THE FRENCH REPUBLIC’S PIVOT TO ASIAPACIFIC POLICY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VIETNAM’S FOREIGN POLICY.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC’S PIVOT TO ASIAPACIFIC POLICY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VIETNAM’S FOREIGN POLICY.THE FRENCH REPUBLIC’S PIVOT TO ASIAPACIFIC POLICY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VIETNAM’S FOREIGN POLICY.THE FRENCH REPUBLIC’S PIVOT TO ASIAPACIFIC POLICY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VIETNAM’S FOREIGN POLICY.THE FRENCH REPUBLIC’S PIVOT TO ASIAPACIFIC POLICY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VIETNAM’S FOREIGN POLICY.THE FRENCH REPUBLIC’S PIVOT TO ASIAPACIFIC POLICY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VIETNAM’S FOREIGN POLICY.THE FRENCH REPUBLIC’S PIVOT TO ASIAPACIFIC POLICY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VIETNAM’S FOREIGN POLICY.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY NGUYEN THI LE VINH THE FRENCH REPUBLIC’S PIVOT TO ASIA-PACIFIC POLICY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VIETNAM’S FOREIGN POLICY Specialization: Political Science Code: 9310201 SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE Nghe An - 2022 This thesis has been completed at Vinh University Supervisors: Assoc.Prof Dr Bui Van Dung Assoc.Prof Dr Dinh Trung Thanh Reviewer 1: Reviewer 2: Reviewer 3: Thesis will be defended before the University-level Doctoral Thesis Evaluation Council meeting at ……………………………………………………… at ………… hour …… day…… month ……………… The thesis can be found at: - Information Center - Nguyen Thuc Hao Library, Vinh University - Vietnam National Library A INTRODUCTION Reasons for choosing topic Besides being a large geographical area that accounts for 46% of the global area, Asia - Pacific is the backbone of global trade due to the concentration of many of the world's most important sea traffic routes However, this area received little attention from the French for a long time after the Second World War until the end of the Cold War During that period, France focused on building the European Union (EU), towards its neighbors, and considered Africa as a foreign priority France is a great power with a strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world As Asia - Pacific has strongly become the center and growth engine of the global economy, France’s foreign policy strategy has been determined to not ignore Asia - Pacific France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy demonstrates the desire of Europe's leading power to accelerate its "pivot" to Asia, as well as getting closer to the Asia-Pacific - a region with "great potential" in terms of economy Looking back at nearly 50 years of official relations between Vietnam and France (1973 - 2022), it can be said that this is a relationship that started and developed under special conditions The establishment of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries in 2013 not only reflects a strong relationship established and consolidated over the previous decades, but also shows their desire and determination to bring the bilateral relationship to a higher and deeper development with a solid and long-term vision The world is constantly changing with many unpredictable factors Based on the methodology of Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh's thought, thoroughly grasping Directive No 32-CT/TW of the Politburo dated February 18 th, 2019 and Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Republic Socialist of Vietnam, it is necessary to constantly monitor, observe, evaluate and forecast closely to the actual situation in addition to clearly indicating Vietnam's opportunities and challenges in foreign policy This enables the formulation of specific guidelines and policies to ensure the highest national interests, contributing to the successful implementation of the strategic goals set out by the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam Inspired by such theoretical and practical meanings, the author chooses the topic "The French Republic's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy and recommendations for Vietnam's foreign policy” for his PhD thesis in Political Science Aims and objectives of the research 2.1 Research aims The author conducts research on France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy and assesses actual practice of the policy and its impacts on Vietnam in addition to making forecasts about the development trend of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy and recommendations for Vietnam's foreign policy 2.2 Research objectives - Giving an overview of research works related to the thesis topic - Clarifying the objectives, content and factors affecting France's pivot to AsiaPacific policy - Assessing the practical implementation of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy from 2012 to present and its impacts on Vietnam - Forecasting the development trend of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific policy, proposing points of view and recommendations for Vietnam’s foreign policy in the context of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific Object and scope of the research 3.1 Research objects France's pivot to Asia - Pacific policy and recommendations for Vietnam's foreign policy 3.2 Scope of the research 3.2.1 Regarding content The author conducts research on policy content, the implementation of the policy with a number of key partners, policy impacts, development trends of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy and recommendations for Vietnam's foreign policy 3.2.2 Regarding space As the Asia - Pacific region is very broad in terms of