Dak Lak reviews 10-year implementation of Directive No. 41-CT/TW dated April 15, 2010 of the 10th Party Central Committee’s Secretariat

On June 11, 2021, the Department of Foreign Affairs advised the Provincial People's Committee to submit to the Provincial Party Committee a 10-year summary report on the implementation of Directive No. 41-CT/TW of the 10^th Party Central Committee’s Secretariat dated April 15, 2010 on economic diplomacy.

Despite facing developments in international politics and economic affairs as well as difficulties caused by COVID-19 in 2020, Dak Lak has implemented economic diplomacy in the period of 2011-2020 synchronously, comprehensively, creatively and flexibly, meeting the current situation and achieving many outstanding results in external economic promotion, international integration, connection with potential partners, investment attraction, and tourism promotion.

Dak Lak province has actively expanded international relations with partners by organizing roadshows or participating in programs held by the Central level which took place in the US, UK, Germany, Russia, Australia, Korea, Japan.

Along with that, Dak Lak province has actively shared information at meetings held in Viet Nam with agencies and businesses from Korea, Japan, France, the US, India, and the UK.

Due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, the province replaced the delegations working abroad with delegations to work with foreign diplomatic missions and NGOs in Hanoi. Organizing a wide range of activities helped the province achieve some positive results such as: Twinning with Jeollabuk province (Korea), establishing relations between Goulburn City (Australia) and Buon Ma Thuot City, and cooperating with a number of localities of the Russian Federation (Saint Petersburg, Vologda, Leningrad), initially supporting several provincial enterprises in connecting with business associations abroad. Especially, Dak Lak welcomed some large corporations such as Hitachi, Mainstream to learn about investment opportunities in the province.

Over the past time, Dak Lak province has attracted 14 new FDI projects with a total registered capital of USD 135.468 million, 89 ODA projects with total investment of about USD 500.06 million, 122 foreign non-governmental aids with a total approved budget of USD 13,816 million. In the period of 2011-2020, the province’s export turnover was estimated at USD 6,271 million while the annual average value reached USD 627 million; the total import turnover was 544 million USD, the average annual value reached US 54.4 million. Dak Lak have exported goods and products to about 68 countries and territories with key products including green coffee, instant coffee, rubber, black pepper, honey bees, cassava products, etc.

 Besides that, the province’s potentials and strengths have been positively propagandized and promoted with an aim of attracting investment in tourism sector through the release of investment promotion publications including: General information about Dak Lak province, a movie titled "Dak Lak - Investment potential and opportunities" in English, Korean, and Japanese. The province has also created conditions for domestic and foreign press agencies to make reportages, topics on economic and cultural affairs, tourism and external activities. The organization of the 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th and 7^th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festivals in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 was integrated with investment promotion conferences and exhibitions, workshops on local specialties. Since 2012, publishing Foreign Affairs Bulletin quarterly has provided information on the province's external affairs, promoted the image of Dak Lak to foreign diplomatic and consular agencies and international organizations in Vietnam, and at the same time propagated about the role of external affairs in general and NGOs in particular to agencies and localities in the province.

As a result, Dak Lak is gradually developing into a hub of the Central Highlands region and a reliable destination for foreign investors; a favorite tourist attraction, cultural experience of domestic and foreign tourists; the world’s coffee cradle.

According to the Dak Lak Department of Foreign Affairs, the international and regional context in the upcoming time will continue to change rapidly, complicatedly and unpredictably with strong fluctuations due to COVID-19, etc. Meanwhile, Vietnam is entering a new stage of development, the period of international integration. Therefore, together with new opportunities, there are also new challenges facing the country. It is necessary for Dak Lak to change economic diplomacy meeting the practical context and improving efficiency.

In the coming period, Dak Lak province's economic diplomacy will focus on closely following the new situation, thoroughly grasping the important guidelines and policies of the 13th National Party Congress and the 17th Provincial Party Congress in order to set out long-term plans, orientations of economic diplomacy, practically serving the socio-economic development strategy of the Central Highlands in the period of 2021- 2030 of the Government and the approved master plan of Dak Lak province in the period of 2021 - 2030, with a vision up to 2050 with a focus on major orientations including: (1) Strengthening research and forecasting on international politics, new trends in global economic mobility to serve for planning the overall development policy of the province; (2) Taking advantage of the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministries and branches, available resources and advantages, focus on multilateral external relations to promote integration, economic exchange and international trade in accordance with orientations, development goals, practical needs, effectively exploiting opportunities brought from a new generation of FTAs ​​such as EVFTA, CPTPP. (3) Innovating the form, scale and method of deploying economic diplomacy, improving the effectiveness of investment, trade and tourism promotion activities in the new situation. (4) Improving knowledge and capacity of local agencies, communities and businesses related to international integration, and at the same time building relationships and cooperation with the overseas community, experts, businesses, partners in order to contribute to the socio-economic development of the locality.

Huu An