Hanoi (VNA) – What Vietnam has achieved in 2017have created important prerequisites for the country to continue implementingsuccessfully objectives and tasks set by the 12th National Congressof the Communist Party of Vietnam.

The statement was made by President Tran Dai Quang while granting an interview tothe press on the threshold of the New Year 2018.

He said 2017 was the first time in many yearsVietnam had met and surpassed all 13 socio-economic development goals set bythe National Assembly. The macro-economy was stable, inflation was controlled,and budget collection and major balances of the economy met their respectivetargets. 

While GDP grew at 6.81 percent, export-importreached the highest-ever turnover of 425 billion USD and a record of over 33billion USD of foreign direct investment was attracted.

He also highlighted encouraging attainments insocial affairs, particularly poverty reduction and health care, enhanceddefence and security, and ensured political security and social order andsafety, along with significant outcomes in the building of the Party and thepolitical system.

“The relatively comprehensive achievements indifferent fields helped reinforce trust, create an excited atmosphere in theentire society, and provide a favourable momentum for the country to continuedeveloping sustainably,” President Quang said.

He also described 2017 as a special year inVietnam’s diplomatic history, underlining the huge success of the APEC Year2017, with its peak being the 25th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting.

As the host of the Year, the country made ahistoric milestone in the economic-political connection progress inAsia-Pacific while showing its stature, firmness and wisdom.

The APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in the centralcity of Da Nang on November 6-11 turned Vietnam into the focus of the world’sattention. It saw the presence of all leaders of the APEC economies, theleaders of the guest nations of Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, and more than11,000 delegates. Over 21,000 people attended activities of the APEC Year 2017. 

That showed Vietnam’s great strategic positionand role in the region, the member economies’ commitment to APEC cooperation,and the international community’s interest in APEC and Vietnam, President Quangsaid.

He told the press that what Vietnam achieved inthe APEC Year 2017 also laid a foundation for the country to elevate bilateralrelations with partners. Historic visits and tens of talks and bilateralmeetings took place during the Week. Particularly, General Secretary of theCommunist Party of China and President of China Xi Jinping paid a State visitshortly after the party’s 19th national congress. Meanwhile, Donald Trumpbecame the first US President to make a State visit to Vietnam in the firstyear of the term.

In 2017, Vietnam bolstered cooperation withneighbouring, regional and major countries as well as nations it hastraditional ties with, the leader noted, adding that leaders of Vietnam andother countries made a number of mutual visits. Notably, there were tens ofhigh-level visits between Vietnam and leading regional and global nations. Itwas the first time in history Vietnam had welcomed the leaders of China and theUS on their State visits in one day.

Amid the global economy’s unstable recovery andgrowing trade protectionism, Vietnam strongly promoted economic, trade andinvestment ties with other countries in both bilateral and multilateral aspectsand greatly helped with the shaping of economic-trade connections in theregion. During the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, the country played an activerole in maintaining and promoting the negotiation on the Comprehensive andProgressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

🐻[Infographics: VN's top ten domestic events in 2017 selected by Vietnam News Agency]

Meanwhile, in ASEAN, Vietnam paid a criticalcontribution to the enhancement of solidarity, consensus and common voice inthe region’s strategic issues. Security-defence dialogue and cooperationmechanisms with neighbouring, regional and major countries, Vietnam’s activeengagement in multilateral forums on security-defence, and its participation inUN peacekeeping operations increased the political trust between Vietnam andother countries, thus helping to raise the nation’s standing and prestige inthe international arena.

In addition to hailing the country’s remarkableachievements in domestic and external affairs, the President pointed outshortcomings that need to be addressed in the coming time such as low growthquality, cumbersome administrative procedures, corruption, wastefulness andnegative phenomena, inefficient investment projects, and snail-speedrestructuring in agriculture, industry and services.

He also mentioned wasteful use of natural resources, environmental pollution inrural areas and craft villages, natural disasters, along with child abuse anddomestic violence. The life of ethnic minority people in remote and naturaldisaster prone areas is still difficult.

The National Assembly has approved main socio-economicdevelopment targets for 2018, including striking a GDP growth of 6.5-6.7percent, ensuring macro economic stability, curbing inflation, reforming growthmodel in lien with economic restructuring, and improving growth quality, labourproductivity and economic competitiveness, he said.

According to the State leader, Vietnam holds great potentialfor further development thanks to its socio-political stability, increasingprestige in the global arena, and significant accomplishments after over 30years of “Doi moi” (reform).

He called for stronger solidarity and self-reliance totap opportunities and overcome challenges to develop the country as well asprotect the national independence, sovereignty, unification and territorialintegrity.

Mentioning the fight against corruption andwastefulness, President Quang said many serious cases were brought into lightand strictly handled in 2017 thanks to the drastic direction of the CommunistParty of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, the Politburo, the Steering Committeeon corruption prevention, the efforts of competent agencies and the support ofpeople.

Preventing corruption and wastefulness will continueto be a key task of the country in 2018 and the following years, he stressed.

It is necessary to implement more effectivelyresolutions adopted at the fourth meetings of the CPV Central Committee in the11th and 12th tenures on strengthening the Partybuilding, he said.

Each official and Party member must take the lead incorruption and wastefulness prevention and the fight against crimes, includingeconomic and corrupt ones, contributing to building strong and transparent Party,State and political system, he added.

On the threshold of the New Year, President Quang wishedall people at home and abroad good health, happiness and success.

He called on people to promote patriotism and greatnational unity to boost the country’s sustainable development and nationaldefence.-VNA