geopolitics, the research scope focuses mainly on major partners of France including China, India, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 3.2.3 Regarding time The research clarifies France's pivot to Asia - Pacific policy and its impacts on Vietnam from 2012 to present Theoretical basis and methodology 4.1 Theoretical basis The topic is based on the point of view of Marxism - Leninism, Ho Chi Minh's diplomatic thought; the Party's foreign policy and points of view and the policies and laws of the State of Vietnam 4.2 Methodology The author used following specific research methods: - Document collection, classification and research: This method was used to select and classify secondary documents according to research needs - Analysis, synthesis and statistics: The author used this method to analyze the content and assess the practice of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy - Comparative method: This method was used to find out similarities and differences in foreign policy across presidential terms; compare priorities among different partners in the actual implementation of France’s foreign policy - Quantitative method: After collection of data, the author prepared tables and charts to strengthen the reliability and reflect more easily and clearly the assessment of the actual implementation of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy in economic aspect - Historical - logical method: this method was used to study the specific historical context of the formation and development of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific policy and find out issues with common and specific laws, richness, diversity and trends in the French pivot policy - System - structure method: the theory of the system-structure method was applied to recognize and assess the Asia-Pacific pivot policy in France’s overall foreign policy At the same time, the author combined theory with practice to make recommendations for Vietnam's foreign policy in Vietnam-France relations in in particular and in international relations in general New contributions of the dissertation 5.1 Theoretical significance The research systematizes the concept of pivot policy, clarifies the objectives, content and factors affecting France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy 5.2 Practical significance - The thesis analyzes the practice of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific policy Thereby, this enables Vietnam and other countries around the world to learn lessons from foreign policy implementation in the context of the world's constant change - The thesis assesses the impacts of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific policy on Vietnam - The thesis also makes forecasts about the development trend of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy in the context of many changes in international relations - Last but not least, the thesis proposes points of views and recommendations for Vietnam's foreign policy for both bilateral and multilateral relations Research questions and research hypotheses 6.1 Research questions - What are research works on France's pivot to Asia - Pacific policy? - Why did France pivot to Asia - Pacific? What are the objectives and content of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific policy? - What is the practice of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific policy and its impacts on Vietnam? - How is the development trend of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific policy? What are points of view and recommendations for Vietnam's foreign policy in the context of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific? 6.2 Research Hypothesis France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy has made an impact on the region in general and Vietnam in particular Therefore, it is necessary that Vietnam has countermeasures to promote economic integration and development associated with national defense Structure of the thesis In addition to the introduction, table of contents, conclusion and appendices, the thesis is divided into chapters and 11 sections B CONTENT CHAPTER OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH SITUATION Many documents and scientific works have been published in Vietnam and abroad related to the topic with different approaches Firstly, there are research works on French foreign policy which were carried out by authors in Vietnam and abroad with various content and many different aspects There are some main outstanding research directions as follows: theoretical and practical issues on the basis of planning and implementation of France's foreign policy towards countries, regions and organizations around the world; France's leading role and influence in EU foreign policy making; the harmony between France's foreign policy and common foreign and security policy of the entire European Union; new movements of the world order and the situation in the Asia - Pacific region that result in the adjustment of France’s policy; France’s challenges and prospects in Asia Pacific Despite the fact research works have partly reflected the foreign policy of France, they mainly approached by specific presidential term There is a limited number of analytical and synthetic studies on French foreign policy Secondly, research works on the pivot to Asia-Pacific policy mainly focus on the policies of some countries such as the US, China, Japan, India, and Russia These works have reflected the concept of pivot to Asia-Pacific policy, the strategic importance of Asia - Pacific region besides goals and content of the pivot to Asia Pacific policy of the above-mentioned countries There are only a few research