Beijing (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly met with relatives of Chinese generals, experts and others who had supported Vietnam-China friendship in Beijing on April 15 evening.
General Secretary and President Lam recalled the support of the Chinese advisors and experts, including General Chen Geng and Senior Lieutenant General Wei Guoqing, for Vietnam during the years of hardship in wartime.
The leader once again expressed profound gratitude to China for its invaluable support in both manpower and resources, describing it as a great rear base for Vietnam’s revolution.
He also highlighted the strong and substantive development of Vietnam–China relations in recent years, noting that alongside regular exchanges between Party leaders, cooperation in defence and security has become increasingly practical, while economic, trade and investment cooperation as well as transport connectivity has seen new breakthroughs.
China is currently Vietnam’s largest trading partner, while Vietnam ranks as China’s fourth largest trading partner globally.
In addition, local-level cooperation and people-to-people exchanges have remained vibrant, and it can be said that relations between the two Parties and countries are at their most positive, deep, substantive and comprehensive stage in decades.
Reaffirming that Vietnam and China are neighbouring countries, traditional friends and comprehensive strategic cooperative partners, jointly building a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, General Secretary and President Lam stressed that developing relations with China is an objective requirement, a natural and strategic choice, and a top, consistent priority in Vietnam’s foreign policy.
On this occasion, he expressed sincere appreciation to the attendees, describing them as close friends and family members of the Vietnamese people and witnesses to the history of bilateral friendship. He affirmed that Vietnam always treasures and remembers the great and wholehearted support of the Chinese Party, State and people.
The leader voiced his hope that the relatives of the Chinese generals and experts would continue to preserve and nurture the traditional friendship, inspiring successors to carry forward the enduring ties between the two nations./.
