Developing economic zones intertwined with national border protection

(Bqp.vn) - In the cause of national construction and defense, the Party and the State have adopted many policies that combine socio-economic development with defence-security consolidation. Those are being done in parallel with building the borderlines of Viet Nam with other neighboring countries (China, Laos, Cambodia) in the spirit of cooperation, friendship, peace, long-lasting stability and sustainable development.

 Company 86(Economic Corp 799) constructing road at Bao Lac district, Cao Bang province.

Border areas are always of great importance to the national geo-strategy. They are the front line, the gateway, boundary wall and an integral part to national security and territorial integrity. A borderline of peace, friendship, stability and development is extremely critical to a nation’s stability and prosperity. Going back into history, it is not too difficult to name some situations where border and territorial disputes or improper settlement of these disputes were the causes to military skirmishes or conflicts on different scale. Hence, national border line is a highly sensitive issue in international relations.

On land, Viet Nam borders 3 countries namely, China, Laos and Cambodia with the total border line of over 7.650kms in length (approximately 1.500kms with China, 2.067kms and 1.137kms with Laos and Cambodia respectively). Also, our country possesses a 3.260 km coastal line along with other large offshore islands in our sovereignty (three times larger than onshore area). These areas are strategically important in term of economy, politics, defence- security and external relations.

In its history of national construction and defence, Viet Nam has always maintained a close and united relation with its neighbours. Notably, in two wars of resistance against French colonialist and aggressive American imperialist, Vietnamese people and its army were side by side with its boardering countries, fighting against the common enemies for national salvation, independence and freedom of each country. Nowadays, that spirit still remains and develops for the common goals of economic development, national independence, sovereignty and a higher national position in the region and all over the world.

Nearly 70 years after seizing its independence (September,1945), particularly after 30 years of renewal, the Party and the State have issued a lot of policies that combine socio-economic development with defence-security consolidation in strategic, remote and mountainous areas, borders and islands. The border lines between Viet Nam-China, Viet Nam-Laos and Viet Nam-Cambodia once were revolutionary strongholds and strategic supporting zones in previous national salvation wars. However, the terrain here is complicated, largely high mountains, rivers, streams not to mention hostile climate, thin and unevenly distributed population among which ethnic minority groups take the major part. These geographical difficulties and other subjective and objective factors hampered the areas from developing proportionally with new revolutionary conditions. People’s life here mainly depends on agriculture with out-of-date cultivation methods that is heavily reliant on nature. Additionally, infrastructure facilities are poorly installed and invested. Also, cultural and social progress here is slow because of high illiteracy and many unsuitable customs and traditions. In field of defence and security, the areas are prone to instability and unpredictable complications whilst the hostile forces are fully making use of the terrain and other difficulties to sabotage. Moreover, multiple-crimes like drug-related dealers, human trafficking, forgery, smuggling, trade fraud and so on…. are rampaging all over the area. Besides, complicated developments in investing activities pertaining to foreign elements across the borderlines and our shortcomings in managing natural resources, exploiting and protecting the forest together pose extra challenges. The Party’s resolution by the 11th national congress stipulated goals and missions of national defence and security as follow: “Bring into full play the combined resources of entire nation and political system to accomplish the defence and security task under the new conditions; firmly protect national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, vigorously defend the sovereignty at sea and on land”. Also, the Party clearly directed: build up a stronger force in the fields of potentials and disposition, turn provinces and districts into strong defence zones, attach more importance to grass-roots based disposition; closely combine economy with defence and security in every economic plan and socio-economic development strategy; give priorities to remote and mountainous areas, borders and islands, and reinforce people’s defence- security disposition.

Fully grasping the resolution, our relevant agencies and organisation from Central and to grassroots levels have all reviewed the economic and defense difficulties- security factors in their socio-economic development programs and plans.

For important and foreign-invested projects, they have actively worked with Defence Ministry and Public Security Ministry to evaluate and appraise factors as per the regulations of the Government. Thanks to these, we have gradually rectified economic development that merely serve economic purposes and mitigated mistakes that may harm national defence and security. So far, some of our strategic and key areas have seen emergence of basic construction projects, notably 23 economic- defence zones along the border line stretching from the North to the South-West forming a new strategic disposition. In this process, the local authorities have contributed great efforts to cooperate and assist defence industrial units, security and armed forces in carrying out their economic task in these areas.

