In his presentation titled “Sincerity, trust and responsibility for a better world”, PM Chinh recalled that 77 years ago, President Ho Chi Minh opened the Declaration of Independence with the immortal truth: “All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the CSIS

According to the PM, this is also the spirit of the Declaration of Independence of the US in 1776.

“After nearly three decades of normalising relations, the relationship between Vietnam and the US has borne fruit with sincerity, trust and responsibility as well as sympathy, sharing and mutual respect to achieve the goals of the two countries and their people,” he said.

“The two sides have overcome their differences and achieved fundamental principles for bilateral relations, as affirmed in the Vietnam-US Joint Vision Statement when General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong visited the US in 2015, which emphasises respect for each other's political institutions, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”

Reviewing the normalisation process of the two countries, PM Chinh shared three key issues, including Vietnam’s viewpoint about the current world; the role of sincerity, trust and responsibility in the current world with a lot of changes; and what we need to do to show sincerity and enhance trust and responsibility for a better world.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh spoke highly of the cooperation opportunities between Vietnam and the US

Pointing out advantages and disadvantages the world is facing, PM Chinh said we need to fully acknowledge both opportunities, advantages, difficulties and challenges for peace, cooperation and development in a world that is changing significantly. Challenges and difficulties seem to outweigh the advantages, requiring cooperation efforts to effectively handle them. “Peace, security and development of a nation affect neighbouring countries, the region and the world. The interests of each country and each nation need to harmonise with and respect the legitimate and legal interests of other countries on the basis of international laws and the United Nations Charter”.

He affirmed that all countries and nations wish for a better world, for the peaceful and happy life of all people. Therefore, special attention should be placed on the human factor, considering human beings as the centre, the subject, the target and the motivation for development, and all cooperation and partnership in international integration are directed towards the people.  

According to the PM, sincerity, trust and responsibility play an important role in dealing with issues facing the world. More than ever, we need to speed up the construction and strengthening of sincerity and trust between countries. Also, each country needs to act responsibly by initially fulfilling their commitments and abiding by international laws and the UN charter, respecting the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as political institutions of each country.

Members of the Vietnamese delegation visit the CSIS

Stressing that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an example demonstrating the value of the sincerity, trust and responsibility in contributing to dealing with regional and global issues, PM Chinh affirmed: “As an active and responsible member of ASEAN and the international community, Vietnam always strives to contribute to dialogue and cooperation, and is willing to play a proactive and active role in accordance with its potential and position.”

“Vietnam's development aspiration is associated with the aspiration for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. I wish the US and partners will cooperate and support Việt Nam in realising that strategic vision, saying that this will open up great opportunities for more comprehensive and deeper cooperation between Việt Nam and the US and other countries,” he said.

The PM said green growth, technological innovation and digital transformation are fields in which the US is leading the world. The US is also the world’s leading economy with a large-scale, rich and diversified market, creating a good foundation to promote the diversification of the global value chain. The collaboration between the strengths of the US in these important fields and the active and proactive international integration of Vietnam will open up great opportunities for cooperation between the two countries and their business communities in the future.

Earlier, PM Chinh received WB Director General Axel Van Trotsenburg; Chief Strategy Officer and Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development of Boeing Company Marc Allen; and leaders of the Asia Group, Blackstone, GenX and AES.

At the meetings, PM Chinh welcomed and spoke highly of their cooperation proposals. He also clarified some issues of interests of the WB and US corporations in order to promote and improve their cooperation efficiency with Vietnam.