works on France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy which are mainly conducted by foreign scholars They have partly reflected the content and practice of policy implementation from 2012 to present However, there has been no work that fully assesses the practice of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific policy and its impacts on Vietnam Thirdly, research works on Vietnam's foreign policy towards France mainly focus on studying Vietnam - France relations in various fields and over different periods without deep analysis of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the context of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific No research work has either made forecasts about the development trend of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific or proposed points of views and recommendations for Vietnam's foreign policy on bilateral and multilateral relations to respond to regional and international changes in the context of France’s pivot to Asia - Pacific By inheritance and selection of published research results, the thesis solves the following basic problems: (1) Clarifying theoretical issues of foreign policy and pivot to Asia - Pacific policy of France (2) Analyzing the practical implementation of France’s policies towards key partners in Asia - Pacific such as China, India and ASEAN Thereby clarifying the results achieved for countries in the region and France as well as the contents that have not been achieved as set out by the policy objectives (3) Assessing the impacts of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific policy on Vietnam (4) Forecasting the development trend of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific, proposed points of views and recommendations for Vietnam's foreign policy on bilateral and multilateral relations to respond to regional and international changes in the context of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific Conclusions of Chapter The Asia policy of the French Republic was mainly established after the Cold War There have been many research works by domestic and foreign authors and groups of authors, mainly focusing on such issues as the French Republic’s foreign policy, challenges and prospects in Asia-Pacific in addition to objectives and content of the French Republic 's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy However, no research work has built a complete theoretical framework on the Asia-Pacific pivot policy, assessed the practice of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy and its impact on Vietnam or made forecasts about the development trend of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy to propose points of views and recommendations for Vietnam's foreign policy Based on the overview of research situation, the author has come up with both theoretical and practical suggestions and decided to choose the French Republic’s pivot to AsiaPacific policy for his thesis CHAPTER SOME THEORETICAL ISSUES RELATING TO FRANCE'S PIVOT TO ASIA-PACIFIC POLICY 2.1 Concepts of foreign policy and France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy 2.1.1 Concept of foreign policy Despite the diversity in the views of scholars on foreign policy, they all have a common point that considers foreign policy as the strategies, goals and actions implemented by a country in its relations with other countries In this thesis, the author approaches the foreign policy of a country as the combination of strategies and policies used by such country as it interacts in other international relations subjects in the fields of politics, defense, economy, culture and society to achieve objectives in line with the national interests 2.1.2 Concept of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy Statements of the French Government and the views of different scholars show that France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy is a part of France's overall foreign policy to shift its strategy to the Asia-Pacific, redistribute its attention and resources This is based on the view that any region that have been considered a secondary area for a long time must now enjoy its rightful status after an assessment of the international situation and national interests 2.2 Objectives and content of France’s pivot to Asia-Pacific policy 2.2.1 Objectives of France’s pivot to Asia-Pacific policy The pivot to Asia-Pacific policy was established based on extensive strategic, political - diplomatic, security - defense, cultural and educational considerations with the fundamental goal of regaining the strategic position of France in this region In other words, this means regaining the status of a power that plays a significant role, is heard globally and promotes development and innovation within France To achieve this basic goal, two specific objectives have been set forth including increasing economic presence and promoting a dynamic political role 2.2.2 Contents of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy 11 structure of the international system, the center of gravity of global power shifts from West to East leading to a change in the correlation and comparison of forces among major powers in the Asia - Pacific region 2.3.4 The increase in global challenges All the countries in the world are currently affected by global challenges which are problems whose impact poses a great danger to human existence The first group of global challenges relates to the relationships between humanity's basic social communities The second group results from the interaction between human society and the nature while the third group directly pertains to human existence in particular This group