Bob Woodruff: Good afternoon, everybody. I'm Bob Woodruff.
As you know, who's going to be speaking today is Pham Binh Minh, the foreign minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. And he will have a chance to give a statement up here, probably for about 10 minutes or so, followed by some questioning that we will do together up here and then followed by any questions that you can make as well.
I just have a couple notes before we start, is that the - if you could, please, you know, turn off your cellphones. Of course, use them in vibration, that's fine. Also, remember: This is going to be on the record. You can see there's cameras back there. So just be very careful about what you say.
And I just want to introduce Foreign Minister Mr. Minh.
Minister Pham Binh Minh: Dr. Richard Haass, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank the Council on Foreign Relations for inviting me to this discussion. And thank you all for coming.
We view the Council on Foreign Relations as an important partner and appreciate your interest in the development of Vietnam-U.S. relations. We recall the visit by the council in 1993 when our two countries were preparing for the normalizations of relations between Vietnam and the United States. We had the normalizations in 1995.
And last year, we were delighted to receive Dr. Richard Haass and the council delegation in Vietnam. And I believe this visit has helped members of the council understand better our country and our people and in the areas of the reform.
And today I'm very honored to have this opportunity to share with you some of our thoughts on the foreign policies of Vietnam. We have been pursuing a consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, cooperation, development, multilateralization and diversification of relations, active and proactive international integration. And we have a slogan that we are determined to be reliable, be a friend, a reliable partner and a responsible member of the international community.
The active and proactive international integration orientation is a new element in our foreign policy which was adopted at the 11th national - the Party Congress early this year. This was turning point in our foreign policy, because before we focused on economic integration, but now we also integration in all areas such as not only economic but trade politics, diplomacy, security, defense, culture and social effects.
Vietnam's successful nonpermanent membership at the United Nations Security Council during the term 2008 and 2009, our chairmanship of ASEAN in 2010, cooperation with countries and the United Nations in many fields such as nuclear security and safety, climate change; realizing the Millennium Development Goals, et cetera; active preparation to take part in peacekeeping operation and active participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations are some instances of our foreign policy.
We aim to further deepen our foreign relations, upgrade relations with leading partners, of which establishment of strategic partnership with major powers and important global economic centers is among our priorities. We have established strategic partnership with Russia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Spain. I hope in the near future Vietnam will have strategic partnership with other major powers, including the United States. At the same time we look -- we work to strengthen our relationship with traditional friends and partners as far as our participation in international organizations, especially the United Nations.
In terms of economic, at present the Vietnamese government identifies the priority task of stabilizing the macroeconomy, creating conditions for the economy to continue to develop fast and sustainably. Together with many other comprehensive efforts, the effort to reduce and streamline public expenditure has helped to stabilize the macroeconomy, address challenges posed by the impacts of the global economic/financial crisis and create the necessary foundation for the realization of our 2011-2015 social/economic development plan and the 2011-2020 -- what we call the socio-economic strategy, which set the goal by 2020 Vietnam will become a modern-oriented industrial country.
To achieve this target, during this term our government is focusing on three main tasks: one, simple market-economy institutions with emphasis given to creating a level playing field and administrative reform; two, human resources development, particularly high-quality human resource development; three, construction of integrated infrastructure system. At the same time we view international economic cooperation as an important factor for Vietnam's economic development strategy, and this will be the priority for Vietnam's foreign relations in the coming years.
We are working with ASEAN countries to step into a new cooperation era pursuant the ASEAN charter, striving to build an ASEAN community by 2015 based on three main pillars -- politics, security, economic and social -- and to promote ASEAN centrality in an evolving regional architecture. We hope to further promote partnership between ASEAN and major powers through increased dialogue, cooperation, confidence-building and preventive diplomacy with a view to developing lasting mechanism and structure to ensure peace, stability and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. We welcome the policy of increasing cooperations with the countries in the region by all countries, including the United States.
As for peace and security, it is always our top priority. We look to the United Nations to continue its concerted and coherent efforts to promote peaceful settlement of civil wars and local conflicts in several regions of the world, especially those in North Africa and in Middle East, while preventing others from erupting.
It is a long-term necessity that we cultivate the culture of peace, dialogue and promote peaceful settlement of dispute. Vietnam supports efforts to end violence and strengthen national reconstruction and reconciliation in Afghanistan, in Iraq.
As regards the hot issue now at the General Assembly -- that is, the applications of Palestine to be a full member of United Nations -- we can say that we recognized the state of Palestine in 1988 and have always supported the just struggle of the Palestinian people for their inalienable rights, including the right to establish an independent and sovereign state that co-exists peacefully with Israel, which their border lies, set up before June 1967. That's why we think we will support the applications of Palestine for full membership at United Nations, but (seems) at the present the discussion's in the arms of the Security Council but not yet brought to the table of the General Assembly.
