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On the afternoon of April 14 in Beijing, General Secretary and President To Lam and his spouse met with embassy staff and representatives of the Vietnamese community in China. (Photo: Thống Nhất/VNA)

According to a VNA correspondent in Singapore, citing CNA, on April 14, General Secretary and President To Lam arrived in China on his first overseas trip in his capacity as head of state, signaling Vietnam’s foreign policy priorities.

The visit to China by General Secretary and President To Lam is the first of many forthcoming overseas trips in his role as head of state.

With strong leadership in his capacity as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President, analysts believe that General Secretary and President To Lam is well positioned to effectively leverage international cooperation frameworks to serve the country’s development goals.

The visit takes place as Vietnam seeks a greater geopolitical role, a major shift outlined at the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam held this past January.

Vietnam is increasingly asserting itself as a proactive player on the international stage. In 2024, Vietnam launched the ASEAN Future Forum as an annual platform attracting global leaders, including Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta, and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

Last March, Hanoi hosted the first ministerial-level “3+3” strategic dialogue between Vietnam and China in the fields of public security, defense, and foreign affairs.

Vietnam is also preparing to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in 2027 and will assume the ASEAN Chairmanship in the coming period. These developments underscore the country’s growing diplomatic influence.

Observers note that Vietnam’s geopolitical role is beginning to evolve. The country is pursuing two main objectives: maintaining economic growth and strengthening national defense and security.

Le Hong Hiep, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Vietnam Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, noted that amid current geopolitical fluctuations that tend to undermine regional peace and stability, the task of early and proactive defense has become more prominent from the perspective of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

According to Le Hong Hiep, this explains why the Communist Party of Vietnam has elevated foreign affairs to a regular and strategically important position.

Sharing a similar view, Lye Liang Fook, Senior Fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, said that with a relatively large population in Southeast Asia and a dynamic economy, Vietnam is seeking to assume a greater geopolitical role. In the face of global challenges, Vietnam and other countries need to play a more active role in diversifying development, exploring new market opportunities, and cooperating with key partners to sustain growth and maintain stability.

According to analysts in Singapore, Vietnam’s expanding participation in global affairs will reinforce its image as a “rising middle power,” ready to contribute more actively to international peace efforts. A notable example is Vietnam’s participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions in Africa over the past decade, demonstrating its readiness to take on greater global responsibilities.

Le Hong Hiep remarked: “Vietnam can play a more active role in the future if it can sustain economic development and mobilize additional resources for its international contributions and commitments.”

Viet Nam's top leader meets with Chairman of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Central Committee and President of Viet Nam To Lam had a meeting with Chairman of ...

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