includes issues related to “human quality”, health promotion, intellectual capacity development and moral maintenance such as population and migration issues, fatal diseases and epidemics It is extremely complicated, difficult and takes a long time in addition to the coordination from all countries in the world to overcome those consequences Motivated by the ambition to become a power with global influence, France cannot ignore the consideration of adjusting its foreign policy towards the Asia - Pacific region which has a significant increase in global challenges 2.3.5 Strategic adjustment to the Asia-Pacific region by major countries The most notable strategic adjustment of the US was in made in early 2011 as US President B Obama announced the strategic pivot to Asia - Pacific The implementation of " Pivot to Asia - Pacific" strategy has proven that the US considers the Asia - Pacific as an important geo-strategic and geo-political area, directly related to its national security and global leadership role China's Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping in September 2013 reflects its strategic adjustment to Asia - Pacific in its foreign policy Additionally, Russia made a strategic adjustment to the Asia - Pacific which is neither transient nor temporary to deal with the US and the West , but rather a commitment to increase Russia's economic, political and security engagement with the countries in the Asia - Pacific Russia's adjustment is reflected in its "East strategy" announced by President V Putin in 2010, a year before the Obama administration 12 announced the "Pivot to Asia-Pacific" strategy Japan's strategic adjustment regarding Asia-Pacific is reflected in the Southern Policy, which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the "Democratic Security Diamond" strategy Meanwhile, India's strategic adjustment to Asia - Pacific is reflected in the "Act East" policy officially announced in 2014 in a joint statement following a high-level meeting between Prime Minister N Modi and US President B Obama Moreover, the European Union officially launched a new vision called "EuroAsian connectivity strategy" in 2018 This is the first time that the EU has a specific and clear strategy for Asia and can also be seen as the EU 's answer to the ambitious strategies of other partners Strategic adjustment is essentially the change of guidelines and policies by major countries to promote strengths to seek and interweave benefits from outside; establish their dominant positions in international and regional forums in addition to directing other countries and regions to follow their own trajectory to serve their own interests This is a public and recognizable strategic change and adjustment However, in fact, major countries still conduct underground adjustments, which are difficult to identify The Asia - Pacific region is the focus of intense strategic competition among major powers in the twenty-first century Such strategic rivalry between major powers in the Asia - Pacific region forces France to adjust its policies so as not to lose its position as a great power Conclusions of Chapter The French Republic 's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy from 2012 up to present has been formulated on the basis of determining the interests and goals of France in accordance with its foreign policy guidelines and in line with the objective law of contemporary international relations The thesis analyzes the structure of the international system, the increase in global challenges, the position of Asia-Pacific, strategic adjustment of major countries towards Asia-Pacific which had a great impact on the situation of international relations and forced France to adjust its policy towards 13 Asia-Pacific Subjective factors such as France’s interests in Asia-Pacific and the ambition to affirm the position of a great power strongly influenced France's decision to pivot to Asia-Pacific CHAPTER PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF FRANCE'S PIVOT TO ASIA PACIFIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACTS ON VIETNAM 3.1 Implementation of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy from 2012 to present 3.1.1 China In economic aspect, China is one of the top 10 economic partners in the world of France France's two main goals are to penetrate deeply into the Chinese market and attract Chinese investment to revive its sluggish economy French President Emmanuel Macron's official visits to China in two years (2018 and 2019) is part of a strategy to boost bilateral trade relations with China During these visits, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of a series of commercial agreements worth billions of dollars between their businesses In terms of politics-diplomacy, France advocates strengthening relations with China not only on the bilateral relations, but also in multilateral and global issues In 2013, President Hollande paid a visit to China After taking office, President Emmanuel Macron pledged to visit China at least once every year during his mandate In March 2019, during a visit to France, the two heads of state agreed to forge a more solid, stable and vigorous China-France comprehensive strategic partnership 3.1.2 India In economic aspect, after France’s pivot to Asia - Pacific, French businesses invested significantly in India at a rate of EUR billion per year in the period 2012 2013 Currently, more than 1,000 French businesses operate in India and create about 350,000 jobs In terms of politics - diplomacy, the strategic partnership between India and France is reinforced by periodic visits between the French and Indian governments, 14 maintaining in-depth political dialogue and