By Huang haimin, Bui Minhlong

    HANOI, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Reaching higher status in the international community and better bilateral multifaceted cooperation and understanding with other countries are two most striking achievements of Vietnam's diplomacy in 2007, as results of its top leaders' visits to different countries in four continents, including its most important economic partners.

    During their overseas visits, including historic ones, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, President Nguyen Minh Triet and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nong Duc Manh and their foreign counterparts, including those from the United States, Russia, France, New Zealand, the Vatican, China, Japan, South Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Singapore, have reached consensus in various socioeconomic fields, mapping out major orientations for the development of bilateral relations.

    The image looks better in the eye of the international community through not only the visits but also Vietnam's entry into two global entities of either economic or security significance: the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Security Council. Vietnam officially became the 150th WTO member on Jan. 1 after 11 years of accession negotiations, and was elected the council's non-permanent member for the 2008-2009 term by the UN General Assembly on Oct. 16 with 183 out of 190 votes.

    Altogether, Vietnam's accession to the WTO and the council, its top leaders' tours to the countries in four continents, and visits of foreign countries' leaders to Vietnam this year have heightened its status in the international community, and deepened mutual understanding and relations with powerful countries in America, Europe and Asia, as well as with neighboring nations.

    Regarding ties with neighboring countries, Vietnam handles bilateral relations from a strategic and comprehensive perspective, and is ready to make joint efforts to cement and strengthen the traditional friendship and all-round cooperation.

    Vietnam and its neighbors, especially China and Laos, have gained remarkable achievements in trade cooperation, seen positive progress in handling border issues, and implemented effective cooperation between their agencies, sectors, localities and peoples.

    During Triet's visit to China in mid-May, both sides agreed to follow the policy of "long-term stability, orientation to the future, good-neighborly friendship and comprehensive cooperation" and push for in-depth, extensive development of bilateral relations. Triet said Vietnam is keen to maintain exchanges with China at all levels, further enhance mutual understanding and trust, and deepen cooperation in such fields as trade, technology, agriculture, culture, tourism and youth.

    This year, Vietnam has kept on reinforcing and fostering traditional and multifaceted cooperative relations, especially trade and economic cooperation, with regional countries, paid greater attention to expanding ties with farther countries like New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Chile; and strove for closer bonds with such powerful nations as the United States and Japan, eyeing closer economic ties and stronger political foundation and trust towards strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia.

    Triet visited the United States from June 18-23, becoming the first Vietnamese head of state to tour Washington since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Given that government-to-government as well as people-to-people ties between the two countries in such fields as economy, culture, society, politics and security have developed strongly since their relations were normalized in 1995, Triet's trip was the official recognition of the complete normalization, and the formation of a stable foundation for closer bilateral cooperative ties.

    It is still Triet that made a state visit to Japan from Nov. 25-29, the first of a Vietnamese head of state to the country since their diplomatic relations establishment in September 1973. It is a new driving force for stronger political foundation and trust between the two countries to bring their relations towards strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia.

    Triet and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda agreed upon the agenda toward "a strategic partnership between Japan and Vietnam," under which the two sides agreed to promote the exchanges, cooperation in policy dialogue, security and defense, comprehensive economic partnership, improvement of the legal system and administrative reforms, mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries, cooperation in the international arena, and cooperation on such fields as science, technology, climate change, environment, natural resources and energy.

    Vietnam has this year also paid due attention to beefing up ties with countries which are its big importers and investors, including France, India and South Korea.

    During Manh's visit to South Korea in mid-November, the second of its kind by a Vietnamese top party leader to the country since 1995, Manh and South Korean President Roh Moo-huyn reached high-level agreements, which will act as a driving force for their closer friendship and comprehensive partnership to develop more strongly and effectively. Over the past 15 years, South Korea has been Vietnam's top five partners in terms of economy, trade, investment and labor export.

    Manh's trips to South Korea in November and the DPRK in October also express Vietnam's active contribution to facilitating peace, stability, cooperation and development on the Korean Peninsular. The trips, after Vietnam's entry to the UN Security Council, showed that Vietnam is speeding up the process of tension reduction, denuclearization, peace and Korean unification.

    As the council's non-permanent member, Vietnam will have the right to partake in deciding significant issues relating to international peace, development and security, especially in maintaining international security and peace through peacefully solving disputes, conducting reconstruction and development in post-conflict time, and eliminating such threats as terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The country is considering the possibility of joining the UN's peacekeeping operations.

    Besides trips to the above-mentioned nations, the Vietnamese top leaders paid official visits to other countries in 2007, helping expand and deepen bilateral multifaceted cooperative relations, especially economic and trade ties, and leading to multi-billion U.S. dollar deals. And more importantly, the image of Vietnam with political stability and high economic growth, and its external policy of being ready to be a reliable partner and friend of other countries for peace, independence and development has been highlighted, which will surely result in stronger foreign capital flows to Vietnam, and bigger trade turnovers with other countries.

    Triet visited New Zealand in September, the first of a Vietnamese head of state to the country since their diplomatic relations establishment in 1975, and toured China in mid-May. Dung toured France, Russia and the Czech Republic in September, and five members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-- Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, and Brunei - in August, India in July, and Italy in January. Manh visited Cuba in June, and Chile in May.

    Dung is one of first non-European leaders to visit France since French President Nikolas Sarkozy took office. During his trip to France in September, enterprises of the two sides signed economic deals valued at 6 billion U.S. dollars.

    Besides, Dung's meetings with Pope Benedict XVI and the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone on Jan. 25, the first between a Vietnamese prime minister and the Vatican's leadership, have helped enhance mutual understanding and expand relations.