General Secretary and President: Vietnam maintains good relations with the US and China
(Dan Tri) - General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed that Vietnam maintains good relations with major countries to jointly address important and essential issues.
On May 29, General Secretary and President To Lam gave his first interview to international media in his current capacity, affirming that Vietnam maintains good relations with major countries to jointly resolve important and essential issues.
Vietnam has been maintaining good relations with both the US and China
In an interview with Reuters reporters on the sidelines of the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue taking place in Singapore, General Secretary and President To Lam stated Vietnam's policy of not cooperating with one country to harm or create difficulties for another.
Regarding US-China relations, the General Secretary and President noted that competition among major countries is an objective reality. Vietnam does not approach relations with major countries through a security lens, nor does it choose sides. Therefore, Vietnam has been maintaining good relations with both the US and China, bringing benefits to all parties while contributing to regional peace and stability.
Regarding relations with China in particular, General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed that Vietnam and China are two neighboring countries with a long-standing close relationship. Currently, the two countries are implementing substantive cooperation in many important fields.
Vietnam's policy is to continue developing good relations with China, as China possesses all the elements of a priority partner in Vietnam's foreign policy: a neighboring country, an important partner, and a nation with many shared interests and similarities with Vietnam.
According to General Secretary and President To Lam, maintaining peaceful, stable, developing, and responsible relations with China not only benefits both countries but also contributes significantly to regional peace and stability.
Regarding the East Sea issue, General Secretary and President To Lam reaffirmed Vietnam's clear and consistent stance of resolutely protecting sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).
The General Secretary and President emphasized that maintaining good relations with China, protecting sovereignty, and resolving issues in the East Sea are complementary goals, not mutually exclusive.
Vietnam is determined to achieve double-digit growth target
When asked about the double-digit economic growth target, General Secretary and President To Lam said that Vietnam's development aspiration is a common aspiration of the entire nation. Vietnam has set a clear goal: to become a developed, high-income country by 2045. This goal has been set for many years and continuously affirmed, including in the Political Report of the 14th National Congress of the Party.
According to General Secretary and President To Lam, to become a developed, high-income country by 2045, international experience and development laws show that Vietnam needs to maintain a growth rate of double digits, i.e., at least 10% or more. This issue has been carefully researched and considered.
Vietnam fully recognizes that this is an ambitious and very challenging goal. However, determined to achieve it, Vietnam has been implementing many important practical solutions.
General Secretary and President To Lam said that Vietnam has reassessed its national capacity and redefined its development and growth model. This model must be built on the foundation of self-reliance, self-strengthening, and strategic autonomy. Vietnam has reviewed all resources for development, which gives Vietnam a solid basis for optimism.
According to the General Secretary and President, what gives Vietnam confidence is the very high determination of the entire political system: the strong commitment of the Party and State, the broad consensus of the people, and the active participation of the business community, producers, the private sector, workers, and farmers.
Vietnam has broad social consensus on this ambitious goal. General Secretary and President To Lam added that when setting the above goal, Vietnam had not yet faced some difficulties as it does now. However, many challenges were anticipated, including global political instability, difficulties in the global economy, supply chain disruptions, energy pressures, and fluctuations in international markets.
Nevertheless, based on the development trajectory in recent years, the country remains optimistic. According to the General Secretary and President, Vietnam has implemented many new measures and is building a new development and growth model for the current period: a model based on high-quality human resources, the strength of the Vietnamese people, the spirit of self-reliance, self-strengthening, innovative thinking, along with science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation.
Vietnam has carefully studied the development experience of successful countries and converted those lessons into specific policies. At the same time, Vietnam has reviewed its institutional system, identified bottlenecks, and is undertaking necessary reforms to remove barriers to growth and better serve long-term development goals.
The actual results achieved in 2025 and especially in the first six months of 2026 show that, although there are still difficulties and some adjustments are needed, the core goals are within reach.
Regarding the question of whether Vietnam will adjust its growth target, General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed that Vietnam will not adjust this target downward. Vietnam is steadfast not only with the 2026 growth target but also with maintaining that growth trajectory in the following years, because only then can the country achieve the development milestones it has set.
General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized that Vietnam's vision does not stop at 2045. Vietnam is planning for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the country and for the next century of development, with even greater aspirations for the future.