exchanging views Regarding security and defence, comprehensive defense cooperation plays an important role in the strategic partnership between France and India In culture and education, France gives top priorities to development of universities and scientific and technical cooperation with India France's efforts in this area are shown in two contents: (i) scholarship scheme, (ii) partnership between Indian and French institutions 3.1.3 ASEAN In economic aspect, France has diversified its trade relations in ASEAN by continuing to develop bilateral relations with traditional partners in ASEAN while exploring new markets In terms of politics and diplomacy, France advocates maintaining continuous high-level meetings with ASEAN on global economic and geopolitical issues and the presence of its Defense Minister at the Shangri-La Dialogue in addition to strengthening diplomatic activities with ASEAN and increasing resources for the French Delegation to ASEAN Regarding security and defence, France has established a close relationship with four ASEAN member states including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam France’s Defense-Security Strategy for ASEAN Member States aims to support the enhancement of strategic autonomy for partners and to develop a regional approach to explore opportunities for multilateral cooperation within the existing regional security architecture Additionally, culture and education are the field that makes a mark for France's policy towards ASEAN This region has two countries with the largest French population which are Indonesia and Thailand Many members of the Francophone Community in ASEAN such as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam have become a bridge linking culture, language and education, etc., between France and ASEAN in particular and Asia-Pacific in general 3.2 Assessment of the practical implementation of France’s pivot to Asia- 15 Pacific policy 3.2.1 Results achieved by France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy 3.2.1.1 Regarding diplomacy France maintains regularity and consistency in the region It also expands a large network of partners while gaining regional support for itself 3.2.1.2 Economic aspect The Asia - Pacific region accounts for more than half of France's export growth The growing economic integration of this region, prospect of free trade agreements between the EU and Asia - Pacific countries, etc., are making significant contribution to France's economic dynamism 3.2.1.3 Political aspect France has consolidated its position as a power that has a role and is heard in the Asia - Pacific region and at the same time realizes a "balance of power" with other powers 3.2.1.4 About security - defense France ensures regional security surrounding its overseas territories and contributes to the peaceful settlement of disputes in the region 3.2.1.5 About culture and education Culture and education have always been the focus of France's strategy to increase its influence and affirming its position Never before had the French paid as much attention to Asia - Pacific as present and French communities in this region are growing at the fastest rate in the world The current number of French living in AsiaPacific accounts for nearly 9% of French abroad France's status as a powerhouse of education is also strengthened by the large number of Asia - Pacific international students in France France ranks fourth in the world in terms of number of international students and is increasingly appreciated by Asia - Pacific students who are studying here 3.2.2 Some contents that have not been achieved in the implementation of France's pivot to Asia policy 16 In economic aspect, despite significant improvement, the policy objectives set out at the beginning have not been achieved yet France's market share in the Asia Pacific region only increased by 1% after years of policy implementation FDI capital into France has a small increase which is not commensurate with France’s investment capital abroad Additionally, major partners in the Asia - Pacific region make modest investment in France In terms of politics - diplomacy, France's role and position in the region is still limited because its position and power of a middle power is not strong enough France still focuses on prioritizing relations with leading geostrategic regions along the Europe-Mediterranean-Africa axis and avoiding spreading resources due to limited potential For some important security issues in the region, France keeps a neutral position or avoids mentioning it in its strategy, such as the South China Sea issue Therefore, its voice and role in the region has not really been confirmed In term of security - defense, France has not participated or fully participated in a number of important security mechanisms of Asia - Pacific Regarding culture-education, France’s presence, influence and cultural spread abroad were markedly affected by budget cuts and relatively long neglect of the policies to strengthen and promote influence in the fields of "soft power" 3.3 Impact of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy on Vietnam 3.3.1 Results achieved through the implementation of France's pivot to AsiaPacific policy towards Vietnam 3.3.3.1 Economic aspect Vietnam takes advantage of growth drivers from outside to develop its economy, expand its international cooperation space and foreign market share 3.3.3.2 In politics - diplomacy aspect This contributes to improving Vietnam's international position while increasing transparency in governance methods and reducing the risk of corruption 3.3.3.3 About security - defense The policy helps Vietnam to ensure security and protect national sovereignty in addition to