State President: Success of APEC Leaders' Week is outstanding diplomatic achievement
VGP - The success of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week 2017 in the central coastal city of Da Nang from November 6-11 was an outstanding external achievement of Viet Nam this year, State President Tran Dai Quang wrote in a recent article.
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State President Tran Dai Quang. Photo:VGP |
The success will create momentum for Viet Nam to accomplish major tasks in coming years, including candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for 2020-2021 and Chair of ASEAN in 2020.
It could be said that the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week has turned Viet Nam into a center of attention of the world thanks to the presence of all leaders of APEC economies, such as China, the US, Russia and Japan along with more than 11,000 business representatives and local and foreign reporters.
Some 100 bilateral meetings between APEC leaders took place during the Leaders’ Week, a vivid example for the rising position of the Asia-Pacific region on the global political- economic landscape and reflecting the strong commitment of the member economies to APEC cooperation.
A record number of over 4,000 businesses joining the Leaders’ Week illustrated the entrepreneurship spirit of APEC and opened up new prospect for growth, investment, trade in Viet Nam and Asia-Pacific.
With the adoption of eight documents during the week, including the Da Nang Declaration “Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future”, Viet Nam once again made a remarkable stamp on APEC cooperation.
The outcomes of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week also helped elevate the level of APEC cooperation and shape strategic orientations for APEC in the coming years.
The APEC economies agreed to approve Viet Nam’s initiative on establishment of the APEC Vision Group, which would build upon past achievements, addresses unfinished business, and explore new areas of cooperation to better respond to new and emerging challenges and pressing issues in the coming decades.
Viet Nam’s initiative to host APEC-ASEAN dialogue for the first time was also welcomed by the APEC member economies, which reflected the forum’s crucial role as the mechanism for promoting and coordinating ideas and initiatives for economic connectivity.
The APEC Economic Leaders’ Week also contributed to deepening relations between Viet Nam and other APEC member economies. During the week, Viet Nam welcomed first State visit by President Xi Jinping after the 19th China National Party Congress, the first State visit by US President Donald Trump, the State visit by Chile’s President Chile Michelle Bachelet, and the official visit by Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau. Vietnamese high level leaders had nearly 50 bilateral meetings and contacts with partners’ leaders.
State President Quang mentioned the support and close coordination of other APEC member economies during the preparatory process and events, especially the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week. Despite differences, the member economies showed their strong support for the host’s coordination role.
Viet Nam has demonstrated an excellent role as the host of APEC for second time and realized the set goals. Noticeably, the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week brought back practical resources for the country’ socioeconomic development with 121 agreements signed worth nearly US$20 billion and doubling the value of the agreements reached in 2006. This was also a chance to introduce the dynamism, hospitality, peacefulness, economic advantages and potentials of Viet Nam to the wider world.
The APEC Year has also helped improve the capacity of ministries, agencies, localities and business community in the process of international integration and consolidate the foundation of the culture of international integration.
Viet Nam will continue working with APEC member economies to deploy the reached commitments and develop an APEC Vision toward 2020 and beyond to maintain the Asia – Pacific region as the driving force of global growth and economic connectivity while ensuring APEC as the forum for the people and businesses toward sustainable and inclusive development in Asia-Pacific.
The success of the APEC Year 2017 and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week has injected new momentum into the country’s international integration and stimulated national pride, self-reliant spirit and desire to better ourselves, the State President wrote./.
By Huong Giang
