Hanoi (VNA) – The official visit to Vietnam by Chinese Premier Li Qiang was a success, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei has said.
Fully reflecting special nature of Vietnam-China relations
Talking to the Vietnamese press to share his insights on the outcomes of the Chinese leader’s visit, the diplomat highlighted the significance of the trip to the bilateral relations, saying that both sides attach importance to the event.
According to the ambassador, Li’s visit took place right in the first year of implementing the important consensus between the top leaders of the two Parties and promoting the building of the China - Vietnam community with a shared future.
It was also the first by a Chinese Premier to Vietnam in 11 years and marked the first time Li visited Vietnam since taking office, he added.
On the evening of October 12, shortly after arriving in Hanoi, Premier Li was welcomed by and met with Vietnamese Party General Secretary and President To Lam.
A day later, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presided over an official welcome ceremony for the Chinese leader, spent significant time engaging in talks with and hosting a banquet for him, witnessing a ceremony to exchange cooperation agreements, and participating in a business seminar between enterprises of the two countries, along with other activities. National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man also held a meeting with Premier Li. Vietnam and China issued a joint statement, featuring a wide range of contents.
All of these fully reflect the nature of the special friendship as “both comrades and brothers” between China and Vietnam, the ambassador said, adding that the two sides agreed that the visit produced fruitful outcomes and played a positive role in advancing the building of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.
The outcomes of the visit are reflected in three key aspects, Ambassador He said.
Firstly, the visit contributed to further strengthening mutual political trust between the two sides. During talks and meetings, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to prioritising the development of bilateral relations as a strategic choice for each other; and emphasised that the development of one country presents an opportunity for the other’s development and serves as a positive factor for regional and global development. The two sides also agreed to fully implement the common and important perceptions reached between the top leaders of the two Parties and countries, advancing the China-Vietnam community with a shared future towards practical outcomes in accordance with the "six more" direction. The visit also underscored the leading role of the two countries' top leaders in shaping the development of bilateral relations.
Secondly, the visit helped further step up substantive cooperation between Vietnam and China, which is already experiencing rapid growth. During meetings, the two sides reached important consensus on continuing to expand economic and trade cooperation while promoting "hard connectivity" in areas such as railways, highways, and seaport infrastructure; as well as "soft connectivity" such as smart customs. The two sides also successfully organised a thematic conference between representatives of Chinese and Vietnamese businesses, facilitating deeper cooperation within the business communities of the two countries. And
Thirdly, the visit contributed to creating a comprehensive consensus on the friendship between the peoples of the two countries. The media in both nations swiftly covered the visit, reflecting the positive momentum in Vietnam-China relations and promoting the spread of friendly consensus from the high to the grassroots level. Leaders of the two countries reached an important common perception on strengthening the dissemination of the China-Vietnam friendship, fostering mutual understanding between the two peoples, and supporting exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Vietnamese localities, especially those in border areas. The two sides also engaged in frank and in-depth discussions on issues at sea. They strongly agreed to abide by the principle of managing differences through friendly consultations and have full confidence in the future of China-Vietnam relations, the diplomat stated.
Further promoting traditional bilateral friendship
As the newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam, He shared insights and observations about the current relationship between the two countries and the potential for further development across various fields in the future.
The strategic guidance of the top leaders of the two Parties and states serves as the "balancing point" in the bilateral relations, he noted
Reviewing the top-level visits between the two countries over the past three years and emphasising the foundation-laying role by the predecessors in fostering sincere friendship and deep revolutionary ties, Ambassador He expressed his belief that Vietnamese leaders will inherit and promote the legacy left by the previous generations of leaders, thus further promoting the traditional friendship between the two countries, and working together to build the Vietnam – China community with a shared future that carries strategic significances.
The establishment of the community with a shared future has made a promising start, with substantive cooperation becoming a "growth point" in bilateral relations.
China is Vietnam's largest trade partner. Two-way trade has exceeded 200 billion USD for three consecutive years. In the first eight months of this year, the trade hit 167 billion USD, up 19.2% year-on-year.
According to the diplomat, in the first seven months of 2024, the China-Vietnam freight train service set three new records for monthly cargo volume. Additionally, the construction of the cross-border railway route between China and Vietnam has been accelerated to promote regional connectivity.
With its experience in structural transformation and economic development, China is willing to share its knowledge with Vietnam, helping the Southeast Asian country avoid detours and move toward industrialisation and modernisation more effectively, He said.
He expressed his belief that as long as the two sides have trust, patience, and determination, many challenging problems can be solved.
People-to-people exchanges and cultural interactions between the two countries hold immense potential and are regarded as a "treasure" in the bilateral relations, he stressed.
According to the ambassador, there are currently about 23,000 Vietnamese students studying in China, doubling the number before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
In terms of tourism, in the first eight months of 2024, Vietnam welcomed 2.4 million Chinese visitors, accounting for 21.4% of the total international arrivals, making China the second-largest source market of international tourists to Vietnam. There are more than 200 round-trip flights between the two countries each week.
Next year will mark the 75th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam, as well as the "Year of Vietnam-China Humanistic Exchange”, so the two sides should seize these opportunities to strengthen a more solid social foundation, further promoting their traditional friendship so that the friendship between the two peoples become a “catalyst” for the bilateral relations, the diplomat said./.
