Hanoi (VNA) – National development has been promoted in both quality and quantity over the 10 years ofimplementing the Politburo’s resolution on international integration, but thereremains huge room for Vietnam to further integrate into the world, said PrimeMinister Pham Minh Chinh.

The PM, who is also head of thesteering committee for the plan on reviewing the 10-year implementation of thePolitburo’s Resolution 22-NQ/TW on international integration, made the remarkswhile chairing the committee’s first meeting on August 2.

He noted that the resolution, issuedby the 11th-tenure Politburo on April 10, 2013, marked an importantshift in the Party and State’s mindset about Vietnam’s integration into theworld, from “international economic integration” to “proactive, active,comprehensive, intensive, and effective integration into the world” in allaspects, including politics, defence, security, culture, society, science -technology, and education - training.

Under the resolution, since 2013, Vietnamhas upgraded its relations with seven countries to strategic partnershipsor comprehensive strategic partnerships, and with seven others to thecomprehensive partnerships, raising the number of countries with which it has strategicor comprehensive partnerships to 33, including all superpowers in the world.

It has also officially taken part inUN peacekeeping operations, deeply engaged in many new-generation andhigh-standard free trade agreements and trade connections such as theComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)and the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreemen (EVFTA), thus helping create favourableforeign relations for national development.

PMChinh noted that the resolution implementation has brought about big changes,elaborating that the awareness of the issue has been improved withinternational integration identified as a task of the entire people andpolitical system; actions made in a more proactive, comprehensive and intensivemanner; the quality and quantity of development promoted; the country’spolitical stature and strength enhanced; external relations expanded; and GDPalmost doubling compared to 10 years ago.

Perceiving that there remains hugeroom for Vietnam’s integration into the world, he pointed out several lessons forthe process.

Accordingly, internationalintegration holds strategic significance and is a task of the entire people andpolitical system, with people and businesses acting as the centre, key players,resources, and momentum for the process.

Integration into the world containsboth opportunities and challenges, and this is a difficult but compulsory task, the PM said, stressing that it is necessary to properly handle the relationship between independence, self-reliance and intensive, comprehensive and effective international integration;and to optimise internal resources and make use of external ones.

"Internationalintegration must be viewed as an important impetus for innovation anddevelopment. Besides, the process must be carried out in tandem with improvingthe country’s self-reliance, competitiveness, resilience, and adaptability toexternal changes," PM Chinh emphasised.

TheGovernment leader underlined the need to grasp the domestic and internationalsituations; “utilise the invariables in response to variables” for the sake ofnational interests; and strongly combine integration in different fields, witheconomic integration being the focus.

As there isn’t much time left beforethe deadline for the steering committee to complete the review and report tothe Politburo, he asked the committee to hasten fulfilling their duties topropose the Politburo issue a document on directions for internationalintegration for the coming time./.