Charles Brown
Wed, 2 Feb 2000 11:00:17 -0800
Vietnam Party Lambasts Imperialism
Wednesday February 2, 2000 11:00 am
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - At a patriotism celebration, Vietnam's Communist Party
chief spoke out today against freeing up world trade, accusing imperialists
of pursuing ``absolute profits'' at the expense of developing nations.
The speech, a sort of state-of-the-party address, raised questions about how
fast Vietnam will continue the ``Doi Moi'' economic reforms launched in the
mid-1980s and whether the country is willing to make the changes needed for
a trade deal with the United States and entry into the World Trade
Organization.
Imperialists ``continue to seek ways to completely wipe out the remaining
socialist countries and attack the movements for independence, democracy and
social progress,'' Le Kha Phieu told top officials, youth groups and war
widows at ceremonies in advance of the 70th anniversary Thursday of the
ruling party's founding.
Vietnam's reforms slowed to a near standstill during the fallout of the 1997
Asian financial crisis. Tentative agreement on the trade pact was reached
last July, but work on finalizing it has bogged down.
Phieu, considered the most powerful man in Vietnam's ruling troika of prime
minister, president and party general secretary, blamed many of Vietnam's
problems on outside influences and decades of war.
``When imperialism speeds up trade and services liberalization and
globalization of investment, the rich countries become richer, and the gap
between rich and poor countries widens,'' he said.
Developing nations ``need science and technology, managerial experience and
armies of skilled workers, which they could not have under the dominance of
imperialists,'' he said.
Before Phieu's speech, top officials, including many members of the party's
powerful Politburo, held a procession through the mausoleum where the body
of revolutionary hero Ho Chi Minh lies in state.
A half-hour of song and dance by 200 performers - including 70 children -
then extolled the party's accomplishments.
``We are renovating, but we are determined not to change color. The
difficulties and challenges will not force us to diverge from the path of
socialism,'' Phieu said, speaking against a backdrop of portraits of
communist founders Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin overlooking a bust of
revolutionary hero Ho Chi Minh.
Phieu said the party sees the state sector as ``playing the leading role''
in economic development.
In its reforms, the party has been working to improve the efficiency and
competitiveness of state-owned enterprises.
Phieu also urged technology transfers to developing countries to create
opportunities for greater equality, saying imperialists have exploited
science ``to gain absolute profits.''
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