General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, his spouse and a high-ranking delegation of the Chinese Party and State left Hanoi on December 13 afternoon, concluding their successful two-day state visit to Vietnam.

The visit was made at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and his spouse, and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Vo Van Thuong, and his spouse.

Vuong Dinh Hue, Politburo member and Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam; Phan Dinh Trac, Politburo member, Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and head of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs; Le Hoai Trung, Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and head of its Commission for External Relations, and other Vietnamese officials saw the Chinese delegation off at the Noi Bai International Airport.

Ambassador Xiong Bo and the staff of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi were also present at the airport.

During their stay in Vietnam, Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and his entourage laid a wreath and paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum in Hanoi.

The official welcome ceremony for the Chinese top leader and his wife was held at the Presidential Palace with the highest level of protocol for a head of state.

Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping held talks with Vietnam's Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Vo Van Thuong, and met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping looked back on the development of the relations between the two Parties and two countries, and shared the view that the traditional friendship featuring comradeship plus brotherhood set up and cultivated by President Ho Chi Minh, President Mao Zedong and older-generation leaders, is the valuable asset shared by the two peoples, and it should be constantly inherited and promoted.

They said 15 years since the two countries established a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in 2008 and with the motto of "friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, looking toward the future” and the spirit of "good neighbours, good friends, good comrades, good partners", cooperation in various fields has made positive and comprehensive progress, and the relations between the two Parties and countries have been expanded and deepened continuously.

The two sides agreed to build a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, and make efforts for happiness of the two countries' people, and for peace and progress of humankind, in line with the United Nations Charter and international law, and on the basis of mutual respect, equal and mutual beneficial cooperation, and respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and persist with the settlement of differences through peaceful measures.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping were introduced to the 36 cooperation documents signed between ministries, agencies and localities of both sides.

Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong held talks with Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping. The two leaders affirmed the fruitful results of the talks with many important common perceptions between Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping.

They held that the new positioning of the Vietnam - China relations and the six pillars of cooperation established by the two General Secretaries have clearly shown the direction, opening up a period of good cooperation between the two Parties and two countries in the new period.

President Vo Van Thuong expressed his hope that the two sides will increase exchanges and the sharing of experience in national construction and development, and enhance practical cooperation in spheres, especially in trade and investment, making it grow more healthily and effectively.

The two countries should step up transport connectivity, expand collaboration in agriculture, environment, science-technology, and health care, he said, suggesting the two nations boost people-to-people exchanges, organise cultural exchange activities, and enhance the communication work to promote the Vietnam-China friendship.

Reviewing the practical cooperation between Vietnam and China in recent times, PM Pham Minh Chinh proposed China continue to expand the import of Vietnamese goods, including agricultural and aquatic products, and deploy smart border gates; increase investments in Vietnam, particularly in high-tech and green transition; step up strategic infrastructure connectivity as well as transport and border gate connectivity; soon establish a working group to completely remove obstacles to pending projects; and accelerate the implementation of non-refundable aid projects.

The PM also suggested China expand financial and monetary cooperation, consider establishing a working group to push ahead with tourism recovery, enhance locality-to-locality and people-to-people exchanges, and strengthen coordination at multilateral forums.

Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping agreed with PM Pham Minh Chinh’s proposals and affirmed that Vietnam and China are important partners of each other.

The Chinese leader said that China stands ready to increase the import of goods, especially high-quality agricultural products from Vietnam, and encourage Chinese enterprises to increase high-quality investments in the Southeast Asian country.

He suggested the two sides strengthen infrastructure connectivity, and supply and production chains as well as improving the quality of economic cooperation in the fields of high technology and digital economy.

At his meeting with Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue suggested the Vietnamese and Chinese legislative bodies increase exchanges and contacts at all levels, as well as those between their specialised committees and friendship parliamentarians’ groups.

He also suggested carrying forward their roles in building open and conducive legal corridors and policies, and promoting bilateral economic-trade cooperation in a balanced and sustainable fashion, especially increasing the export of Vietnamese agro-aquatic products to China.

Sharing the Vietnamese top legislator’s proposals, the Chinese leader suggested the two countries maintain high-level exchanges and meetings, share experience in Party building and national development, foster substantive cooperation, step up infrastructure connectivity, push ahead with people-to-people exchanges, and well manage disagreements.

Within the framework of the Chinese leader’s visit, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his spouse, Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and his spouse, and senior leaders of both nations attended a friendship meeting with intellectuals and young people of the two countries.

The spouse of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Ngo Thi Man, and the spouse of Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, Prof. Peng Liyuan, visited the Vietnamese Women's Museum.

The spouse of Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, Phan Thi Thanh Tam, and the spouse of Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, Prof. Peng Liyuan, attended an exchange programme with students of the Vietnam National University – Hanoi (VNU).

Within the visit’s framework, Truong Thi Mai, Politburo member, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee’s Secretariat, and head of the CPV Central Committee’s Organisation Commission held talks with Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member the CPC Central Committee’s Secretariat and Chief of the CPC Central Committee's Office.

The state visit to Vietnam by Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, his spouse and the high-ranking delegation of the Party and the State of China was the first visit of the top Chinese Party and State leader to Vietnam after the 20th National Congress of the CPC and one year after the historic visit to China by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in October 2022.  

The visit took place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 15th founding anniversary of their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. The trip marked a new historic milestone in the Vietnam - China relations.

The two sides issued a joint statement on continuing to deepen and elevate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, and building a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Over the past 15 years since the two countries established their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in 2008, the bilateral cooperation in all fields has achieved positive and comprehensive progress. Entering the new era, the Vietnam - China relations are constantly expanding and deepening, especially Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping invited Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to pay the historic visit to China after the closing of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, promoting the Vietnam - China relationship to a new height.

Looking towards the future, the Chinese side highlighted its consistent policy of friendship with Vietnam, considering Vietnam a priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy.

The Vietnamese side affirmed that the Vietnam-China relationship is always a top priority in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of external ties. It is a strategic choice of both sides.

Both sides affirmed their consistent support for the two Parties, countries and their people to persevere with independence in strategy and choice of development paths that suit each country's situation; be persistent in properly handling and actively resolving disagreements through peaceful means on the basis of mutual understanding, mutual respect in accordance with international law, maintaining the good development momentum of the Vietnam - China relations, making more active contributions to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

The two sides agreed that the state visit to Vietnam by Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping was a success, and an important milestone in the history of the relations between the two Parties and two countries, thus making important contributions to promoting the Vietnam-China traditional friendship, elevating the Vietnam-China relations in the new period, and promoting peace, stability and development in the region and the world./.VNA