Prime Minister Chairs Conference on Economic Diplomacy

​(News Portal – Dong Nai) - On the evening of July 18, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a conference with heads of Vietnamese representative offices abroad on economic diplomacy to boost growth in the last six months of the year and in the years to come. ​

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaking at the conference

The conference was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, ministers and leaders of various ministries, agencies, and associations. The conference was broadcast live to Vietnamese representative offices abroad and to 63 provinces and cities nationwide. At the Dong Nai provincial endpoint, Acting Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Vo Tan Duc presided, with representatives from relevant departments and sectors in attendance.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son presented a report on the results of economic diplomacy efforts in the first half of 2024 and the key tasks for the second half of 2024. Accordingly, economic diplomacy has contributed to maintaining a favorable foreign relations landscape for the country's development and enhancing resource attraction to support growth drivers.

Foreign relations have continued to expand, elevate, and upgrade. Efforts to open export markets, negotiate FTAs, and attract investment in new fields such as green economy, energy transition, high-tech agriculture, tourism, and labor have been integrated and concretized into specific commitments and projects in high-level diplomatic activities with major and potential partners. Economic diplomacy has also helped strengthen growth drivers by reviewing the implementation of recently signed trade liberalization agreements, upgrading existing agreements, and proactively negotiating new agreements. Government, ministry, sector, and local leaders have actively engaged with foreign corporations to promote high-quality investment, green economy development, digital economy, and semiconductor industry.

The conference discussed factors affecting Vietnam's economy in the last six months of 2024 and proposed measures to boost traditional growth drivers and enhance economic diplomacy to create breakthroughs in new growth drivers.

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Acting Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Vo Tan Duc reporting at the conference 

Speaking at the conference, Acting Chairman of Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee Vo Tan Duc stated that in recent years the province has consistently focused on expanding international cooperation with countries, localities, and territories worldwide. To date, Dong Nai has established and signed 40 Memorandums of Understanding and international cooperation agreements at the provincial level with 12 countries (including China, South Korea, the USA, Cambodia, Laos, France, Japan, Thailand, Ukraine, Israel, Belgium, and Germany) and has re-signed 13 international cooperation agreements at the provincial level with foreign partners and localities.

Under the motto "Government accompanies businesses," Dong Nai annually organizes meetings with foreign-invested enterprises in the province and holds investment promotion and trade promotion conferences. Additionally, Dong Nai actively participates in international conferences, seminars, and forums organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the first half of 2024, the province's foreign relations and economic diplomacy achieved significant results, including attracting approximately USD 939 million in foreign investment as of June 30, 2024, reaching 85% of the 2024 target (USD 1,100 million) and increasing by 39% compared to the same period last year (USD 678.47 million in the first half of 2023); ranking 7th nationwide and 3rd in the Southeast region. On July 3, 2024, the Prime Minister approved Dong Nai's provincial planning for the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050, providing a crucial legal foundation for the province to implement projects and attract domestic and foreign investors, further promoting economic development.

Currently, Dong Nai is highly focused on solutions to attract high-tech, environmentally friendly projects in three key sectors: aviation technology; semiconductor technology, chip production and artificial intelligence (AI); automation equipment and information technology equipment.

In his directive speech at the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that in the first six months of the year, we achieved our goal of stabilizing the macroeconomy, controlling inflation, promoting growth, and ensuring the major balances of the economy. This success is due to the concerted efforts of the entire political system, the leadership of the Party, the involvement of businesses and the people, and the support and cooperation of international friends based on harmonious interests and shared risks. 

Online conference points 

For the key tasks in the last six months of the year, the Prime Minister directed the continued implementation of high-level diplomatic activities in a synchronized, effective, and substantive manner, leveraging resources for development. The focus should be on three strategic breakthroughs as per the spirit of the 13th Party Congress Resolution: firstly, infrastructure breakthroughs, including transportation, socio-economic, healthcare, education, culture, sports, achieving the goal of 3,000 km of expressways by 2025, enhancing railway renovation, constructing expressways, major ports, aviation, digital, and green infrastructure, and combating climate change; secondly, institutional breakthroughs to improve law-making quality, enhancing the attractiveness of the investment and business environment; thirdly, enhancing human resource quality, vocational training skills, considering science and technology and innovation as growth drivers.

Promote traditional growth drives and focus on new growth drivers such as the digital economy, green economy, and circular economy. Strengthen technology diplomacy, mobilize international resources for transitions, especially digital transition, green transition, and energy transition; promote the establishment of cooperation frameworks and attract investment in strategic sectors like the semiconductor industry, renewable energy, green hydrogen, artificial intelligence... Effectively utilize resources from experts, intellectuals, and overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs. Additionally, localities and businesses should proactively connect and coordinate with Vietnamese representative offices abroad, focusing on products and sectors with local strengths and competitive advantages.