Beijing (VNA) - Comrade To Lam’s re-election as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) at the 14th National Congress is expected to give fresh momentum to China–Vietnam relationship, moving it into a deeper stage, according to Liu Ying, a research fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies under the Renmin University of China.
This is reflected in several areas, Liu said in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondent in Beijing. The high level of political trust between Vietnam and China has been strengthened, she added.
Since To Lam became Party General Secretary in August 2024, the bilateral ties have advanced, highlighted by General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Xi Jinping’s state visit to Vietnam in April 2025 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries (January 18, 1950 – 2025) and the Year of China - Vietnam Humanistic Exchange 2025. The two sides agreed on the “six major orientations”, namely higher political trust, more substantive security and defence cooperation, more practical and deeper cooperation, more solid social foundation, closer multilateral coordination, and better control and settlement of differences.
Following Party General Secretary Lam’s re-election, CPC leader Xi promptly sent a congratulatory message, and their subsequent phone talks highlighted China’s importance attached to the stability and continuity of Vietnam’s leadership, Liu said, noting that this high-level interaction underscores the strong foundation of political trust and the traditional friendship of “comrades-plus-brothers” between the two countries. According to the Chinese expert, To Lam’s policy agenda at the CPV’s 14th National Congress, which focused on modernising governance capacity and science- and technology-driven growth, closely aligns with China’s high-quality development orientation, providing a favourable basis for strengthening governance experience exchange between the two sides.
China–Vietnam economic and trade cooperation continues to develop steadily, with growing integration in industrial and supply chains. China has been Vietnam’s largest trading partner for over 20 consecutive years, while Vietnam is China’s largest trading partner in ASEAN. The bilateral trade structure is being further optimised, reflecting the increasing integration of the two economies into regional and global supply chains.
According to Liu, strategic cooperation projects are moving forward rapidly, with high-tech and green development emerging as new growth drivers. Vietnam identifies semiconductors, digital economy, and green energy as national development priorities, complementing China’s technological strengths.
Besides, infrastructure connectivity projects between the two countries are being advanced step by step, including cross-border rail links, development of border gate and smart logistics systems, as well as coordinated efforts in energy and technical infrastructure, she added.
The Chinese expert noted that people-to-people exchanges and multilateral cooperation continue to play a vital role in strengthening the foundation of China–Vietnam relations. In April last year, their top Party leaders witnessed the signing of 45 bilateral cooperation documents across fields including artificial intelligence (AI), customs inspection, and agricultural trade. Mechanisms such as the China–Vietnam People’s Forum and the “red journey" study and research programme for Vietnamese youth in China have helped enhance mutual understanding between the two countries' people.
Liu believed that To Lam’s continued role as General Secretary of the CPV would reinforce Vietnam’s reform agenda and facilitate a comprehensive upgrade of China–Vietnam relations across political, economic, technological, and institutional pillars, thus promoting the building of Vietnam – China community with shared future that carries great global significance./.
VNA
