Reflecting the evolution of Vietnam’s thinking and foreign policy position in the new era.
First of all, it should be stated that the speech delivered by General Secretary and President To Lam during the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue concretized the position of the Vietnamese Communist Party, expressed during the 14th National Congress, on foreign policy: “Contribute actively and proactively to peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development, in a spirit of friendship, reliability and responsibility within the international community; actively and responsibly participate in solving common regional and international problems.” This speech is not only about regional security, but also reflects Vietnam’s evolving thinking and policy stance a stranger in this new era. “join” à la « création proactive ».
In this new phase, Vietnam no longer appears only as a country participating in and adapting to international rules, but aspires to become a responsible entity, helping to shape regional rules and structures.
In his speech, Secretary General and President To Lam not only analyzed the global challenges, reflected in three fundamental crises: the crisis of the international order, the crisis of the development model and the crisis of strategic confidence, but also formulated proposals concrete measures on confidence building, preventive diplomacy, the role of ASEAN, the governance of new technologies and the strengthening of international law.
This shows that Vietnam wants to move from a position of “participant” to that of “actor”; not only react to international changes, but also help shape the way in which these problems are resolved. It is the manifestation of a nation displaying increased strategic confidence after 40 years of reform and integration.
This message testifies to the maturation of Vietnamese diplomacy, which evolves from “international integration” to “contribution to regional and global governance”. He affirms a Vietnam which moves from an approach of “integration for development” to a proactive approach of “creating an environment conducive to development”. Vietnam aims to become an actor in dialogue, strengthen strategic confidence, protect international law and contribute to the advent of a more peaceful, stable and inclusive regional order. This development illustrates not only a new vision of foreign policy, but also the increasingly important role that Vietnam plays in the security and development structure of the Asia-Pacific region.
Presentation of a comprehensive and modern security concept.
Opening his speech on the theme “Actively building peace, stability and development in an unstable world,” Secretary General and President To Lam focused on three major crises affecting the world today: the crisis of international order, the crisis of the development model and the crisis of strategic confidence. He proposed strengthening international law, dialogue, transparency, concrete cooperation and actively engaging in peacebuilding. This is the new message of Vietnamese foreign policy, which can be summarized as follows:
First, it confirms the shift from “participation” to “active construction”. Previously, Vietnam was primarily seen as an internationally integrating nation, participating in regional and global mechanisms to protect a peaceful environment conducive to development; From now on, Vietnam is no longer just a participant adapting to international rules, but also aspires to contribute to the development and establishment of regional and global rules, standards and governance mechanisms.
This is demonstrated by the fact that Secretary General and President To Lam presented initiatives on regional security governance, highlighted the role of preventive diplomacy, proposed mechanisms to establish a strategic trust and participated in discussions on emerging issues such as artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security, digital infrastructure protection and global supply chains…
Second, he presented a comprehensive and modern concept of security. In his speech, Secretary General and President To Lam analyzed that security, peace and development are intrinsically linked elements, and not that security is considered only from a military perspective.
International law therefore constitutes the foundation allowing nations to act on an equal footing, to respect sovereignty, to resolve disputes peacefully and to limit the use of force . Strategic trust manifests itself when nations respect international law and their common commitments; it builds trust, reduces mistrust, minimizes the risk of conflict and promotes cooperation. Building strategic trust creates a peaceful and stable environment, allowing nations to focus their resources on cooperation and development rather than confrontation. Peace and stability are essential conditions for attracting investments, promoting economic growth, ensuring social well-being and achieving the goals sustainable development .
It also reflects Secretary-General and President To Lam’s new security vision of moving from a force-based approach to ensuring security to one based on respect for international law, building confidence strategic, the maintenance of peace and stability, and sustainable development as the ultimate objective.
It can be said that Secretary General and President To Lam’s message during the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue testifies to a new evolution in Vietnamese foreign policy thinking, as evidenced by the following points:
First we must move from simple participation to concrete action to shape the regional and international environment.
Second we should view peace, stability and development as an integrated whole, linked to strategic trust and international law.
Third it affirms an independent, autonomous, multilateral and diversified foreign policy.
Fourthly it reflects the trend towards “constructive diplomacy”, strengthening Vietnam’s role and position in regional and global governance.
From a political theory point of view, the fifth year can be regarded as the realization and development of the Party’s foreign policy thinking, moving from the motto “to actively and proactively contribute to peace, friendship, cooperation and sustainable development” of the 14th Party Congress to a higher orientation of “actively contributing to, building and participating in shaping the regional and global order” in the new period.
Source : https://daibieunhandan.vn/phat-bieu-dan-de-cua-tong-bi-thu-chu-tich-nuoc-to-lam-tai-doi-thoai-shangri-la-lan-thu-23-khang-dinh-xu-huong-ngoai-giao-kien-tao-nang-cao-vai-tro-vi-the-cua-viet-nam-trong-quan-tri-khu-vuc-va-toan-cau-10419051.html
