Hanoi (VNA) - Standing Member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat Tran Cam Tu has signed a directive on strengthening and elevating people-to-people diplomacy.
The Secretariat's Directive No. 16-CT/TW, dated November 2, states that nearly five years after the implementation of Directive No. 12-CT/TW, dated January 5, 2022, on strengthening the Party’s leadership and improving the effectiveness of people-to-people diplomacy in the new situation, the work has achieved positive results.
It has helped promote and expand friendly and cooperative relations with people in other countries, enhance Vietnam’s role and standing in regional and international people-to-people mechanisms and forums, and mobilise resources for national development. However, people-to-people diplomacy still faces a number of limitations and shortcomings. Awareness of its strategic position and role remains remains inadequate and lacks depth. Approaches and methods of implementation have been slow to change.
Efforts to mobilise support for Vietnam among people in other countries on several important issues have yet to make significant breakthroughs. Coordination remains insufficient, and resources are fragmented, preventing the political system and the public as a whole from fully harnessing their collective strength.
The directive specifies tasks and solutions to promote people-to-people diplomacy, including continuing to deepen understanding and bring about a strong shift in awareness of the strategic position and role of people-to-people diplomacy as one of the three pillars of foreign affairs, alongside Party diplomacy and State diplomacy, which together form the combined strength of Vietnam’s comprehensive, modern and professional diplomacy.
It underlines that people-to-people diplomacy is a key, regular task of the entire political system and people. People’s organisations, citizens, businesses, entrepreneurs, intellectuals, artists and overseas Vietnamese are at its centre and are the principal actors and direct participants in implementation.
It calls for strengthening the Party’s comprehensive leadership and the State’s unified management, ensuring consistent orientations and close, coordinated and effective cooperation among the three pillars of foreign affairs.
The directive highlights the need to uphold sincerity, trust and mutual respect in relations with people in other countries, placing importance on building trust and long-term relationships. Vietnam will strengthen ties with traditional friends while expanding and deepening relations with partners, particularly neighbouring countries, and comprehensive strategic, strategic and important partners.
At the same time, it also calls for maintaining a global network of support for Vietnam and expanding networks of friends and partners along with renewing thinking on the implementation of people-to-people diplomacy, making far-reaching changes to the methods of implementing people-to-people diplomacy, ensuring that activities are driven by practical needs, and closely linking people-to-people diplomacy with national development tasks and the enhancement of national soft power.
Particularly, the directive points to the need to renew and modernise people-to-people channels of external information, promote the achievements of Doi Moi (Renewal) cause, spread the image of a Vietnam rich in cultural identity, and step up the application of digital technology and artificial intelligence, and make effective use of cyberspace and new media platforms.
At the same time, it is necessary to consolidate organisational structures and coordination mechanisms, and ensure that resources for people-to-people diplomacy are commensurate with the country’s new position and strength, it says.
The directive also details measures to ensure the effective implementation of the tasks and solutions./.