improving Vietnam's defense capacity 17 3.3.3.4 About culture - education Artistic and cultural activities are diversified while Vietnamese culture is strongly promoted to the world Moreover, it contributes to improving the high quality of human resources and the quality of scientific research in Vietnam 3.3.2 Results that have not been achieved through the implementation of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy towards Vietnam In economic aspect, the proportion of Vietnam's exports to France is modest compared to other countries In terms of investment, capital from France into Vietnam has only been concentrated in big cities The competitiveness of French businesses and investors in the Vietnamese market is still low There is a small number of Vietnamese businesses investing in France with a relatively modest number of projects and committed capital Regarding politics - diplomacy, the two countries have a low level and intensity of diplomatic exchanges France shows an inconsistency in its support for Vietnam in international issues in multilateral forums In security and defense, the two countries' cooperation mainly focuses on one main field which is military medicine There are also additional activities on officer training, but only at consist of basic training and French teaching and learning In terms of culture and education, currently less than 1% of the population of Vietnam speaks French The decreasing number of French-Vietnamese bilingual schools and schools that teach French in Vietnam, along with the increasing number of students majoring in French language who graduate from universities and are unemployed or working in a non-professional field in recent years have caused French to lose its comparative advantage over English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese Conclusions of Chapter France’s pivot to Asia-Pacific policy with a focus on major regional partners such as China, India, and ASEAN has brought it and other countries in the region certain achievements However, France still faces many difficulties in realizing the goal of "recovering France's position and prestige" in the context of direct competition 18 with the US "pivot to Asia-Pacific” policy and counterbalancing China’s regional influence As a strategic partner of the French Republic in Asia-Pacific, Vietnam has achieved positive results in all fields from its strategic adjustment Besides, there are also aspects that gain unsatisfactory results as expected during France’s implementation of this policy in Vietnam, which requires the two countries to make more efforts to deepen the strategic partnership CHAPTER FORECASTS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT TREND OF FRANCE'S PIVOT TO ASIA - PACIFIC AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VIETNAM'S FOREIGN POLICY 4.1 Forecasts about the development trend of France's pivot to Asia Pacific 4.1.1 Basis for forecasts about the development trend of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy 4.1.1.1 Forecasts about the world situation Firstly, the world is shaping a new order which is multipolar Secondly, major countries are involving in a more and more intense strategic competition Thirdly the European Union's involvement in the Indo-Pacific region tends to increase 4.1.1.2 Forecasts about France’s situation In economic aspect, France's economy is forecasted to face a deficit and rising public debt while unemployment is increasingly stressful due to the pandemic In political and social aspects, France is and will have many issues that need to be resolved such as conflicting opinions on the European Union, employment, social security and illegal immigration, etc Additionally, populism is growing stronger in Europe in general and in France in particular Two opposing views on the integration trend in Europe and nationalism are increasingly clear The anti-unification of Europe 19 has not only occurred in France but also in many other European countries, especially since Brexit, posing many challenges to France's leading role in the EU 4.1.2 Development trend of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy France will increase its involvement in Asia - Pacific and expand its involvement into the Indo-Pacific France's Indo-Pacific strategy focuses on five priorities Firstly, it prioritizes the protection of French citizens, territories and interests in the region Secondly, the strategy contributes to ensuring security for the areas surrounding the overseas territories of France Thirdly, France maintains the right to freedom of access and exploitation in common areas at sea, in the air or in cyberspace, especially in ensuring maritime traffic Fourthly, France strengthens its involvement in multilateral mechanisms to maintain regional stability Fifthly, it seeks experience in handling disasters, natural disasters and epidemics in the region for more effective response to future disasters 4.2 Recommendations for Vietnam's foreign policy in the context of France's pivot to the Asia-Pacific 4.2.1 Perspectives on Vietnam's foreign policy in the context of France's pivot to Asia-Pacific Firstly, it is necessary to properly perceive the trend of the times and the regional and international situation to achieve new developments in awareness and thinking about foreign policy New perceptions allow Vietnam to have the opportunity and conditions to break through the siege and isolation, expand multilateralisation and diversification in addition to developing foreign relations even with other countries with different political and economic regimes and joining multilateral institutions Consequently, there will be enough favorable conditions to combine national