The words of praise were offered by Deputy Prime Minister cum Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at a meeting with press agencies hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday morning for the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year 2018.
Deputy PM Minh said that 2017 was a very successful year in all areas of politics, economics and diplomacy. In particular, the foreign affairs sector recorded the most successful results in recent years, receiving high praise in international media.
According to the minister, Vietnam's foreign relations successes in 2017 were contributed to by the spread of news coverage not only in the country but also around the world. Notably, the press has actively transmitted positive images of Vietnam to international friends via the triumph of APEC Year 2017, hosted by Vietnam for the second time.
A large section of the Vietnamese media joined events of the APEC 2017 Year, especially the APEC Economic Leaders' Week in Da Nang last November. A lot of articles, images, and information related to APEC published in local newspapers have been quoted by international media, showing that the Vietnamese press has maximised its role as the host country of APEC 2017.
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Reporters carry out their work at the International Media Centre during APEC Economic Leaders' Week in Da Nang last November. (Photo: cand.com.vn)
According to preliminary figures, during the APEC Economic Leaders' Week, Vietnamese media reported more than 4,500 high quality articles, helping the image of Vietnam to thrive in the eyes of international friends, said Minh.
Another success of Vietnam’s diplomacy in 2017 was that Vietnam welcomed a range of high-level delegations of foreign leaders making official visits to the country, as well as visits by Vietnamese high-ranking delegations abroad. Deputy PM Minh revealed that more than fifty top leaders of foreign countries were welcomed to Vietnam in 2017.
He praised the press for their role in observing and providing full coverage of all the above visits, especially the two high profile visits on the same day by Chinese President cum General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump.
In addition, the media also actively supports the activities of Vietnamese representative missions abroad in protecting its citizens' rights, as well as facilitating the obligations of consular offices, thus helping people understand the external relations task not only within the country but also in targeting Vietnamese citizens around the world.
