Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of Defense, talked with VietNamNet about the success of defense foreign affairs in 2010.

Defense foreign relations developed remarkably in 2010, both bilaterally and multilaterally. You are in charge of the Ministry of Defense’s foreign affairs, what is your assessment?

Defense foreign affairs follow the common foreign policy of the Vietnamese Party and the State. Briefly, there was no big change in comparison with previous years. However, defense foreign relations in 2010 seemed to be impressive because of two fundamental reasons. Firstly, we did well in foreign affairs in 2010. Most importantly, in difficult moments, we maintained our independence and self-reliance.

Actually, Vietnam has never lost its independence and self-reliance but sometimes, international friends didn’t fully understand Vietnam. In 2010, as the chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Vietnam made the world understand that we are really independent and self-reliant. That was the most important factor which helped boost Vietnam’s foreign relations and defense foreign affairs in 2010.

Independence and self-reliance are extremely important. They are the factors that ensure that Vietnam are not dependent on others and are crucial conditions for Vietnam’s development.

Secondly, there were changes in the region and the world. Most notably, powerful countries increased their presence in the region, for their own interests, and there were even conflicts of interest among them. The peak of conflicts is resolved through compromise and if there is compromise among big countries, it is often made on the backs of smaller countries. We need to understand that to keep our independence and self-reliance and don’t let others to make compromises on our back.

We have strengthened our foreign relations and defense foreign relations to ensure that the presence of big countries doesn’t influence our independence, self-reliance and sovereignty.

Several months ago, you said that defense foreign affairs are both cooperating and struggling to defend the country. In the two ways to defend the country - fighting to win and to win without fighting – defense foreign policy aims to the second way. Reviewing 2010, do you think that Vietnam won? And How?

To win without fighting is not the policy for a specific time but the policy for dozens or even hundreds of years in the process of constructing and defending the nation. It must be prepared year by year to achieve the gold: avoiding wars, competing for and maintaining independence, self-reliance and sovereignty of the country.

Based on the goals and missions set for 2010, are you satisfied with the results in 2010?

Frankly, we have attained success though we can’t be satisfied with it.

Defense foreign affairs aim to serve the development and defense of the country, to maintain legitimate interests of Vietnam.

In 2010, we built relations with other countries based on our interests and our plans and we were not under pressure from any country.

In 2010, security situation in the region was very complicated. Vietnam and ASEAN and key partners discussed the behavior in international relations: solving conflicts by peaceful methods, respecting independence, self-reliance, sovereignty of other countries, respecting international laws, etc.

Some people mistakenly think that Vietnam follows this policy only to defend its sovereignty in the East Sea. But it is not true. Vietnam has different priorities in struggling with each country. With China, it is sovereignty in the East Sea. With the US, it is struggling with human rights and political systems, etc.

Defense foreign affairs are performed to create public and transparent forums to defend the national interests. Publicity and transparence is the weapon to defend ourselves in the wartime and peaceful time. Vietnam has exerted efforts to make the nation public and transparent since it conducted the renovation policy (Doi Moi).

Vietnam didn’t add the East Sea conflict in the official agenda of the ADMM+ (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting – Plus) but related sides spoke out their viewpoints. However, some said that to satisfy everyone, Vietnam avoided key matters. What is your opinion about this?

As the host country of the ADMM+, Vietnam anticipated levels of success for the event: 1/ At least the event must be organized well, with the participation of ASEAN nations and eight partners, creating a new security structure in the region and Vietnam well fulfilled its role as the host. 2/ at the higher level, the event must set up principles of defense behavior in international relations. 3/ at the highest level: Vietnam must put forward and win support for issues related to its interests. Vietnam achieved all three levels. We didn’t avoid any matter and we created the agreement of all participating countries.

What is the difference between defense foreign affairs and foreign affairs performed by other sectors?

