Beijing (VNA) - The upcoming state visit to Vietnam by General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping reflects a sincere desire to foster an everlasting China–Vietnam friendship, one that will be passed down through generations.
This is the view of Yu Shuhui, a long-standing figure in China–Vietnam friendship circles and a former healthcare worker from China’s Guangxi province, while speaking to Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondents in Beijing ahead of the visit.
Yu held that the top leader of China's trip is more than diplomatic protocol, it symbolises the deep affection of the Chinese people for their Vietnamese neighbours.
According to her, Xi is a messenger of friendship, representing 1.4 billion Chinese people. His visit will surely further strengthen bilateral cooperation in fields such as science and technology, industry, agriculture, transport, and healthcare, and promote people-to-people exchanges, thereby enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries' people.
She reflected on the increasingly close ties between the two countries. As a Chinese citizen, she said she feels a personal duty to remember and cherish this relationship. She said she believes that as long as both governments and their leaders continue to work together, the time-honoured friendship will only grow stronger in the years to come.
She emphasised the resilience of this bond in a world marked by rapid regional and global change, with their neighbourly friendship remaining firm and unchanged. It was built on the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of earlier generations, she said, urging the younger generation to promote cultural exchange and cooperation in transport, trade, and beyond, to deepen the relationship even further.
She expressed her hopes that the spirit of comradeship and brotherhood between the Chinese and Vietnamese people will remain eternal and be carried on by future generations.
Yu’s personal connection with Vietnam began in 1968, during the country’s resistance war to safeguard its territorial integrity. At the time, China provided significant support, including the construction of the Nan Xishan Hospital in Guilin, Guangxi province of China to treat wounded Vietnamese soldiers.
The hospital was established under the direction of Premier Zhou Enlai and staffed by 278 medical professionals from major hospitals in Beijing. At just 20 years old, Yu was among the young health workers sent to support the effort.
Over the span of eight years, the hospital treated 5,432 wounded Vietnamese soldiers, performed 2,576 surgeries, and donated 779,220 millilitres of blood, over a litre of which was donated by Yu herself.
She has since been honoured with invitations to major events in Vietnam, including the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, and has taken part in official meetings with Vietnamese leaders such as Party General Secretary To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh./.
China vows stronger ties with Vietnam ahead of top leader's state visit
Top Chinese leader Xi Jinping's Southeast Asia tour, his first overseas trip of the year, holds major significance for fostering the comprehensive development of China’s relations with Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia, as well as with ASEAN as a whole.
