Entering the 21^st Century, given the fact that natural resources on land are being depleted, “reaching toward the sea” has become the main trend of littoral states. Some countries, though being landlocked, try to approach sea to foster their development. As for our country, seas and islands are not only an indispensable part of the sacred sovereignty but they, together with the land, also create survival environment for the nation as well. Therefore, for long, reaching toward the sea, combining economic development with sovereignty protection on sea, have been attached importance by the Party and State. However, due to various reasons, the effectiveness of sea exploitation in the past years was still limited. Fully aware of the matter, the 4^th Plenary of the Party Central Committee (X tenure) on “Vietnam Maritime Strategy Toward the Year 2020” has pointed out some orientations for developing the country’s marine strategy as follows:

First, the country must become a powerful littoral state, prosper from the sea on the basis of tapping all potentials from sea, developing fully all economic sectors and industry connected with sea with modern and diverse structure; produce high and sustainable growth rate, high effectiveness with long term vision.

Second, combining closely economic development with defense and security consolidation, international cooperation and environmental protection; combining sea and island and coastal development with inland development towards industrialization and modernization.

Third, exploiting all resources for socio-economic development and environmental protection on sea in the spirit of active and proactive in international integration, tapping fully and effectively all internal resources; promoting international cooperation to attract external resources on the basis of equality and mutual interest; protecting firmly the country’s independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

The above viewpoints of the Party have manifested its guiding thoughts, necessary goals and main methods to realize the “Vietnam Maritime Strategy Toward the Year  2020”. In particular, the exploitation and promotion of internal and external resources; the combination between economic development with defense and security consolidation on sea; the firm protection of country’s independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and a peaceful environment for sustainable development on seas and islands, play essential roles. Especially, given the current situation, the risk of instability on the East Sea in particular and on other seas in general is on the rise, complicated and unpredictable, those viewpoints are of more importance. This requires us to further grasp and strictly implement those viewpoints by a number of concrete action plans, contributing to developing the country a powerful littoral state which can prosper from the sea and firmly protecting the country’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its seas and islands and continental shelf.

Duc Quyen