APEC turns Vietnam into world’s centre of attention: President

The success of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week 2017 in the central coastal city of Da Nang from November 6-11 has brought Vietnam to the centre of the world’s attention, according to President Tran Dai Quang.

President Tran Dai Quang speaking at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting
President Tran Dai Quang speaking at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting

This is an outstanding external achievement obtained by Vietnam this year, contributing to increasing the role of APEC as a leading regional economic cooperation mechanism in a rapidly changing world, as well as marking a new milestone in Vietnam’s implementation of external policies of multilateralism and international integration to foster peace, cooperation and development and increase the country’s position within the global arena, he wrote in an article.

Such achievements gained in APEC Year 2017 will create momentum for Vietnam to accomplish other major tasks in the years to come, including its 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 recent APEC Economic Leaders’ Week has brought Vietnam to the centre of the world’s attention,” he wrote, adding that all of the leaders from the APEC member economies such as the US, China, Russia and Japan gathered at the event in Da Nang along with more than 11,000 delegates, businesspeople, and reporters.

Nearly 100 bilateral meetings between the APEC leaders took place on this occasion, demonstrating the increasing position of the Asian-Pacific region in the global political-economic map, as well as the strong commitments of the member economies to APEC cooperation, he noted.

It also affirms the position of Vietnam in the region and the special attention of other APEC member economies and leaders to the Southeast Asian country.

A record number of more than 4,000 businesses participating in the events illustrated the entrepreneurial spirit of the APEC and affirmed that the forum is for people and enterprises, which opens up new prospects for investment, trade and business growth in Vietnam and Asia-Pacific, he added.

With the adoption of eight documents at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week 2017, including the Da Nang Declaration “Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future”, Vietnam once again created a milestone in APEC cooperation, the President stressed.

The week made significant contributions to deepening the relations between the member economies and Vietnam with historical bilateral meetings, including the first State-level visit to Vietnam by General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and President Xi Jinping after the 19th Congress of the CPC, as well as the first State visit to Vietnam by US President Donald Trump. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Jeria also paid a State visit to Vietnam, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an official visit to Vietnam.

During the week, Vietnamese leaders had nearly 50 bilateral meetings with partners.

This is the second time that Vietnam has played host to the APEC year and fulfilled all of the set targets. The APEC Economic Leaders’ Week also brought benefits to the country’s socio-economic development with a total of 121 signed cooperation agreements and contracts worth nearly US$20 billion, 10 times more than in 2006 – the first time Vietnam hosted the forum.

This is also an occasion for Vietnam to introduce to international friends a country with a dynamic economy and hospitable people.

Following the success of APEC Year 2017, Vietnam will continue accompanying other APEC member economies to implement the reached commitments in the coming years to build the APEC Vision toward 2020, so that the Asia-Pacific region will continue to be a driver of growth and economic connectivity for the globe, as well as ensuring that the forum is for people and businesses in order to realise the strategic vision of a sustainable and inclusive Asia-Pacific partnership, the President concluded.