High expectations for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Vietnam visit

Regarding joint relations, especially after 15 years since the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, in a recent media interview given ahead of the Chinese top leader’s visit, Deputy Minister Vu said both sides have many similarities, particularly as they share a border, are Communist party-led socialist countries and have maintained traditional friendly relations with increasingly closely linked interests.

Therefore, both countries greatly value relations with each other and mutual ties are a priority in terms of each country’s foreign relations.

Since the two sides established the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership back in 2008, the relationship between the two Parties and two countries has developed in an increasingly substantive, firm, and comprehensive fashion across a variety of fields.

Political relations have developed strongly based on strengthened high-level and all-level exchanges. Leaders of the Party, State, Government, National Assembly, and Fatherland Front of the two countries have maintained regular meetings, contacts, and exchanges.

Among them, there has been numerous high-level visits marking important milestones in the relationship between the two countries, with most recently the historic visit to China made by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong back in October, 2022.

Most notably, economic, trade, and investment co-operation is increasingly deepening with China being the Vietnamese side’s largest trading partner for 20 consecutive years and the nation currently being China's largest trading partner in ASEAN, as well as being the northern neighbour’s fourth largest trading partner in the world behind the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

Bilateral trade turnover soared nine times from US$20 billion in 2008 to reach nearly US$180 billion in 2022. Over the past 15 years, Chinese investment in the Vietnamese market increased more than 10 times from a cumulative level of US$2 billion in 2008 to US$ 25 billion at present.

This year alone has seen China rise to fourth place among countries and territories investing in the country.

People-to-people exchanges and co-operation between localities have taken place vibrantly, achieving many practical results.

To date, nearly 60 Vietnamese provinces and cities have established friendly ties with Chinese localities. In addition, unions, socio-political organisations, and localities of both sides have established and periodically arranged many collaboration mechanisms and programmes.

Before the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, the northern neighbour continuously led in terms of the number of tourists to Vietnam for many years, on average, for every five international visitors to the nation, one was a Chinese visitor.

The two sides have recorded plenty of achievements in building a joint and border of peace, friendship, and co-operation, with this further contributing to the socio-economic development of both sides' border localities.

The two sides have made greater efforts to maintain negotiations and strengthen linkages to work with relevant parties to control disagreements and manage differences in accordance with the provisions of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as a mean of ensuring peace and stability in the East Sea and the region.

Discussing the expectations about the visit by General Secretary and President of China Xi ,as well as the visit's contributions to promoting and deepening relations between the two countries, the Vietnamese diplomat said the trip takes place amid both nations celebrating the 15th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership. Amid this context and with the importance of the visit, the trip will certainly be a new historical milestone in mutual relations.

There are three points that both sides have high expectations relating to ahead of this visit.

The first is the expectation of a "new positioning" and "new level" of bilateral ties. This should be based on the important achievements after 15 years since establishing a comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership. As such, the leaders of the two Parties and countries will further deepen the collaboration framework for the long-term future of the two countries' relationship in a more sustainable, substantive, and effective direction, thereby contributing to the trend of peace, stability, and co-operation in the region and the world as a whole.

Second is the expectation of practical results of collaboration in multiple fields. The two countries’ leaders will move to identify major directions and focuses, as well as specific measures to step up practical ties in all fields, thereby meeting the interests of both sides.

There will likely be a large number of documents to be signed, creating an important basis for agencies, localities, people and businesses to cooperate more effectively in the coming time.

Third is the expectation about the effect of the visit to all levels, sectors, and people of all walks of life. This trip along with the earlier visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, is expected to create strong motivation and momentum for the two countries as they continue to maintain and develop existing relationships, thereby building a solid and good social foundation for propelling bilateral ties forward.