The Communist Party of Vietnam yesterday elected a little-known official to be the country’s next prime minister, tasked with reviving the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic while navigating growing US-China tensions.
Pham Minh Chinh, 63, who rose through the ranks of Vietnam’s national security apparatus and has a doctorate in law, was the only candidate for prime minister put forward by the politburo. He also served on a powerful anti-corruption steering committee.
Chinh would be the main point person for Vietnam’s interactions with the world even though other members of the party are better known and seen as more powerful.
Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, 76, was re-elected to a rare third term on Jan. 31 by the National Party Congress during the once-in-five-year leadership transition wrapping up this week.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, 66, was yesterday elected president, enabling him to stay among the country’s top leaders.
Vuong Dinh Hue, 64, a former minister of finance and ex-deputy prime minister, was approved as chairman of the National Assembly — one of the four top positions in the government — last week.
Vietnam has a collective “four pillar” leadership structure made up of general secretary, prime minister, president and chair of the National Assembly, as the parliament is known. The leaders govern in consultation with the 18-member politburo, with the prime minister holding significant influence over project funding and detailed policy implementation.
Chinh was first secretary at Vietnam’s embassy in Romania in 1989 and became deputy public security minister in 2010. He is also a member of the country’s Central Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption led by Trong.
He was party chief of the northeastern coastal province of Quang Ninh, home to the World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay.
Analysts do not expect Chinh and the other leaders to veer from Vietnam’s long-held policies, including further opening its markets to the global economy and balancing relations with its powerful neighbor China and the US.
“You don’t have people vying for prime minister who have alternative economic policies,” said Carl Thayer, emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia. “His job is to implement policies that have already been well thought out.”
The new prime minister is likely to grapple with economic reforms required by new trade deals and the need to address bottlenecks in the manufacturing sector with improved infrastructure, including ensuring reliable energy, said Peter Mumford, Southeast & South Asia practice head at risk consultancy Eurasia Group.
Key priorities would include working closely with US President Joe Biden’s administration to resolve tensions around trade and Vietnam’s currency, Mumford said.
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