The 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations is a critical moment forVietnam and the US to reflect upon the past and look forward to a betterfuture for both countries as well as for peace, cooperation anddevelopment in the Asia-Pacific and the world at large.
Pham BinhMinh, member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee,Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, made the statement in hisarticle on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Vietnam-USdiplomatic ties (July 12).
Following is the full text of the article:
“20years is a long period for one's lifetime. Yet, it is merely a fleetingmoment in the history of relations between nations. Few people couldhave imagined that Vietnam and the United States would make such greatstrides in their bilateral ties after two decades of normalizedrelations. The 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations is a criticalmoment for us to reflect upon the past and look forward to a betterfuture for both countries as well as for peace, cooperation anddevelopment in the Asia-Pacific and the world at large.
Strong impetus to the Comprehensive Partnership
Atthe time of normalization of relations in 1995, Vietnam was known tomost Americans as a war rather than a country. Today, the word "Vietnam"has become familiar in the daily life of Americans. Vietnamese goods,from agricultural produce and footwear to other consumer staples aresold in most major US stores. In the past 20 years, especially since thesigning of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in 2000, economic andtrade ties between the two countries have really taken off. From amodest figure of 400 million USD in 1994, bilateral trade increased by90 folds to 36.3 billion USD in 2014. With 30.6 billion USD export tothe United States in 2014, Vietnam became ASEAN's number one exporter tothe U.S. market. Vietnam even surpassed India and joined the list oftop 10 net exporters to the world's largest consumer market.
Duringthe last 5 years, the U.S. jumped from the 11th to the 7th largestinvestor in Vietnam with a total capital of 11 billion USD. Some U.S.major groups have moved their "production base" to Vietnam while othersare planning to follow suit. This opens up the prospect for the U.S. tobecome the largest investor in the country, a target set out byAmbassador Ted Osius. It is expected the economic ties between Vietnamand the U.S. will even skyrocket in the near future with the conclusionof the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Such giant steps forwardin economic cooperation are accompanied by the upward trend inscience-technology and education cooperation. Vietnam - U.S. cooperationin key industries ranging from wind power and aerospace research topeaceful use of nuclear energy has seen new progresses, especiallyfollowing the U.S. Congress' ratification of the Agreement on CivilNuclear Energy Cooperation (123 Agreement) in 2014. The number ofVietnamese students studying in the U.S. has increased by 34 times from500 students in 1995 to 17,000 students at present. As such, Vietnam isthe top country in ASEAN and the eighth in the world having studentsstudying in the U.S.. Vietnam and the U.S. are also working on theproject to establish the Fulbright University in Vietnam.
Beyondthese impressive figures, the two countries have step by step overcomesuspicion and disagreement to constantly deepen political ties andmutual understanding. Since 2000, Vietnam and the U.S. have exchangedsix high-level visits, during which leaders from both sides adopted fourJoint Statements in 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2013. In particular, under theJoint Statement between President Truong Tan Sang and President Obama,the Vietnam - U.S. Comprehensive Partnership was defined to cover nineareas of cooperation, thus opening up a new chapter of relations withadded substance. The contacts and meetings between leaders of bothcountries on the sidelines of multilateral events have become morefrequent. From only one dialogue on POW/MIA issues, the two countrieshave established more than 10 dialogue mechanisms, including veryimportant ones such as Regular Ministerial Dialogue, the Political -Security - Defense Dialogue, Defense Policy Dialogue, Asia-PacificStrategic Dialogue and Human Rights Dialogue.
Leaving the past behind and looking to the future while respecting differences
Itis not easy to shelf the past, especially one deeply engraved withscars of war. Yet, with a forward-looking mindset, Vietnam and the U.S.have been making great efforts to move beyond the past and togethershape the future. With the spirit of benevolence and humanity, Vietnamhas been working actively with the U.S. in search for missing soldiers.To date, approximately 950 remains of fallen American soldiers have beenrecovered, among which 700 remains have been identified. The U.S. hasalso provided over 300 dossiers to help retrieve the remains of morethan 1,000 Vietnamese soldiers. It also provided 100 million USD fordioxin clean-up in Da Nang and 80 million USD for removal of unexplodedordinance. Although much remains to be done, the efforts made by bothsides have significantly contributed to healing the wounds of war,promoting reconciliation and building trust between the two nations.
Obviously,disagreements and differences still exist between Vietnam and the U.S.,particularly on the issues of democracy and human rights. What isimportant is that both sides have clearly shown respect for differencesand engaged in candid and open dialogues to narrow down disagreementsand foster cooperation. To date, 19 human rights dialogues have beenconducted, and both Vietnam and the U.S. are currently members of the UNHuman Rights Council.
