Indonesia’s Antara News has recently published an article saying the support and active participation of APEC member economies as well as regional and international organisations in the freshly-concluded APEC Economic Leaders’ Week will be a lever for Vietnam to promote its “soft power.”

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang (centre) at the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting

In the article, themed “APEC 2017: Vietnam’s new vision and position,” Anthoni said the regional and international media applauded Vietnam’s preparations and organisation of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, which took place in central Da Nang city from November 6-11. 

Vietnam has hosted APEC Year for the second time and in the context of complex developments in the regional and global situation, the article said, stressing that APEC is also sprinting for the Bogor Goals by 2020.

Therefore, it noted, international friends have seen the APEC Year 2017 as both a challenge and a great opportunity to spur growth and intensify connectivity in Asia-Pacific and the world at large, contributing to maintaining peace, stability and development in a changing world. 

APEC 2017 offers an opportunity for Vietnam to prove its wisdom and brainpower in external relations, especially in multilateral foreign affairs during the cause of international integration. 

Vietnam’s selection of topics, priorities and cooperation orientations for APEC 2017 has reflected the country’s strategic vision in external affairs, the article commented. 

APEC 2017 is expected to create a new momentum for the forum, while enabling Vietnam to contribute to shaping the future of not only APEC but also the regional economic architecture.  

APEC is one of the most important multilateral forums and offers the most tangible benefits to Vietnam, the article said, explaining that the forum brings together 13 out of 25 strategic and comprehensive partners, and many leading economic and trade partners of Vietnam. Up to 18 APEC members are important partners of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements to which Vietnam is a signatory. 

APEC members accounted for 78 percent of foreign direct investment, 75 percent of merchandise trade, 38 percent official development assistance and 79 percent of international tourists in Vietnam. About 80 percent of Vietnamese students are studying in APEC member economies. 

Thus, APEC 2017 is one of the focuses of Vietnam's foreign policy and the country’s most important contribution to APEC cooperation in the period of international integration.

Apart from the ASEAN Chair in 2020, candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for 2020-2021 and efforts to complete commitments to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the hosting of APEC 2017 will contribute to realising the advocacy of the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam to improve the quality and efficiency of multilateral foreign relations. 

According to the article, it is no coincidence that Vietnam became the first host country of APEC to be invited to this year's G20 meeting. This demonstrates the trust and appreciation of international friends for initiatives and ideas outside the region proposed by Vietnam for APEC. Clearly, APEC 2017 activities have contributed to asserting an increasingly important role of the forum as well as Vietnam’s position regionally and globally, the article said.-VNA