Vietnam - US relations highlighted at CSIS seminar
A seminar on Vietnam-US relations was held on January 23 in Washington, D.C., by the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), with the participation of many officials, parliamentarians, scholars, and representatives of the American business community. Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son sent a pre-recorded speech in order to welcome the event.
In his opening remarks, John Hamre, president of the CSIS, said the organisation of the seminar was to meet the growing interest and enthusiasm for relations with Vietnam in the US, especially after the two countries upgraded their ties.
In his welcoming speech, FM Son welcomed the CSIS for taking the initiative to organise the seminar and implement the Vietnam research program. Recalling the historic developments made in 2023, FM Son highlighted the decision to upgrade ties between the two countries to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, stability, and sustainable development, reflecting on the strong development of the partnership after nearly three decades of normalisation and 10 years of a comprehensive partnership. This also contributed to realizing President Ho Chi Minh's vision of "full cooperation" with the US in his letter to President H. Truman dated February 16, 1946. Emphasizing that the upgrade will open up many new collaboration opportunities, bringing benefits to both sides as well as contributing to peace, stability, and development in the region and the world, the Vietnamese diplomat asked the seminar’s participants to actively exchange and propose new and bold initiatives and ideas aimed at further promoting co-operation between the two sides within the framework of the comprehensive strategic partnership
In the keynote speech, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Dzung reviewed several important development milestones in joint relations, especially the process of reaching the decision to upgrade relations to a strategic comprehensive partnership.
This is viewed as a historic decision, but also an appropriate development made on the basis of the progress and achievements recorded in the relationship between the two countries after nearly 30 years of normalization of relations and 10 years of comprehensive partnership, thereby meeting the requirements and interests of both sides, as well as bringing common benefits to the region, Dzung said.
Fully aware of that and on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the comprehensive partnership, the leaders of the two countries have shown great political determination to upgrade bilateral ties to a new level in order to better serve the strategic interests of each side, as well as better to contribute to peace, stability, and development in the region and the wider world.
Ambassador Dzung emphasized that the comprehensive strategic partnership is the inheritance and continuation of existing bases and foundations of co-operation, including the basic principles guiding the relationship between the two countries in recent times, especially respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty, and political institutions. This has served to deepen the agreed pillars of collaboration whilst expanding co-operation into new priority areas.
In particular, economic, trade, investment, and innovation linkages continue to be the main driving force and key foundation for the two countries' relations, whilst science, technology, and digital co-operation is a new breakthrough.
Ambassador Dzung affirmed that these areas are consistent with each side’s development priorities, while also contributing to the common goal of the comprehensive strategic partnership being peace, stability, and development.
In the coming time, Dzung affirmed that the Vietnamese side remains very determined and committed to fully implementing the comprehensive strategic partnership, turning high-level agreements into specific actions and measures for implementation. In order for the implementation to be effective, the Ambassador said he hopes that the two sides clearly identify each other's needs and capabilities, thereby finding appropriate ways and effective mechanisms to co-ordinate and monitor the implementation progress. At the same time, the US needs to continue to support the nation in improving its capacity to be able to carry out the agreements of the new partnership.
From the Vietnamese side, Dr. Nguyen Hung Son, deputy director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, Dr. Can Van Luc, chief economist of the Bank for Investment and Development (BIDV), and the delegates discussed measures to strengthen ties between the two countries in areas such as security, strategy, trade co-operation, technology, and energy.
The participants expressed joy and optimism at the prospects of close joint relations, agreeing on the historical significance of upgrading relations and the need to effectively deploy the new co-operation framework, especially in trade, investment, the digital economy, supply chain assurance, climate change response, energy transition, green growth, and the settlement of war consequences.
The seminar took place as part of the Vietnam research program (CSIS U.S. - Vietnam Initiative) which will be implemented this year, with a view to increasing exchanges between officials and scholars as a contribution to improving mutual understanding, as well as finding initiatives and ideas to boost the joint partnership moving forward../.