In the past few years, military economic units have coordinated with local agencies in border areas to intensify socio-economic development, ensure social welfare, and gradually improve people’s spiritual and material life in parallel with strengthening defence and security. This has been done at three levels: provinces, districts and communes. Noticeably, we have successfully built residential clusters and economic-defence zones in border areas; deployed cadres from provincial and municipal levels to grass roots-localities, formed key working groups to build new facilities in the border areas. Economic-defence contingents and working groups have implemented synchronously multiple tasks such as: disseminate policies to the grassroots, establish political bases, set up self-defence militia force and people’s security unit, assist the locals to improve their economic status (through pro-agriculture programs, infrastructure installation, land and forest handing-over), build new-style residential areas, and implement social welfare policies.etc. Models of building advanced hamlets, clusters of hamlets, and economic-defence zones have witnessed initial development, proven to be practical and suitable to localities as well as economic and geographic conditions. To illustrate, many border provinces and districts have had power supply systems, roads, schools and healthcare facilities built, offering the people more comfortable living conditions. Many households got out poverty; some even attained a quite good economic condition. Rice paddy fields and cash-crop plantations developed. In some places, it is possible to travel to around the hamlet by car. The local political system has been reinforced, and defence-security strengthened. Many local cadres were fostered and developed on the spot. People strongly believe in the Party’s leadership, and settling down to make their living; social vices were gradually cracked down.

However, the combination of socio-economic development and defense-security consolidation still faces many challenges. Some cadres especially local ones were not fully aware of this policy as well as dangerous and malevolent schemes and plots carried out by hostile forces. Some agencies failed to cooperate with each other. The sense of responsibility for a common goal was not high enough. Particularly, there still exists no comprehensive planning program or project of this kind that matches strategic position of the border areas. Thus, more attention must be paid to solve these problems in the coming time.

To enhance the effectiveness of the policy, more lessons should be learned from the models of building advanced communes and projects which military unit made its contribution to socio-economic development in disadvantaged hamlets, communes along with building defence-security zones in strategic areas. Accordingly, when appraising, implementing and building economic-defence zones along our national borderlines, we must think of the overall benefits and the suitability of each areas; carefully conduct research on local geographic, demographic and cultural factors, economic and political status, local traditions and history as well as the defence-security requirements in short and long term. In addition, we must set up goals, choose position; determine size, form and content, plan for each period; mobilize all possible resources (lands, capitals...) and forces to successfully build these strategic zones.

The size and form of economic-defence zones can be different owning to the complexity of geographic, demographic, economic and cultural factors of each area but they must share the common goals: Combine socio-economic development with defence-security consolidation in which socio-economic development plays the decisive roles, creating favourable material and spiritual conditions to strengthen defence-security. Thus, economic-defence groups on land bear not only the mission of a working and disseminating force; safeguarding social order and security, reinforcing defence-security disposition, preserving and protecting environment and fighting force in the event of war.

Economic-defence zone projects are comprehensive, covering many different aspects. Hence, they need to be planned carefully before being put into action. In the first period, economic-defence groups must take the infrastructure building as the focal task as to create the platform for accomplishing set goals of economic-defence zones. These include priorities to construct and upgrade road and bridge systems in order to form transportation network among hamlets, communes, districts and provinces; construction of power network, schools, medical facilities, markets and irrigation systems to serve the material and spiritual life of the people. Relocate residential areas, form hamlets and clusters of hamlets along the border, offer favourable conditions to stabilize people’s life. Build up political system, maintain social order and security. Take organizing and promoting production activities the central and regular task; directly take part in production and provide services that help people sell out their products; create planting and raising model, transfer people’s self-supply method into producing cash-goods; focus on planting and protecting forest; planting rice paddy and raising cattle and poultry to help people get out of poverty, develop household economy and improve living conditions. Besides, set up social and cultural development plans; focus on developing education and healthcare to raise people’s knowledge, eradicate unsuitable customs and traditions, help them acquire national culture as well as preserve traditional cultural values; provide medical assistance to people, disseminate and encourage people to follow guidelines and policies of the Party and the State, and warning them about schemes and plots from hostile forces.

In term of defence and security, these following tasks must be done: combine the content of socio-economic development with defence-security requirements in the short and long term, conduct force-building work, establish operating mechanisms for defence-security activities in project areas, firmly maintain political stability, social order and security in residential areas near the borders, contributing to ensure peace, friendship, long lasting and sustainable development of the borderlines between Viet Nam and neighbouring countries.