Foreign affairs are conducted in all fields, under the guidance of the Party and the State. The approach of foreign affairs of each sector may be different but the principle is not different. The outstanding success of this term of the Party and the government, specifically the Prime Minister, is a success in foreign affairs. Most importantly, it is consistent in all fields.

How will the achievement of defense foreign affairs be continued in 2011, when Vietnam doesn’t hold the ASEAN chairmanship anymore?

The ASEAN chairmanship in 2010 assisted us to improve our image but it doesn’t mean that in 2011, when Indonesia holds the ASEAN chairmanship, Vietnam will not struggle for its interest and the interests of the region.

We will be consistent with the current foreign policy and bring into play the achievements in 2010, including defense foreign affairs. The goal is building a peaceful environment and defending the nation.

So far, the approach of defense foreign affairs has been considered to be “harder” than traditional foreign affairs. But in 2010, the world and Vietnamese people saw that the approach of defense foreign affairs was softer and more open than traditional foreign affairs. How can you explain about this?

Once the Party and the State allow the defense sector to open, it will open strongly because it believes that it can open the door but outsiders can’t jump in. Civil intellectuals who are in charge of research and analyses  dare not to open that way. For instance, if the foreign sector wants to open up defense policy, it will be very difficult because the foreign sector doesn’t understand it thoroughly. Defense foreign relations are very important and it is decisive to build trust.

However, the defense sector opens under the guidance of the Party and the State, at a determine level to help step up the responsibility of building and defending the country.

For example, we issued the White Book on Defense in late 2009, which is considered as open. At that time, we were about to buy submarines Su 30. If we didn’t disclose the information, the world would have still known. We took initiative to tell the world and the region that we bought weapons to defend ourselves, not to threaten anyone.

It is the same for the Cam Ranh port. The port is the aim of many big countries. Once we defined that Cam Ranh is owned by Vietnam and it is controlled and used by Vietnam, why wouldn’t we tell the world about it? Unnecessary lack of publicity can create distrust among other countries.

You said that it is important to be self-confident, based on the long-term policy to defend the country. Could you further explain about it?

Self-confidence is not subjective. Defending the country must be based on the tendency of the age of the country and the country’s political, economic, cultural, social, defense, and security ability - and most importantly, the people. We believe in our people. We believe that nearly 90 million Vietnamese will not turn their back on defending the country. If we don’t absolutely believe in our people, our soldiers, missiles and submarines will be useless.

In the world, we expanded our foreign relations and gained the world’s support for our policy. This ensures long-term peace for us. Anyone who wages war against Vietnam will be highly isolated in the world. Being isolated in this world of globalization and integration is much more terrible now than in mid-20^th century.

Where does self-confidence come from?  These are not my words but they are the policy of the party, specifically the Central Resolution 8 of the 9^th Party Central Committee. I believe that this resolution will be a historical landmark in the history to defend the country in peace, like Resolution1 5 in the war of resistance against the US.

What are the characteristics of defense foreign affairs at present?

Being self-motivated and active to build a peaceful environment and contribute to the defense of the nation.

Mutual-trust seems to be still a hindrance for cooperation in the region, when countries are spending more for defense. Some people even talk about an arms race in the region. What is your viewpoint about this issue?

There are two aspects associated with trust. Firstly, it is making others to trust us. Vietnam is willing to build trust and to be public and transparent because we don’t intend to harm any country, we don’t win over any country to fight others and we don’t wheel and deal with any country. We are open to prove an obvious truth that in peace, we are just as we were in the Vietnam War.

Secondly, trust is not only based on goodwill but trust must  originate from the interests of other countries, common mechanisms, bilateral and multilateral relations. To have trust, we have to work hard, not only expect goodwill.

Last year, the Ministry of Defense worked very hard to build the second half of trust: a mechanism for mutual trust based on interests – the ADMM+.

What is the role of ADMM+? It is a regional security structure to build trust based on strategic interests of countries in the region, especially big countries. Once all countries join this coalition, they can’t do anything they want.