Balancing cooperation and struggle in defense external affairs to defend national interests

PANO – In the buildup to a conference to review defense external affairs during the 2010-15 period and two years of the implementation of Resolution 806-NQ/QUTW issued by the Central Military Commission, Permanent Member of the Central Military Commission, Deputy Defense Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh gave an interview to reporters of the People’s Army Newspaper. The main theme of the interview is translated into English as the follows:

Reporter: Vietnam has reaped large fruits over the past years in foreign affairs and international integration. What do you think the defense external affairs subsector has contributed to the general success of the nation?

Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh: It must be noted that the defense external affairs subsector is an important element of the Party’s and State’s foreign affairs sector. Our defense external affairs performance aims to promote confidence between Vietnam and other nations in the region and world, bolster our relationships with other countries, minimize confrontation and avoid conflicts. To meet this end, we pursue a policy to concurrently carry out cooperation and struggle in external affairs. 

Although any war ends up with peace, it is better without war. Our policy is to protect our Fatherland and national interests by peaceful means rather than military means, with the use of the military power as a deterrent to any outside threats. Defense external affairs work plays a crucial role in implementing the policy and contributes significantly to the success.

Deputy Defense Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh during an interview to reporters of the People’s Army Newspaper

The world has seen a number of conflicts and threats over the past years. In this circumstance, the Vietnam People’s Army has proactively promoted defense relations and cooperation with other countries at both bilateral and multilateral levels with an aim of building and consolidating their confidence and understanding of Vietnam’s defense and foreign policies. Our defense external affairs activities also aim to enrich our knowledge of and updating ourselves on defense and security situations of countries, regions and the world as a whole so that the subsector can provide good advice to the Party and State in ensuring national sovereignty, independence, self-reliance, peace and stability for national development.

Defense external affairs also focus on promoting cooperation in overcoming war aftermaths. We strive to make our former adversaries hold responsibilities for the consequences of the war that the country and its people are suffering. One of the outcomes of these efforts is a non-refundable aid package worth US$100 million from the US Government for detoxicating the dioxin-contaminated area around Da Nang airport.

Recently, the Vietnam People’s Army started participating in UN peacekeeping missions. Although Vietnam joined UN peacekeeping operations late and sent only small numbers of officers to the field, its efforts were highly appreciated. When visiting Vietnam in 2015, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that he inclined toward the endeavors and abilities of the Vietnamese officers working at UN peacekeeping missions in remote African countries.

Border diplomacy has been another highlight of Vietnam’s defense external affairs over the past years. Our country has maintained the borderlines of sustainable peace, unity, cooperation and development with China, Laos and Cambodia. The Vietnam People’s Army actively participated in increasing landmarks along the borderline with Laos, and demarcating and planting landmarks along the borderline with Cambodia. Meanwhile, our country continued maintaining the border of peace, unity, cooperation and development with China. Especially, the two sides have established a mechanism for the Vietnam-China border defense friendship exchange held annually with the participation of defense ministers, high-ranking military officers and people of the two countries.  

At the same time, the Vietnam People’s Army and other maritime law enforcement forces have firmly protected its national sovereignty, legitimate rights and jurisdiction over the seas and islands. We have also tried to maintain our waters as a sea of security, safety, unity and cooperation. In fact, piracy rarely happens in Vietnam’s waters, and when a case occurred, Vietnam’s functional forces quickly resolved it. In recent years, we expanded cooperation with navies and maritime law enforcement forces of China and ASEAN countries sharing waters border with our country. In general, these countries highly appreciated Vietnam’s goodwill and cooperation spirit.

Reporter: What do you think about officers’ and soldiers’ awareness of defense external affairs, particularly since the issuance of Resolution 806 by the Central Military Commission and its implementation across the army?

Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh: It is necessary to first comprehend the reform in the Party’s thinking of defense external affairs. The Resolution of the 8th Meeting of the 9th Central Party Committee on the Strategy for Fatherland protection in the new context points out a new concept on antagonist and partner. This concept with its time-tested rightness was developed as a viewpoint and put in Resolution 28-NQ/TW of the 11th Party Central Committee on the Strategy for Fatherland protection in the new context. It reads, “Any country that honors Vietnam’s independence, sovereignty and wishes to establish and expand friendly relations and cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefits with Vietnam is its partner; any force that has plots and acts against Vietnam’s goals in its country building and defense causes is its antagonist or opponent. On the other hand, the current situation with quick and complex changes requires a dialectical view: We can still seek support and cooperation in some areas with antagonists/rivals; we may also have to struggle with partners when conflicts of interest occur.”

