Q: The APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is considered as a significant foreign affairs event of Vietnam in 2017. What are the difficulties faced in ensuring the security and safety for this special event?
A: APEC gathers 21 economies, including many of the world’s leading economies, such as the United States, China and Japan. Identified as a driving force for global growth and connectivity, the forum represents 39% of the world’s population, whilst contributing to 57% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 49% of the world’s trade. This will be the second time that Vietnam has hosted the APEC Summit (first in 2006), which is also part of the country’s external focus in 2017, aimed at implementing the guidelines of the 12th National Party Congress. It can be said that Vietnam has many advantages and opportunities, but also faces difficulties and challenges in terms of the work towards ensuring security and safety. The political and security situation in the region and the world is proceeding in a complicated manner, leading to increasing traditional and non-traditional security challenges, notably including regional hot spots; sea, island and territorial disputes; terrorism and transnational crime.
The APEC Year 2017, under the theme of “Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future”, features an array of events throughout the year, with 20 major conferences and 150 meetings of working groups and experts that take place in 10 centrally run cities and provinces across the country. Da Nang is the first city, beyond Hanoi, to be granted the honour of hosting such a high-level and large-scale event as the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. Holding a strategic position in the central region, Da Nang possesses both favorable factors and difficulties in the task of ensuring security and safety for the APEC Summit.
The APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is the most important event of the APEC Year 2017, with the attendance of leaders from APEC economies and guests, especially the heads of states, such as those from the United States, China, Russia and Japan; therefore, the protection level will be at the highest level. The scale of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting will be more than 10,000 people, including delegates and servants, with the events to take place in many locations and large areas, stretching over 10 km along the sea route, thus posing a high demand for security and safety work. The foreign delegations, which came to examine venues for the Meeting’s events, showed their deep interests in the host country’s measures that have been devised to ensure the security and safety.
Q: What are the Party and State’s direction guidelines and viewpoints towards the work to ensure the security and safety for the APEC Year 2017?
A: The APEC Year 2017, especially the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, can be considered as the largest international event of the year in Vietnam, and is a focus in Vietnam’s foreign policy, aiming to implement the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress on the guideline of facilitating Vietnam’s extensive international integration and elevating the country’s multilateral diplomacy. The Party and State leaders have paid special attention to and directed the preparation and organisation of the APEC Year 2017. Speaking at the eighth plenary session of the APEC 2017 National Committee in Hanoi on June 22, 2017, President Tran Dai Quang requested that the preparations for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting must be thorough in all aspects, respectful, thoughtful, efficient, economical and safe.
Vietnam’s preparations for the APEC Year 2017 were kickstarted in mid-2015, with the establishment of the National Committee on APEC 2017, headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh; the APEC 2017 National Secretariat; and the five Sub-committees of the National Committee, in charge of the contents, reception, communication and culture, material and logistics, and security and health care. So far, the APEC 2017 National Committee have convened nine meetings and conducted the preliminary review of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting’s activities in Da Nang, from September 30 to October 1.
The Sub-committee in charge of security and health care is chaired by a Deputy Minister of Public Security and composed of key members from the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health and the relevant localities, serving the task of ensuring the absolute security and safety for delegates and events of the APEC Year 2017, particularly the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Da Nang. The Central Public Security Party Committee and the leaders of the Public Security Ministry have identified this as the key task of the public security work in 2017. The Minister of Public Security emphasised this task at a meeting to implement the ministry’s work in 2017, requesting that the public security forces of units and localities thoroughly grasp and seriously implement the tasks throughout the year of 2017, aiming to ensure proactivity in all situations and maintain political stability and a safe and secure environment for activities of the APEC Year 2017.
Q: The APEC Year 2017 is entering its final stage, the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, next month. How has the protection work for APEC conferences and events been implemented over the last few months?
A: Implementing the directions of the Party and State leaders and the APEC 2017 National Committee, the Sub-committee in charge of security and health care has made urgent and active efforts to implement its activities immediately following its establishment. The Minister of Public Security issued a decision to set up the ministry’s sub-committee for the APEC 2017 security and order in May 2016, in order to focus on directing and mobilising forces and means to perform the task; as well as to work closely with affiliates of the Sub-committee in charge of APEC 2017 security and health care and the relevant agencies in safeguarding the conferences and events within the framework of the APEC Year 2017. The Minister has promulgated Directive No. 05/CT-BCA on strengthening the work to ensure security and order for the APEC Year 2017, particularly the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting.
To date, the Sub-committee in charge of APEC 2017 security and health care and the Public Security Ministry’s APEC security and order sub-committee have worked closely with other Sub-committees of the APEC 2017 National Committee, in addition to agencies, units and localities, to ensure the absolute security and safety for six ministerial-level conferences and senior officials’ meetings, alongside more than 120 meetings at all levels in eight provinces and cities. The police units have offered a lot of consultations and contributions to the organisation of conferences and events within the APEC Year 2017, whilst creating favorable conditions, in terms of exit and entry formalities, for delegates, goods and relevant means. They have also strengthened their combat against sabotage plots of hostile forces, terrorists and criminals; whilst proactively devising measures to respond to demonstrations, riots, terrorism, fire and kidnapping of hostages, as well as to manage foreigners, weapons, explosives and residence. Public security agencies have also coordinated with military units in firmly guarding the airspace, sea, borders and the strategic regions of the North West, Central Highlands and South West; ensuring cyber security and safety and information systems; and ensuring urban hygiene and food hygiene and safety. Up to now, the events within the framework of the APEC Year 2017 have taken place with absolute security and safety, receiving high appreciation from the Party and State leaders as well as international friends.
Q: What are the directions that the Sub-committee in charge of APEC security and health care will focus on in the time ahead, especially in ensuring security and safety for the upcoming APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting?
A: In the time ahead, the Sub-committee in charge of APEC 2017 security and health care, and the Public Security Ministry’s sub-committee for APEC 2017 security and order, will focus on reviewing, supplementing and finalising the measures needed to safeguard the remaining conferences and events of the APEC Year 2017, particularly the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meetings; whilst ensuring proactivity to prevent any incidents from affecting the conferences. They will work closely and regularly with the APEC 2017 National Secretariat, Sub-committees of the APEC 2017 National Committee and the relevant units, particularly the Da Nang authorities and the army force, to agree on the issues of reception, logistics, inspection of security and safety at locations, and means in service of the Economic Leaders’ Meeting, as well as to provide training for the forces who will get involved in serving the Meeting.
In addition, the two sub-committees will focus on directing public security units to strengthen their combat against crimes, collaborate closely and support the Da Nang police in safeguarding the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, and enhance their coordination with the police and security forces of APEC member countries, Interpol and Aseanpol in exchanging information and handling the security issues that may affect the Meeting.
The Sub-committee for APEC 2017 security and health care will conduct an anti-terrorism and hostage rescue drill later this month, whilst arranging forces to participate in and safeguard the overall review of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting’s activities.
It can be said that under the direction of the Party Central Committee, the State President and the Prime Minister, together with the active and responsible participation of the whole political system, ministries, sectors and localities, and the support of the people, Vietnam is now fully prepared for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting 2017.
Thank you very much!