strength with the strength of the times to serve the interests of the nation in the process of steadfastly building and defending the socialist Fatherland in the new situation by the Communist Party of Vietnam Secondly, it is required to develop bilateral foreign relations Promoting and deepening relations with partners, especially strategic partners and major countries that 20 play an important role in the development and security of Vietnam and implementing the frameworks of foreign relations that have been established are important It is significant to identify the most important partners for Vietnam, which are countries and international organizations with the most direct contributions and impacts on issues related to Vietnam’s security, development and raising the country's position Thirdly, it is essential to improve the level of multilateral diplomacy Besides participating in multilateral forums and organizations or performing international obligations like other countries, Vietnam should have specific and feasible initiatives and contributions, even take the lead in some fields and issues that Vietnam can participate in and has strengths in Fourthly, Vietnam should take the initiative and be active in integrating comprehensively and deeply into the international community In term of international integration, it is vital that Vietnam focuses on economic integration while integration in other fields must create favorable conditions for economic integration 4.2.2 Some recommendations for Vietnam's foreign policy in the context of France's pivot to the Asia-Pacific 4.2.2.1 Raising awareness about the Vietnam - France strategic partnership Firstly, it is essential to gain a correct perception of Vietnam's interests in relations with France Secondly, gaining a correct perception of the basis for establishing the strategic partnership between the two countries is important Thirdly, it is significant to clearly understand the content, objectives, and measures to implement France's pivot to Asia - Pacific and its impacts on Vietnam Fourthly, it is recommended to have a full awareness of the importance of promoting relations with France; achievements and limitations in Vietnam - France relations since France’s "pivot" to Asia - Pacific; contents of conventions and agreements previously signed by the two parties; views and methods of implementing the Vietnam - France Strategic Partnership Agreement and Vietnam's strengths and limitations in implementing this Agreement Fifth, it is compulsory to clearly understand the main activities and responsibilities of each participant in promoting Vietnam - France relations 4.2.2.2 Promoting the comprehensive development of the Vietnam - France 21 strategic partnership Vietnam has only developed the Vietnam - France strategic partnership in breadth Therefore, it is necessary to focus on implementing the contents of the strategic partnership in depth, enables it to become "a practical strategic partnership" In the five main fields of this relationship (politics - diplomacy; defense - security; economy, trade and investment; development cooperation; culture, education training, science - technology), economy, development cooperation, culture education will play the leading role in bringing about the expected effect Other fields, especially political and defense-security relations, will continue to be promoted by the two sides to create a solid foundation for cooperation 4.2.2.3 Promoting Vietnam - France cooperation in regional mechanisms, especially within the framework of mechanisms chaired by ASEAN Vietnam-France relations are no longer limited to the bilateral framework and have been expanded to a multilateral framework for many years To promote cooperation with France, Vietnam is joining France to become an active factor in regional mechanisms chaired by ASEAN, contributing to enhancing mutual understanding for peace, stability and development of the two countries In relations with France, it is vital to always associate with regional issues of France's interest to orientate the settlement of bilateral problems and to promote bilateral relations through multilateral issues 4.2.2.4 Maintaining consistency in the "strategic balance" policy among major countries serving Vietnam's development strategy The "strategic balance" policy is based on autonomy according to the "four no’s principle" (i.e., no military alliances, no siding with one country to fight against another, no foreign base on Vietnamese territory and no use of force or threatening to use force in international relations) It is important to implement effectively the policy of balancing relations with major countries, facilitating the implementation of the foreign policy under the direction of the Communist Party of Vietnam on flexibly, creatively and effectively handling relations with major countries The consistency in this policy also aims to promote the most distinctive and unique thinking of foreign 22 affairs and diplomacy of the Ho Chi Minh Era with bold identity of "Vietnamese bamboo", "solid root, firm body and flexible branches" Conclusions of Chapter The French Republic highly appreciates and considers Vietnam as an important strategic partner and one of the major priorities in its pivot to Asia-Pacific policy Meanwhile, Vietnam learned many lessons in developing relations with the French Republic such as constantly promoting independence and self-reliance; renewing foreign thinking, maintaining flexibility in accordance with the context of the French Republic's strategic adjustment to the Asia-Pacific region; forecasting the situation of the partnership in a sensitive way and proactively finding a breakthrough in the relationship for