(Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, held talks in Beijing on Monday with To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and Vietnamese president.
Xi welcomed To Lam’s state visit to China and congratulated him once again on his election as general secretary of the Communist Party Central Committee.
PERPETUATING TRADITIONAL FRIENDSHIP
China is the destination of To Lam’s first overseas visit since taking office as general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee. Xi noted that it fully reflects the great importance he attaches to relations between the two parties and two countries, as well as the high level and strategic nature of China-Vietnam relations.
He stressed that the CPC and the CPV have passed down their common beliefs and ideals from generation to generation, forging the traditional friendship of “comrades plus brothers” between the two countries.
As the two ruling communist parties in the world today, the CPC and the CPV should uphold and carry forward their traditional friendship, bear in mind their common mission, adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party and the socialist system, continue to deepen the building of the strategically important China-Vietnam community with a shared future, and jointly promote the development of the world socialist cause, Xi said.
The CPV and the Vietnamese government have always attached great importance to developing relations with China and regard China as the strategic choice and top priority of Vietnam’s foreign policy, Lam said, noting that the Vietnamese side will adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party and the socialist path, deepen the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and advance the building of the strategically significant Vietnam-China community with a shared future.
“Lam’s visit comes just half a month after he was elected general secretary of the Communist Party Central Committee, which shows the importance the Vietnamese side attaches to relations with China,” said Chen Hongsheng, director of the Institute of Vietnamese Studies under the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences.
“In particular, Lam arrived in southern China’s Guangzhou on Sunday, visited sites witnessing Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary activities in China and exchanged views with friendly Chinese and Vietnamese figures. This is of great significance to consolidating and developing the traditional friendship between the two countries and boosting continuous progress in bilateral relations,” Chen Hongsheng said.
(Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)
DEEPENING PRACTICAL COOPERATION
Xi stressed that at the critical stage of national development and recovery, China and Vietnam should work to consolidate the development pattern featuring greater political mutual trust, more solid security cooperation, deeper pragmatic cooperation, stronger public support, closer multilateral coordination and cooperation, and better management and resolution of disputes.
China is willing to maintain close strategic communication and high-level exchanges with Vietnam, firmly adhere to mutual support, actively explore ways to expand synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the “two corridors and one economic circle” strategy, accelerate the “hard connectivity” of railway, highway and port infrastructure, improve the “soft connectivity” of smart customs, and jointly build a safe and stable industrial and supply chain, Xi said.
Vietnam is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges, deepen strategic mutual trust, enhance synergy of development strategies and promote mutually beneficial cooperation with China, Lam said.
China has been Vietnam’s largest trading partner since 2004, and Vietnam is China’s largest trading partner within ASEAN.
In 2017, China and Vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding on jointly implementing the China-proposed BRI and Vietnam’s “two corridors and one economic circle” strategy, to accelerate cooperation in various sectors.
In the first seven months of 2024, a total of 6,850 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo were shipped via China-Vietnam freight trains from south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a 16-fold increase from the previous year.
In addition, thanks to favorable policies such as direct air links and visa facilitation, cross-border tourism between China and Vietnam has seen vigorous development. The increase in two-way travel not only boosts the development of the tourism industry, but also deepens cultural exchanges and friendship between the two countries, a Chinese tourism official said.
(Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)
A SHARED FUTURE
During Xi’s visit to Vietnam last December, the two countries jointly announced the upgrading of bilateral ties to the level of a China-Vietnam community with a future of strategic importance.
During his talks with Lam, Xi expressed his willingness to establish good working relations and personal friendship with To Lam so as to jointly guide the substantive development of building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future.
He also called for joint efforts to uphold the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and other basic norms governing international relations, promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and economic globalization that benefits all, uphold international fairness and justice as well as the common interests of developing countries, and work toward building a community with a shared future for mankind.
For his part, Lam said the CPV and the Vietnamese government will carry forward the legacy of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party and the socialist path, deepen the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and advance the building of the strategically significant Vietnam-China community with a shared future.
Vietnam firmly upholds the one-China policy, supports China in realizing national reunification and firmly opposes any interference in China’s internal affairs, Lam said.
Vietnam supports and is willing to actively participate in the initiative to build a community with a shared future for mankind, as well as the Initiative for Global Development, the Initiative for Global Security and the Initiative for Global Civilization, Lam said, adding that Vietnam is also willing to work closely with China to strengthen multilateral international cooperation, uphold multilateralism, safeguard international fairness and justice, and make positive contributions to promoting world peace and development.
During Lam’s visit to China, the two sides will also issue a joint statement on strengthening the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and promoting the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future.
