Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich led a delegation of the Vietnam People’s Army on November 19 began activities within the fifth Vietnam-China border defence friendship exchange in Long Zhou district, Chong Zuo city, Zhuang Autonomous Region in China’s Guangxi province. 

Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich (left) and his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe at border marker no. 943 (Photo: qdnd.vn)

A welcome ceremony for the Vietnamese delegation was hosted by Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe at the Shui Kou border gate of China. 

After attending a border marker saluting ceremony and witnessing a joint river patrol, the Vietnamese delegation visited and planted trees at Shui Kou town’s Border Guard Company. 

They then visited the Shui Kou town school, where General Lich recalled the time when President Ho Chi Minh and other Vietnamese revolutionists lived and worked in Long Zhou. 

The minister expressed his hope that the Party Committees and authorities of localities along the Vietnam-China border, and teachers will create more favourable conditions for exchanges between students of the Shui Kou town school and their peers in Vietnam’s Cao Bang province. 

He also urged the school’s teachers to spend more time introducing Vietnamese culture to their students, contributing to building a common border of peace, development and prosperity. 

Visiting a memorial house dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh in Long Zhou, Lich said the documents on display are valuable evidence of the great support of Chinese leaders and people to Vietnamese revolutionists and people during the war.

The house, therefore, is a venue to educate young generations about the solidarity and friendship between the two countries, the minister noted. 

The Vietnamese and Chinese sides are scheduled to hold talks the same day and review five years of the border defence friendship exchange, which aims to enhance political trust, build friendship and solidarity, and promote result-oriented cooperation between border guards, authorities and people of border localities of the two countries, contributing to building a common border of peace, friendship, stability, cooperation and development. 

The exchange is also expected to help counter allegations distorting the Vietnam-China relationship. 

Apart from China’s Long Zhou district, activities in the framework of the exchange will be held in Phuc Hoa district, Cao Bang city of Vietnam’s northern border province of Cao Bang. 

The first Vietnam-China border defence friendship exchange programme was held in 2014 in Quang Ninh province, the second took place in Lao Cai in 2015, the third in Lang Son in 2016, and the fourth in Lai Chau last year.-VNA