the most practical benefits to the development of the country 23 C CONCLUSION There are many significant changes in the world situation and the regional situation in the Asia - Pacific regarding the relationship of forces between major countries Globalization raises many problems related to traditional and non-traditional security of all countries Asia - Pacific has gained an increasingly important geoeconomic, geo-political and geo-strategic position in the world; at the same time has many unstable factors affecting the interests of many countries These lead to the strategic adjustment of the major powers to the region, notably the US "pivot to AsiaPacific” policy, China’s BRI strategy to realize its "Chinese Dream", Japan's pivot to the South strategy, Russia's “East strategy”, India's "Act East" policy, and the EU's Euro-Asian connectivity strategy Facing the risk of being pushed out of the Asia Pacific political and commercial arenas, France has pivoted to Asia - Pacific on the basis of considering appropriate foreign policy objectives and tasks, serving national interests To achieve the goal of regaining its strategic position in this region, France carries out activities in two directions: strengthening its economic presence and promoting a more dynamic political role, focusing on key regional partners such as China, India, and ASEAN With its historical and current characteristics and a particularly important position and role, Vietnam has been chosen by the French leadership as a strategic priority in France’s pivot to Asia-Pacific policy During France’s building a partner network in the region, Vietnam became one of its strategic partners in 2013 Since then, elevating the relationship has helped the two countries achieve many economic benefits, ensure political-security stability, while enhancing cultural exchanges Besides the bilateral relationship, cooperation plays the key role to help Vietnam and France have development opportunities in regional and global multilateral mechanisms Thanks to maintaining a good relationship with France, Vietnam has many advantages in cooperation with the EU; building its position in the OIF and the UN, etc Meanwhile, through Vietnam, France has approached and penetrated the Asia - Pacific market, participating in regional mechanisms, especially those chaired by ASEAN, thereby improving its influence on the region Besides the positive effects 24 and effectiveness of the France’s implementation of its pivot to Asia - Pacific policy in Vietnam still has some limitations which are caused by difficulties from both sides It is important that Vietnam shows a correct awareness of and acumen in the regional and global political situation and make a foreign policy in line with actual situation It is necessary to comply with foreign policy of the Party In the past time, Vietnam’s foreign affairs and international integration have achieved many great results such as maintaining a peaceful environment and promoting external forces to soon turn Vietnam into a modern industrialized country and successfully realizing the goal of wealthy people, powerful nation, democracy, justice, and civilization However, foreign relations with a number of specific partners have not been really effective, without deep and practical implementation, especially with countries with traditional and strategic relationships like France It is essential that Vietnam develops an appropriate foreign policy and implements it drastically to promote the maximum effectiveness of its external relations to ensure maximum national interests D LIST OF PUBLISHED WORKS OF THE AUTHOR RELATED TO THE TOPIC Nguyen Thi Le Vinh, Bui Van Dung, Vu Thi Phuong Le (2019), Southeast Asian in the France’s pivot to Asia, European Journal of Law and Political Sciences, ISSN 2310-5712, № 1-2 2019, p.32-39 DOI: https://doi.org/10.29013/EJLPS-19-1.2-32-39 Nguyen Thi Le Vinh, Nguyen Thi Kim Thi, Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, Cao Thi Ngoc Yen (2019), Comparison between capitalist law-governed state and socialist law-governed state in Vietnam, European Journal of Law and Political Sciences, ISSN 2310-5712, № 2019, p.28-34 DOI: https://doi.org/10.29013/EJLPS-19-3-28-34 Nguyen Thi Le Vinh, Vu Thi Phuong Le (2019), Strategic Adjustment of Powers for Asia-Pacific Region and Its Impact on Vietnam, American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Science, E-ISSN: 2378-702X Volume 02, Issue 09, p.18-22 Link: https://www.arjhss.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/C291822.pdf Dinh Trung Thanh, Nguyen Thi Le Vinh, Van Ngoc Thanh, Nguyen Trong Xuan (2020), The France’s security strategy for the Indo-Pacific and implications for Vietnam, Journal of Science, Vinh University, Vol 49 - 4B/2020, p 91-98 Nguyen Thi Le Vinh, Dinh Trung Thanh, Vu Thi Phuong Le, Nguyen Phan Thu Hang, Ton Nu Hai Yen (2021), Free And Open Indo - Pacific Strategy: Impacts On Vietnam, Palarch’s Journal Of Archaeology Of Egypt/Egyptology, Scopus Q3, ISSN: 1567-214X, Volume 8, № 7, p.469-479 Link: https://archives.palarch.nl/index.php/jae/article/view/7755/7289 ... ASIA-PACIFIC POLICY 2.1 Concepts of foreign policy and France's pivot to Asia-Pacific policy 2.1.1 Concept of foreign policy Despite the diversity in the views of scholars on foreign policy, they all... theoretical and practical suggestions and decided to choose the French Republic’s pivot to AsiaPacific policy for his thesis 8 CHAPTER SOME THEORETICAL ISSUES RELATING TO FRANCE'S PIVOT TO ASIA-PACIFIC... France's pivot to Asia - Pacific policy, proposing points of view and recommendations for Vietnam’s foreign policy in the context of France's pivot to Asia - Pacific Object and scope of the research