Comprehensive strategic partnership adds fresh impetus to Vietnam-US ties

Vietnamese Ambassador to US Nguyen Quoc Dung shared details of this in a recent interview granted to VOV regarding the necessary steps to concretize the points mentioned in the joint statement on upgrading relations between the two countries.

This year is viewed as a memorable milestone in joint ties when both nations celebrate 10 years since establishing their comprehensive partnership and upgrading the relationship to that of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Talking about this historical milestone, the Vietnamese diplomat said there have been important historic milestones recorded in mutual relations. In 1995, the two countries normalized ties and opened diplomatic representative agencies, whilst in 2013 they established a comprehensive partnership.

During that process and especially over the past decade, linkages have developed dramatically, bringing many benefits to both nations’ people, whilst contributing to peace, collaboration, and development in the region and across the world.

After 10 years, along with many results recorded in co-operation to overcome the consequences of war, trade between the two countries increased more than four times, from US$30 billion in 2013 to over US$130 billion in 2022, not including investment through third countries. Direct investment from the US to the country this year stands at nearly US$12 billion, whilst it is worth noting that most major US firms are already present in the nation.

Every year, roughly one million Vietnamese and Americans travel to each other. Indeed, there are currently nearly 30,000 Vietnamese students studying in the US, whilst Vietnamese businesses have also started to invest in the US, the largest of which is VinFast that is currently building an electric car facility in North Carolina.

​Based on those good results, on the official visit to Vietnam made by US President Joe Biden, on September 10, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Biden agreed to upgrade joint relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, co-operation, and sustainable development.

This important milestone serves to open up a new historical period with an open framework and fresh momentum for stronger collaboration between the two countries across a variety of fields, especially economics-trade, science-technology, and people-to-people exchanges, Ambassador Dung went on to add.

Regarding the steps that the two countries need to take in order to concretize the points mentioned in the joint statement on upgrading relations between the two countries, Ambassador Dung stated that the joint statement on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, co-operation, and sustainable development identifies 10 major pillars in the two countries' relationship, along with their goals, desires, and commitments.

The first necessary thing is to disseminate the content and spirit of these agreements in a bid to help authorities, parliaments, localities, businesses, and people in both countries gain a better understanding and become more closely involved in the implementation process.

Talking about the contribution of high-level business trips between the leaders of the two countries with a view to promoting bilateral relations, as well as the Vietnamese foreign policy in general, the diplomat said during the meetings with US leaders, Vietnamese leaders had strongly affirmed the country’s determination to effectively implement the comprehensive strategic partnership for the benefit of both sides, as well as contributing to the region and the wider world.

This has created a positive effect, particularly in attracting widespread attention and support in US society for stronger relations.

On the occasion of these visits, Vietnamese ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses also actively launched connection activities with US localities and partners. As a result, dozens of agreements were signed. This is both a result and a concrete implementation of the comprehensive strategic partnership that exists between the two countries, he added.

The visits made by Vietnamese senior leaders to the US to attend the UN General Assembly meeting and the APEC Summit continue to demonstrate a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and diversification and multilateralization. This affirms that the country can be viewed as a responsible and determined partner, whilst also being a real contributor to the handling of regional and global issues.

The upgrading of relations will also have a positive impact on the activities of these organizations, especially when both sides have identified co-ordination efforts at regional and international forums as a pillar in their comprehensive strategic partnership.

​Concerning plans to contribute to implementing the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, Ambassador Dung said with its role and tasks, participating in building, determining the content, concretizing and accelerating the implementation of the joint comprehensive strategic partnership is always a top priority of the Vietnamese Embassy and representative agencies in the United States.

Specifically, the major tasks of the Embassy and representative agencies in the US are to disseminate information regarding the comprehensive strategic partnership opportunities and potential that exists in order to help localities, local governments, businesses, and people of both sides to create closer links.

​This is along with lobbying the US government and Congress to prioritize resources for programmes and projects with Vietnam and properly implementing committed agreements, engaging in monitoring the progress, and contributing to speeding up the implementation of the Joint Declaration and action plans of the joint comprehensive strategic partnership, he added.