Tạp chí số 02 năm 2022

Abstract: The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is a new-generation free trade area between Vietnam and the 28 EU member states. It is a comprehensive and high-quality agreement which ensures balanced benefits for both Vietnam and the EU, with consideration for the differences in development levels between the two sides. Upon entering into force, the EVFTA is expected to be a huge boost to Vietnam’s exports, helping to diversify markets and exports, particularly agricultural and aquatic products as well as Vietnamese products with competitive advantages. This article focuses on studying the advantages and disadvantages of exporting Vietnamese agricultural products under EVFTA, thereby proposing solutions to improve the export of Vietnamese agricultural products to the EU.

Abstract: Ireland and Vietnam have had a 25-year partnership with numerous remarkable achievements since diplomatic relations were established. Good relations enable Ireland and Vietnam to make significant progress in economic collaboration, resulting in significant gains for both nations. This illustrates both Ireland’s and Vietnam’s willingness to strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas. The author concentrates on collaboration activities between Ireland and Vietnam in the fields of trade, investment and development within the limited scope of the article. The article’s findings help to have a better understanding of Ireland, a possible European economic partner for Vietnam and a member of the European Union (EU). The article also aims to strengthen Vietnam’s economic cooperation with EU countries, particularly following the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) in June 2019, taking effect in August 2020.

Abstract: The disruption of the global supply chain due to the Covid-19 pandemic has caused many countries, including China, to continue to accelerate the restructuring of some economic sectors especially the industrial sector and strategies to adapt to attract FDI. With the policy of “minimizing emissions by 2040”, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasised that industrial restructuring is the core method to ensure economic development and protect the environment[1]. However, the restructuring of the industry is being considered in general with a series of other strategies, especially the strategy of attracting FDI to promote regional economic development… With the industry scale increasing day by day. With the current expansion and strong development, China is considering a number of problems including: “The importance of foreign trade and FDI?”, “How to expand the scale of foreign trade and FDI flow to promote industrial optimization and restructuring?”; “How to create a positive spillover effect between regions?”. The elucidation of some of the above contents is of great significance for China to effectively determine the expansion of FDI and industrial restructuring spaces, providing solutions to the sustainable development of the industrial sector, and reducing environmental pollution[2].

With the geo-economics in the central of Europe, the Visegrád countries have some similarities with China, especially their crucial role in the transshipment of industrial and information technology products. Therefore, the attraction of FDI for economic development, especially in the field of industrial restructuring of the Visegrád countries, has an important role to play. Experiences in FDI attraction and industrial restructuring in some provinces and regions of China will help the Visegrád countries draw some lessons for the process of attracting, managing and using FDI related to industry restructuring strategies in the future.

Due to objective factors, this study cannot avoid some limitations such as: the discontinuity in statistical data, especially statistics on FDI spillover value in the regional space during the Covid-19 period; keeping global supply chain data with other industries up-to-date. Therefore, it is necessary to consider updating the data in the future to ensure the continuity of the research process on the issue of FDI attraction in correlation with industrial restructuring.

Abstract: The twenty-first century has reached its third decade, with unanticipated shifts that have sparked heated debate over power centers in the international system. Most international, regional, and Vietnamese researchers appear to be interested in the US-China competition. The US transatlantic relationship with European allies and partners, particularly the European Union, is, however, a partnership that cannot be overlooked. It is possible that many researchers have raised the question that needs to be answered now, with the focus of recent administrations in the US on the strategic content of “Indo-Pacific”, is Europe and relations with the European Union still as important as before, especially since the term “relationship re-establishment” has been mentioned so many times in policy statements since President Joe Biden took office. To contribute to explaining the US approach to the area considered a traditional ally of the US, the “4Ps” principle approach proposed by US researchers is also applied by international researchers when studying US foreign policy in the modern era. With the desire to contribute analysis to understand the “immutable” and “newly-emerging” foundations that can keep the two countries’ relations “dynamic”, the author will apply the “4Ps” principle mentioned in the book “The Dynamics of Choice in the 21st Century”[4] to determine “forming foundations” of the relationship between the Western allies, which has been considered stable over a period of history, and thereby gaining insights into the future of this relationship.

Abstract: In the first two decades of the 21st century, Vietnam has been growing strongly in the region and is increasingly affirming its potential to become a middle power in the world. Despite the temporary difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which inhibited Vietnam’s economic growth, it is expected that by 2030, Vietnam will reach the position of countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Turkey…. In doing so, Vietnam’s continuation of multilateral and multi-channel foreign policy, and treaties and agreements with the EU and other European countries are increasingly important. This article presents the criteria for assessing a middle power in the world, summarizes foreign policies towards the goal of raising Vietnam’s influence to the middle power, and generalizes impacts and opportunities from the COVID-19 pandemic on position and relations between Vietnam and Europe in the new decade. The article also proposes some policy suggestions to help ensure Vietnam’s goal of becoming a middle power, especially for important partners in Europe.

Keywords: middle power, EU, Europe, Vietnam, COVID-19 pandemic, multilateralism

In the first two decades of the 21st century, the world has been witnessing economic, political, and cultural shifts; Accordingly, international issues such as fight against climate change, nuclear disarmament, hunger eradication, environmental pollution reduction, limiting the spread of diseases, and dispute and conflict restraint both on land and at sea among countries with similar interests … also becoming more and more serious. In three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021, the international community has witnessed many “political earthquakes” such as Britain’s departure from the EU (January 31, 2020), Taliban’ takeover of Afghanistan after the US’s decision to withdraw troops from this country (August 2021), a military coup in Myanmar (February 1, 2021), and the fierce devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the two years 2020-2021, causing the world to suffer heavy damage in many ways. All these events once again caused the world community to re-evaluate the position, role and influence of middle-class countries – the countries that account for the largest number, not too cumbersome and ambitious, but if together, these countries can serve as the force that helps shape the new world order. Notably in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is a country with great potential to become a new type of middle power before 2030. In the context that Europe is suffering great impacts from regional conflicts after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the UK’s withdrawal from the EU in 2020, and most recently, when Russia sends troops into Ukraine, etc. Vietnam’s position in relations with the EU is especially meaningful.

Abstract: Since becoming an independent country in 1993, the Czech Republic has inherited and promoted the legacies from the friendly relations between Czechoslovakia and the United States in the 1918-1947 and 1990-1992 periods. Over the past two decades, the relations between the Czech Republic and the United States have continued to be improved through comprehensive cooperation in many fields. Within the limited scope of this article, the author focuses on studying the Czech Republic – US relations in politics – diplomacy in the 1993-2020 period. The Czech Republic, in fact, is one of the long-term and traditional EU partners of Vietnam. Meanwhile, the US is currently one of the most important partners of Vietnam. The study of the Czech Republic’s relationship with the US in politics – diplomacy contributes to understanding the foreign relations of Central and Eastern European countries in relation to the US in the post-Cold War period. This is ignored in Vietnam and needs to be supplemented. 

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Relations between the United States and the Czech Republic are “excellent and reflect our common approach to the many challenges facing the world”.[5] In fact, the Czech Republic – US relations are that of a small country in Central Europe with a leading superpower in the world, thus it is greatly influenced by the foreign policy of the US administrations in general and the US policy towards Europe in particular. At the same time, the relationship between the two countries over the past two decades has also been affected by major political and security issues in Europe. The relationship between the Czech Republic and the United States in the 1993-2020 period in the political-diplomatic field is evident in a number of outstanding issues as follows.