world, the private sector, workers and farmers.

According to the Vietnamese leader, when this growth target was set, the country had already taken into account many potential challenges, including global geopolitical instabilities, difficulties in the international economy, disruptions in supply chains, energy pressures and fluctuations in prices. global markets. Despite these obstacles, the results obtained in recent years reinforce confidence in Vietnam’s ability to achieve the objectives set.

Vietnam will have to maintain a double-digit economic growth rate for a long period, or at least 10% per year.

Photo : VNA/CVN

Vietnam is currently working to build a new development model based on highly qualified human resources, the development of Vietnamese human potential, the spirit of autonomy and innovation, as well as science, technology and digital transformation. At the same time, the country is carefully studying successful experiences abroad in order to adapt them to its own realities and translate them into concrete policies.

In addition, Vietnam is conducting a thorough review of its institutional framework to identify obstacles to development and implement necessary reforms to remove obstacles to growth, thereby creating new drivers for rapid and sustainable development in the long term.

The General Secretary of the Party and President of the Republic Tô Lâma affirmed that the results recorded in 2025 and more particularly during the first half of 2026 demonstrate that the fundamental objectives remain within reach. Vietnam does not plan to lower its growth ambitions and remains determined to maintain this trajectory not only in 2026, but also in the years to come, in order to realize its development vision by 2045 and lay the foundations for even higher aspirations for the future.

VNA/CVN