In short, while executing external affairs, we conduct both cooperation and struggle. We struggle to settle differences, and we cooperate with other countries for mutual benefits.

Earlier, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong mentioned this point in his remarks at the 28th Diplomatic Conference in 2013. Later, the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress defines that Fatherland protection is to protect national territorial integrity, national independence, the political system and the people, and to maintain a favorable environment for national development, which is viewed as a comprehensive and dialectical concept on the mission of Fatherland protection in the current context. Under this guideline, the military is supposed to undertake the mission of keeping peace and maintaining the favorable environment for national development in peacetime.

To develop the above concept, Resolution 806 reasserts the important role of defense external affairs. This cannot be viewed as normal diplomatic activities but the military’s mission to protect the Fatherland by peaceful means in peacetime. We should comprehend that the military in peacetime should play an active role in protecting the Fatherland by peaceful means apart from performing its main task of combat readiness. The resolution points out crucial issues involving military tasks and military performances in peacetime.

Resolution 806 also underscores the Party’s and State’s motto directing foreign affairs, which reads: activeness and proactiveness. That is to say, we should now propose cooperation areas to our partners in a sincere manner and on the basis of mutual respect.

Reporter: What lessons do you think we can draw after two years of implementing Resolution 806?

Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh: The first lesson requires us to be active in defense external affairs for national interests. If we are not active in international relations, we may be put in a passive position and at a disadvantage. In defense external affairs, we should firmly protect national interests on the one hand, and respect legitimate interests of other countries on the other hand.

For example, in defense relations with the USA, our country first pushed ahead cooperation in overcoming aftermaths of the past war. Such activities aim to not only deal with the consequences of the past but also open the door to the future of bilateral relations between Vietnam and the USA.

Second, we should carry out both cooperation and struggle in defense external affairs. People often say that diplomatic activities aim to satisfy each other and seek common voice, but this is not necessary in fact. In international relations, parties sometimes have not yet reached or even cannot reach a common voice but they should maintain good relations, avoiding tension and conflicts. Therefore, cooperation is important to us, but struggle is important, too, to protect our values, our political system, our national territorial sovereignty as well as peace, and stability while denying other countries to violate our national strategic interests.

Third, everyone should bear in mind that defense external affairs are the whole army’s mission, which involves numerous defense agencies, military units, officers and soldiers in various sectors. Thus, it is very important to improve awareness of defense external affairs among Party committees and commands of units, particularly those stationed in border areas.

Finally, we should follow President Ho Chi Minh’s teaching, which requires generations of the Vietnamese people to firmly protect national interests, national values as well as peace and stability at any cost.

Reporter: International observers forecast that regional security may be at risk when major powers escalate their strategic competition in the region, and when disputes over seas and islands in the East Sea (South China Sea) appear to be unpredictable. What do you think Vietnam should do to firmly protect national independence while the country can take advantage of support from the international community to defend our legitimate national interests?

Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh: I think, our country should first consolidate and build up the national comprehensive strength that reflects mainly in political security, fast and sustainable economic growth, people’s high intellectual standard and powerful war machine. The stronger the country is, the less risks of war it faces.

We should also expand relations with other countries across the world and promote confidence building with other countries so that those, who intend to violate our national interests, must carefully take into calculation the possible gains and possible losses and finally give up their intension.

Another important issue is that we should not stand on the side of any parties in their strategic competition because this does not represent our national interests.

Reporter: You have said that consolidating and building up the country’s comprehensive strength, including increased military capabilities, are very important. What do you think about relations between defense external affairs and the building of a revolutionary, regular, elite and gradually modernized army?

Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh: I must say, defense external affairs can contribute significantly to building a revolutionary, regular, elite and gradually modernized army. Building an army is now different from the past. In peacetime, we should build a strong army but this should not become a burden for the country, the economy and the people. Therefore, apart from appropriately acquiring modern weapons, we should invest more in the development of human resources. Defense external affairs could help the military expand international cooperation in training, information exchange, scientific research and technology transfer with our foreign partners.

Reporter: What is the motto for our defense external affairs in the time to come?

Deputy Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh: We should harmoniously balance cooperation and struggle in defense external affairs to firmly defend our national interests. We struggle with other countries on the basis of international law. Struggle should be carried out with the very country or countries directly opposed to our national interests at both bilateral and multilateral levels.

Meanwhile, we should also make full use of opportunities to promote cooperation with other countries in a sincere manner, on the basis of mutual respect and for peace and stability in the region and world.

Reporter: Thank you very much.