China-Vietnam: synergy greater than discord
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GT: The West used to talk about "the China threat." Now it talks about "the China hardline theory." What do you think of these arguments?
Nguyen: I am sure that even as it gets stronger, China will not invade any country it recognizes. Countries that have territorial disputes with China should understand that if conflict occurs, China will aim to resume sovereignty rather than invade.
For example, China will not attack Japan over the Diaoyu Islands issue. But in certain circumstances, armed conflicts could take place near the Diaoyu Islands.
I think that China's hard power is already a reality. Now it has to further enhance its soft power so that it can become a real power in the future. Combining Oriental culture and socialism is a safe choice for China.
In the hearts of the Vietnamese, especially in official circles, people are eager to improve relations with China. Better relations will not only promote economic development in Vietnam but also help Vietnam to maintain its own system. Therefore, I am very optimistic about Sino-Vietnamese relations.
GT: In June 2010, the Vietnamese National Assembly overruled a north-south high-speed railway project which was worth $56 billion. Some media said that Vietnam did not want to cooperate with China on high-speed rail construction. How do you see this issue?
Nguyen: In my opinion, the project was not shelved because Vietnam does not trust China. This is a major construction project which has to mesh with Vietnam's overall economic plan without disrupting the balance between urban and rural development in the country. Vietnam might need to consider a project like the north-south high-speed railway in several decades.
GT: In your opinion, what are the specific aspects in Vietnam's development that China can pay attention to or learn from?
Nguyen: China talks about "the primary stage of socialism," and Vietnam talks about "the transition period of socialism," which are two ways of saying the same thing.
In my opinion, Vietnam should learn more from China. Western public opinion claims that democratic reform is moving faster in Vietnam than in China and that Vietnam enjoys more democracy than China. But this is debatable. I think there is no certain answer as to which country's practice is better.
GT: In the international "happiness index" ranking proposed by a British institution last year, Vietnam ranked fifth. Why do Vietnamese feel so happy?
Nguyen: Vietnamese people are naturally optimistic. Their living conditions may be tough, but they still smile at life.
Take an example. A company in Hanoi closed down recently, putting 2,000 people out of work. Two days later, some of those people had gone home and others were already working in other shops.
Some Chinese scholars asked me how Vietnam could solve this problem so quickly. In my opinion, it is mainly because Vietnam is not as big as China.
There are still two major problems in China: First, it is not easy to solve problems in big cities; second, the development of remote areas is still relatively slow.
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