Vietnam and the United States in the "Asia Century"
Itis predicted that the 21st century will be the Asia century. If that istrue, the trans-Pacific ties between the U.S. and Asian countries,including its comprehensive partnership with Vietnam, will becontributing factors to shape the region's future.
Beyond thebilateral sphere, Vietnam - U.S. relations have made increasinglyimportant contributions to peace, cooperation and development in theAsia-Pacific and worldwide. From the arrangements with ASEAN centralitysuch as the EAS, ARF, ADMM+ to larger fora such as APEC and the UN,Vietnam and the U.S. are working closely together on various issues,ranging from non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, climatechange response, water security to UN peace-keeping operations.
Withthe ASEAN Community's coming into being later this year, both sides aremoving towards an ASEAN-U.S. Strategic Partnership. Vietnam willcontinue to play an important role in ASEAN-U.S. ties, especially inboosting the implementation of the E3 Initiative (Expanded EconomicEngagement Initiative) and TIFA (Trade and Investment FrameworkAgreement) between ASEAN and the U.S.
A shared vision for the road ahead
Inhis letter to President Harry Truman dated 16th February 1946,President Ho Chi Minh articulated Vietnam's goal for "full independenceand full cooperation with the U.S.". He stressed that Vietnam "will doour best to make this independence and cooperation profitable to thewhole world." The world we live in today is moving so fast that Vietnamand the U.S. are not allowed to miss any opportunities as in the past.
Thepast 20 years of Vietnam - U.S. relations, especially since theannouncement of Comprehensive Partnership in July 2013, have shown thatpeace and prosperity in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific would bebetter secured when Vietnam - U.S. relations progress, and thefriendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S.are in line with shared interests of all countries in the region.
Thehistory of relations between Vietnam and the United States is full ofvicissitudes. Nevertheless, the tremendous progress of the bilateralties over the past 20 years has proven that Vietnam and the U.S. have nochoice but to promote an equal and mutually beneficial cooperation onthe basis of respect for each other's political regime, independence,sovereignty and territorial integrity, the UN Charter and internationallaw. Dialogue must prevail over confrontation. It is the only way forboth countries to overcome the past and work together for a brighterfuture of each nation, for peace, cooperation and development in theregion and the world.”-VNA
Pham BinhMinh, member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee,Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, made the statement in hisarticle on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Vietnam-USdiplomatic ties (July 12).
Following is the full text of the article:
“20years is a long period for one's lifetime. Yet, it is merely a fleetingmoment in the history of relations between nations. Few people couldhave imagined that Vietnam and the United States would make such greatstrides in their bilateral ties after two decades of normalizedrelations. The 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations is a criticalmoment for us to reflect upon the past and look forward to a betterfuture for both countries as well as for peace, cooperation anddevelopment in the Asia-Pacific and the world at large.
Strong impetus to the Comprehensive Partnership
Atthe time of normalization of relations in 1995, Vietnam was known tomost Americans as a war rather than a country. Today, the word "Vietnam"has become familiar in the daily life of Americans. Vietnamese goods,from agricultural produce and footwear to other consumer staples aresold in most major US stores. In the past 20 years, especially since thesigning of the Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in 2000, economic andtrade ties between the two countries have really taken off. From amodest figure of 400 million USD in 1994, bilateral trade increased by90 folds to 36.3 billion USD in 2014. With 30.6 billion USD export tothe United States in 2014, Vietnam became ASEAN's number one exporter tothe U.S. market. Vietnam even surpassed India and joined the list oftop 10 net exporters to the world's largest consumer market.
Duringthe last 5 years, the U.S. jumped from the 11th to the 7th largestinvestor in Vietnam with a total capital of 11 billion USD. Some U.S.major groups have moved their "production base" to Vietnam while othersare planning to follow suit. This opens up the prospect for the U.S. tobecome the largest investor in the country, a target set out byAmbassador Ted Osius. It is expected the economic ties between Vietnamand the U.S. will even skyrocket in the near future with the conclusionof the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Such giant steps forwardin economic cooperation are accompanied by the upward trend inscience-technology and education cooperation. Vietnam - U.S. cooperationin key industries ranging from wind power and aerospace research topeaceful use of nuclear energy has seen new progresses, especiallyfollowing the U.S. Congress' ratification of the Agreement on CivilNuclear Energy Cooperation (123 Agreement) in 2014. The number ofVietnamese students studying in the U.S. has increased by 34 times from500 students in 1995 to 17,000 students at present. As such, Vietnam isthe top country in ASEAN and the eighth in the world having studentsstudying in the U.S.. Vietnam and the U.S. are also working on theproject to establish the Fulbright University in Vietnam.