It is Vietnam's consistent policy to support and promote general and complete disarmament, with top priority given to the three pillars of the nuclear issue -- namely, nuclear disarmament, nuclear nonproliferation and peaceful use of nuclear energy and technology. We have been party to all major international instruments for the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, including CTBT, NPT, BWC and CWC. We also have been fulfilling our obligations under relevant United Nations mechanisms, especially those set up by the U.N. Security Council.
We strongly support United Nations in translating the outcome of the 2010 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference and the newly concluded High-level Meeting on Nuclear Safety and Security into concrete results, revitalizing the work of the conference on disarmament and taking forward multilateral disarmament negotiations. And in our region, in our Southeast Asia, we, together with ASEAN fellow country, working to promote -- are working to promote the treaty on Southeast Asian -- Southeast Asian nuclear weapon-free zone, and we wish that the -- all states, especially nuclear-weapon states, to sign and ratify the protocol annexed to the treaty.
In implementation of our foreign policy, we view the U.S. as a leading partner of strategic significance. When President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister of Vietnam Vo Van Kiet decided to normalize our relations 16 years ago, it is hard to imagine our relations would one day achieve this level of development. Dialogue and consultation mechanisms have now been in place, thereby creating a strong framework for the continued growth in bilateral relations in different areas, from political-diplomatic relations to economic, trade, security, national defense, cancer, education, science an technology, human assistance, et cetera.
Economic cooperation is currently seen as the highlight in our bilateral relations, with more than 18 billion (dollars) in trade turnover. I remember in 1995 the trade turnover was about a few hundred million U.S. dollars and now it's 180 times of that amount in 1995. More and more American companies, including leading corporations, are investing and expanding their market in Vietnam. There exists enormous potential for our economic cooperation since both sides together with other partners are discussing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the largest and freest trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region.
Other areas of cooperation have also achieved very impressive progress, particularly in people-to-people exchange. The United States currently destination of choice for well over 13,000 students is why Vietnam is becoming one of the destinations of choice for American tourists.
The two sides also have good cooperation in according -- in accounting for personnel missing in action, and in humanitarian activities such as HIV/AIDS, land mine clearance, solving the Agent Orange dioxin.
Additionally, security defense cooperation has meant positive progress. The second dialogue on defense policy recently held in Washington, D.C., was the signing for the first time the memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation was the example of the cooperation between Vietnam and United States.
Building on the positive momentum of relations, Vietnam and United States are engaging in discussions about the upgrading of relations towards the strategic partnership. In July 2010, on her visit to Vietnam on the occasion of celebrating the 15th anniversary for normalizations of relations, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has brought with her President Obama's message to elevate our relations to a higher level toward a strategic partnership. I believe that now more than ever is the right time for us to bring our relationship into the next phase of cooperation.
Yesterday I had a very productive meeting with Secretary Clinton on this subject. It is her strong belief that this further enhancement of our relationship will help us realize a positive, constructed, multi-sided cooperative -- mutual respect and mutually beneficial relationship of peace, stability and development as stated in a joint declaration by our leaders. We are also of the view that better U.S.-Vietnam partnership not only means promoting similarity in mutual interests, but also taking into account each other's interests based on a spirit of understanding and respect for independence and sovereignty.
As for the bigger picture, I am confident that the Vietnam-U.S. partnership will continue to contribute positively to common efforts to promote peace, stability and development in the region and the world. Our two countries are presented with major opportunities to further enhance and deepen our bilateral and multilateral cooperation. I hope that the Council on Foreign Relations and other stakeholders of Vietnam-United States relations be actively -- take part in this process for the long-term benefits of our two countries and our two people. So I would like to end my remarks here, and thank you very much for your attention. Thank you.
Woodruff: Well, thank you very much. Very nice. I know that I'm just going to ask some questions probably for the next 15 minutes or so and then open up any questions to you. I'd like to say, though, for the first time -- and I'll sort of personally with us -- I think you and I are about the same age. You're 52 years old; I'm 50 years old. But during that time, when the Vietnam War existed, you and I were young teenagers. Of course, I was in Detroit, and you were in Hanoi.
What did you see and what did you think about the United States at that time? We know that it's changed significantly since then. But I just -- what did -- what did you witness, and what did you go through?
