Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

He made the remark in an interview to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the Lunar New Year Festival 2023 and the 93rd anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) (February 3).

Pointing out unexpected difficulties in 2022, he said the world has witnessed fast, complicated, unpredictable, and unprecedented developments. Vietnam has had to step up socio-economic development and recovery and deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, seasonal diseases, and natural disasters.

In that context, with the entire political system’s consensus and determination, the country has achieved and surpassed 14 of its 15 targets. Its GDP growth has reached about 8%, higher than the target of 6-6.5%. The main sectors of the economy have recovered and developed strongly. State budget revenue increased 20% from 2021 while total investment in society rose 12.5%, with US$22 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) disbursed, up 16%. Total export and import value went up 10% year on year to hit a record of US$740 billion, helping the country remain one of the top 25 economies in terms of trade. Besides, many big cultural, sports, and entertainment events, especially the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), have been held successfully.

The Party leader emphasised that Vietnam has gradually surmounted difficulties and challenges to successfully and comprehensively carry its duties. This is a huge impetus for the country to enter the year 2023 with new trust, new morale, and new determination to continue developing rapidly and sustainably.

He affirmed that thanks to the good implementation of the Party and political system building and rectification, as well as the enhanced fight against corruption and negative phenomena, Vietnam has firmly maintained political and social stability, boosted socio-economic recovery and development, expanded external relations, and strengthened the people and international friends’ trust.

With its activeness and high sense of responsibility, the country has served in many international positions, including non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council and membership of the UN Human Rights Council. It has also deployed hundreds of officers to UN peacekeeping missions.

In addition, Vietnam has taken part in the settlement of many important international issues. Its voice, initiatives, and sensible settlement measures based on equality, friendship, humanity, and international law have won support from the international community, General Secretary Trong noted.

He went on to say that the recent official visit to China by the high-ranking CPV delegation was not only an event of special importance to Vietnam and China, but also drew great public attention.

Party and State leaders’ visits to other countries and participation in regional and international forums such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), as well as incoming visits by foreign leaders reflected a vibrant picture in the external relations front, and a big step forward in the implementation of the Party’s external policy in both bilateral and multilateral aspects, creating a favourable international environment for speeding up industrialisation, modernisation and socio-economic development.

The Party General Secretary asserted that there will be more difficulties and challenges in the time to come, requiring the country to be vigilant, continue to effectively control the COVID-19 pandemic and emerging epidemics, and focus resources on socio-economic recovery and development.

Particularly, he stressed the need to continue maintaining macro-economic stability, reining in inflation and ensuring major balances of the economy. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the prevention of and fight against corruption and negative phenomena, along with consolidating defence and security, firmly safeguarding national independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and ensuring political security and social order and safety. The leader also underlined the need to actively promote comprehensive and intensive international integration and improve the efficiency of external affairs.

The Party chief emphasised that amidst rapid and unpredictable changes in the world, although facing many difficulties, Vietnam, with great consensus and solidarity and high determination of the whole Party, people and armed forces, will be sure to successfully implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, making the country stronger and more prosperous, being on a par with world powers as President Ho Chi Minh once wished.

On the occasion of the New Year – the Year of the Cat, and the 93rd founding anniversary of the CPV, General Secretary Trong, on behalf of Party and State leaders, wished all people, soldiers and overseas Vietnamese as well as international friends a year of good health, happiness, and success.

VNA

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