Network of partners to enhance Vietnam's position and power

From its geostrategic center position, Vietnam is successfully building an unprecedented global partnership network, laying a solid foundation for the era of national rise in the international arena.

General Secretary To Lam and Indonesian President - Chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Prabowo Subianto on March 10 - Photo: VNA

In its diplomatic journey, Vietnam has reached a new peak by upgrading relations with three strategic partners in just the first quarter of 2025.

With 12 Comprehensive Strategic Partners ranging from the US to China, from Russia to Japan (in a total of 34 countries with Comprehensive Partners or above), Vietnam's diplomatic network has reached an unprecedented level since the Doi Moi period.

This is not only an impressive number but also a testament to Vietnam's soft power and growing position on the international stage.

Be proactive in a changing world

Vietnam's proactive expansion and upgrading of its network of strategic partnerships stems from the country's own needs and reflects current objective trends in the world.

In a rapidly multipolarizing world in transition from the old order to the new, factors of instability and uncertainty are increasingly emerging. That is why most countries, large and small, are seeking to increase their strategic autonomy.

For small and medium-sized countries in the Asia-Pacific region, instead of choosing sides with any major country or group of major countries, the common policy choice is to increase diversification of partnerships.

Vietnam is not outside that trend. Consistently implementing an independent, self-reliant, multilateral and diversified foreign policy, Vietnam has so far built a network of relations from Comprehensive Partnership level and above with a total of 34 countries, including 12 Comprehensive Strategic Partners.

In particular, the 13th Party Congress term was the period when Vietnam successfully raised and upgraded relations to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the most countries.

"Rich because of you"

General Secretary To Lam said that the Vietnamese people have a tradition of "being rich because of friends". The network of strategic and comprehensive partnerships consisting of 34 countries plays an extremely important role in Vietnam's security, development and position interests.

This network includes all major countries, all 5 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, all G7 countries, 18/20 G20 countries, all ASEAN countries. This network of partners accounts for 59% of the population, 61% of GDP, 68% of global trade.

From an economic perspective, these partners account for 8/10 major export markets with over 60% of total export value; 9/10 major import markets with over 75% of total import value; 76% of total tourist arrivals; contributing 74% of FDI in Vietnam. In the new era of development, the development resources that Vietnam can take advantage of from this network of partners are extremely important.

Especially in the context of fierce strategic competition between major powers, Vietnam is the only country in the world that, within just 9 months from the end of 2023 to mid-2024, has welcomed the heads of state of the three most influential powers in the world - US President Joe Biden (September 2023), Chinese President Xi Jinping (December 2023) and Russian President Putin (June 2024) - on state visits.

These are three comprehensive strategic partners with strategic weight at the world level, and are Vietnam's top priority partners in the economic, trade, political, and defense-security aspects. Through that, countries can clearly feel the image of a sincere, responsible, and loyal Vietnam.

With the correct guidelines and proactive, strategic steps of the Party and State, Vietnam will continue to promote and best protect national interests, while making more active contributions to peace, cooperation and development in the region as well as in the world.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mang-luoi-doi-tac-nang-tam-the-va-luc-viet-nam-20250313081857165.htm