Top Chinese leader’s Vietnam visit elevates ties to new height: Official

The recent Vietnam visit by the high-level Chinese delegation has shown the high regards that the Party, State and people of China, especially General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, hold for their Vietnamese counterparts.

The remark was made by Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and Chairman of the CPV Central Committee's Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung in an interview recently granted to the press.

Trung said the State visit to Vietnam by Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi, his spouse Prof. Peng Liyuan and a high-ranking Chinese Party and State delegation from December 12-13 was a particularly important diplomatic activity of both Parties and countries, coinciding with the 15th anniversary of Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

According to him, it was the final overseas visit made by General Secretary Xi in 2023 - the first year of the implementation of the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s Resolution,  including foreign policy outlined at the CPC’s 20th National Congress. It was also his visit to Vietnam without any multilateral foreign activity. Prior to the visit, Xi had an article published in Vietnam's Nhan Dan (People) newspaper.

Trung said Vietnam had given the highest level of respect and special etiquettes to the Chinese delegation, expressing profound friendship and utmost reverence for the Chinese Party, State and people, as well as for General Secretary and President Xi, in response to what China had extended to CPV Central Committee General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation during their visit in October 2022.

During the visit, both sides reached a consensus on a rich agenda, including high-level and strategic-level exchanges between leaders of the two Parties and countries.

He noted that the visit has significantly strengthened mutual understanding and trust through the highest-level exchange of information on the situation of each Party and country, their socialism building path, international situation and the foreign policy of each Party and country.

Vietnam affirmed that it always considers relationship with China a top priority in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of external ties, he said, adding that China was also consistent with its policy of friendship with Vietnam, seeing Vietnam a priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy.

According to him, the two Parties and countries issued a joint statement on further deepening and elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, and build a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Discussions between the leaders of the two Parties and countries had comprehensive, sincere, constructive, and straight contents. Specifically, Party General Secretary Trong stressed that the better control and settlement of differences are essential for the Vietnam-China relations in both short and long terms. The bilateral cooperation in the East Sea has seen positive progress. With the complex situation in the East Sea negatively affecting their relations, the two sides need to respect each other's legitimate interests, well implement high-level perceptions, avoid complicating the situation, not use force or threaten to use force, and resolve disputes through peaceful means, implement the Declaration on the Conduct (DOC) of Parties in the East Sea, promote an effective, practical and legally binding Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea which aligns with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Thirdly, the high-level perceptions, the Joint Statement, and 36 documents signed during the visit have created a comprehensive framework to enhance the Vietnam-China relations and promote effective bilateral cooperation in the time to come. The signed documents consist of three on cooperation between committees of the two Parties, five in the fields of foreign affairs, defence, security, justice, and 28 on economic, cultural, scientific, environmental cooperation between the two sides’ ministries, sectors, and localities.

Fourthly, the highly successful outcomes of this extremely important diplomatic activity, along with the important achievements in many other diplomatic activities have affirmed that Vietnam’s potential, position, and international prestige are now at their best.

This diplomatic activity served as a milestone in elevating the bilateral relations, creating crucial foundations for the two Parties, countries, and their people to promote the development of the Vietnam-China relations in line with the spirit of President Ho Chi Minh regarding their traditional friendship of being both comrades and brothers, helping to consolidate a peaceful environment, strengthening the external complexion, creating new favourable conditions for Vietnam’s development, and enhancing Vietnam's international position and contributions to the international community’s common affairs./.

VNA