Beyondthese impressive figures, the two countries have step by step overcomesuspicion and disagreement to constantly deepen political ties andmutual understanding. Since 2000, Vietnam and the U.S. have exchangedsix high-level visits, during which leaders from both sides adopted fourJoint Statements in 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2013. In particular, under theJoint Statement between President Truong Tan Sang and President Obama,the Vietnam - U.S. Comprehensive Partnership was defined to cover nineareas of cooperation, thus opening up a new chapter of relations withadded substance. The contacts and meetings between leaders of bothcountries on the sidelines of multilateral events have become morefrequent. From only one dialogue on POW/MIA issues, the two countrieshave established more than 10 dialogue mechanisms, including veryimportant ones such as Regular Ministerial Dialogue, the Political -Security - Defense Dialogue, Defense Policy Dialogue, Asia-PacificStrategic Dialogue and Human Rights Dialogue.
Leaving the past behind and looking to the future while respecting differences
Itis not easy to shelf the past, especially one deeply engraved withscars of war. Yet, with a forward-looking mindset, Vietnam and the U.S.have been making great efforts to move beyond the past and togethershape the future. With the spirit of benevolence and humanity, Vietnamhas been working actively with the U.S. in search for missing soldiers.To date, approximately 950 remains of fallen American soldiers have beenrecovered, among which 700 remains have been identified. The U.S. hasalso provided over 300 dossiers to help retrieve the remains of morethan 1,000 Vietnamese soldiers. It also provided 100 million USD fordioxin clean-up in Da Nang and 80 million USD for removal of unexplodedordinance. Although much remains to be done, the efforts made by bothsides have significantly contributed to healing the wounds of war,promoting reconciliation and building trust between the two nations.
Obviously,disagreements and differences still exist between Vietnam and the U.S.,particularly on the issues of democracy and human rights. What isimportant is that both sides have clearly shown respect for differencesand engaged in candid and open dialogues to narrow down disagreementsand foster cooperation. To date, 19 human rights dialogues have beenconducted, and both Vietnam and the U.S. are currently members of the UNHuman Rights Council.
Vietnam and the United States in the "Asia Century"
Itis predicted that the 21st century will be the Asia century. If that istrue, the trans-Pacific ties between the U.S. and Asian countries,including its comprehensive partnership with Vietnam, will becontributing factors to shape the region's future.
Beyond thebilateral sphere, Vietnam - U.S. relations have made increasinglyimportant contributions to peace, cooperation and development in theAsia-Pacific and worldwide. From the arrangements with ASEAN centralitysuch as the EAS, ARF, ADMM+ to larger fora such as APEC and the UN,Vietnam and the U.S. are working closely together on various issues,ranging from non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, climatechange response, water security to UN peace-keeping operations.
Withthe ASEAN Community's coming into being later this year, both sides aremoving towards an ASEAN-U.S. Strategic Partnership. Vietnam willcontinue to play an important role in ASEAN-U.S. ties, especially inboosting the implementation of the E3 Initiative (Expanded EconomicEngagement Initiative) and TIFA (Trade and Investment FrameworkAgreement) between ASEAN and the U.S.
A shared vision for the road ahead
Inhis letter to President Harry Truman dated 16th February 1946,President Ho Chi Minh articulated Vietnam's goal for "full independenceand full cooperation with the U.S.". He stressed that Vietnam "will doour best to make this independence and cooperation profitable to thewhole world." The world we live in today is moving so fast that Vietnamand the U.S. are not allowed to miss any opportunities as in the past.
Thepast 20 years of Vietnam - U.S. relations, especially since theannouncement of Comprehensive Partnership in July 2013, have shown thatpeace and prosperity in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific would bebetter secured when Vietnam - U.S. relations progress, and thefriendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S.are in line with shared interests of all countries in the region.
Thehistory of relations between Vietnam and the United States is full ofvicissitudes. Nevertheless, the tremendous progress of the bilateralties over the past 20 years has proven that Vietnam and the U.S. have nochoice but to promote an equal and mutually beneficial cooperation onthe basis of respect for each other's political regime, independence,sovereignty and territorial integrity, the UN Charter and internationallaw. Dialogue must prevail over confrontation. It is the only way forboth countries to overcome the past and work together for a brighterfuture of each nation, for peace, cooperation and development in theregion and the world.”-VNA