Minh: Yes, as you mentioned, at that time during the war -- and we was very young. I can say that I was a very small child at that time. I remember during the bombing of Hanoi because I lived in Hanoi. And during the bombing I had to evacuate to the countryside. And from the countryside, every night I look at the sky, seeing, like, planes dropping bombs. Of course, the hatred was. And then in 1975 I was old enough, went to school -- went to the School of Foreign Affairs. And I studied diplomacy to become a diplomat, and with the dream that we can get, you know, to the normalizations of relations between Vietnam and the United States. So this is the areas that now is -- in 1995 that dream came true. And you know, we have the stage of level relations these days.
Woodruff: You know, I know you've been a very large advocacy for trying to increase the relationship between the United States and Vietnam. Did you ever even imagine you would be here in the United States those years ago?
Minh: At that time?
Woodruff: Yeah, back in the 1970s?
Minh: No. (Laughter.) At that time no because the -- before 1975 -- didn't know when the war would end. So that's why I could not imagine that would be in the States.
Woodruff: Well, when did you first -- when was the first time you did think about that?
Minh: That's when - in the 1980s when I enter into the foreign affairs -- foreign ministry. And at that time I work in the diplomacy, or what we call the International Organization Department. And my job at that time directly linked to the work of the United Nations. So I went to New York to attend the United Nations sessions.
Woodruff: I know that again this is personal, but what was your father's -- I mean, what is his opinion of that, his thoughts about you following the kind of work that you did and coming eventually to this country where, you know, he was -- he was deeply involved in the war back then?
Minh: Yes. You know that we have a policy set up when we normalized our relationship with the United States; we have slogan that put the past aside and look to the future. So every effort to normalize the relations between the two enemies -- that is a perfect one.
Woodruff: And that's why the last -- that's my last question about the past. Let's move on to the -- to the present and the future. You know, certainly when you look at -- the change in this country economically is huge. And I lived from -- it's pretty amazing -- in all of Southeast Asia, I've never been to Vietnam. That's about the only country I haven't been to.
Minh: (Inaudible.)
Woodruff: So that's mainly why I want to meet you, so I can go visit you there. But I lived in China, in Beijing, in 1988 and 1989. And then we saw a country that was just beginning to change significantly at that time. But if you look at the numbers of people emerging out of -- out of poverty in China, I think there's about 300 million have come out of poverty for the last 30 years. For you, I think the poverty ratings -- I think it was about 75 percent considered in poverty level, and then down to 14 percent now, from 1990 until now. How do you see the economy and the reason for this recovery over time?
Minh: You know, for Vietnam for the past 10 years we have maintained the economic grow rate at about 7 percent to 8 percent, and that helped reduce the poverty rate a lot, and also the government has a priority policy for the poor people. That's why, you know, for the MDG, this is one of the target we have achieved beyond the date set for 2015. That's the package for 2015, but we got that packet before that date. So that is I think the reason the economic growth in Vietnam.
Woodruff: And you've got growth every year in the economy. I think the number now is about 18 percent inflation.
Minh: Eighteen percent inflation, yes, for this year. And that is one of the most problematic issues for the economy of Vietnam.
Woodruff: So what do you do about that?
Minh: Now there ar a couple of measures adopted by the government. That is one of the measure, is to control the public expenditure, reduce the projects. The investment for the projects seems to be not very productive, so we reduce those projects. And also, to keep the interest rate down a little bit. But still, the inflation still high. For this month, it seems to be better than last month, but still very high.
Woodruff: So moving on to regional tension, which of course is a certainly, significantly with China, which, of course, is the most powerful country right now all throughout Asia, what are your fears about that right now? Obviously, (I've been ?), and it's said before that China looks at the South China Sea as a large cow's tongue that kind of goes deeply below China and goes right along the border from the water of Vietnam. How is that going to continue without some kind of battle, some kind of potential - wouldn't call it a war, but how would you - what do you think is going to happen to try to control what China is trying to impose on you?
Minh: You know that with China at the present time we have - what we describe the relationship is a comprehensive cooperation. And also, China is one of our strategic partners. China is among the seven countries we have the strategic partnership. And the relationship between Vietnam and China is good in all fields.
Look at the economic side. We had the trade turnover, about 20 billion U.S. dollar. And political side, we have exchange of visits at the high-level officials. Culture, education and other aspects: Good.
Only one remaining issue. That is what you mentioned that - the cow tongue. The cow tongue is legally groundless. There is no legal foundation for the cow tongue. Both China and Vietnam are members to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982. And this convention recognized the exclusive economic zone of the country with the sea. And Vietnam has the exclusive economic zone of the sea in 200 miles. And the cow tongue reached to the continental shelf not only of Vietnam, but also of the Philippines and other countries in Southeast Asia. That is why it's not in accordance with the United Nations.
Source: CFR
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment