President Xi Jinping's visit to open up new chapter in Vietnam-China ties

This comment was made after the official announcement of the State visit to Vietnam by General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping and his spouse from December 12 to December 13.

According to the commentary, this marks the first visit to Vietnam by the top Chinese leader after six years.

The article affirms that the visit will further consolidate political trust between the two countries, promote mutually beneficial bilateral linkages, tighten the bond of friendship between the two peoples, and offer added impetus to a new stage of development in China-Vietnam relations from a higher starting point.

The article also reviews Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to China at the end of last year, with the two Party leaders reaching an important consensus on constantly taking bilateral relations to new heights in the new era.

"Under the strategic guidance of General Secretary Xi Jinping and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, China-Vietnam relations are maintained at a high level, not only bringing benefits to the two countries' people but also promoting peace and development in the region and the world," it emphasized.

According to the article, high-level exchanges between the two Parties take place regularly, which "fully demonstrates the high level and specialness" of the relationship between Vietnam and China.”

The article expresses hope that the two countries will constantly strengthen political trust, offer mutual support in the international arena, exchange and learn from each other in national governance, while also finding a path to modernization suitable to each country's national conditions, and joining hands to promote China-Vietnam relations to new heights, it went on to comment.

In terms of the economic field, the article says that the two sides are good partners of each other as they have continuously deepened linkages in economics, trade, investment, and infrastructure construction which has achieved many good results.

China has been Vietnam’s largest trading partner for many years, while the country is China's largest trading partner in ASEAN.

Looking to the future, the article expects the two sides to strengthen the strategic connection between the "Belt and Road" and "Two Corridors, One Belt" initiative in a bid to enhance connectivity between the two countries, along with working to take full advantage of the geographical proximity and complementary industries that exist between the two countries.

This will thereby help to step up economic and trade ties, in addition to connecting and creating a mutually beneficial and stable production and supply chain system.

Increasingly vibrant and close people-to-people exchanges have continuously tightened the bond between the two countries' people, creating a solid public opinion foundation for the development of bilateral relations, it said.

Over the past 10 months of the year, the number of Chinese visitors to the country reached more than 1.3 million. In line with this, in the 2021 to 2022 school year, 27,000 Vietnamese students pursued their study in the neighbouring nation.

The two countries have also maintained close exchanges in terms of culture and sports, with many Chinese coaches currently working in Vietnam.

The article concludes that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership between both nations, with the two sides reaching an important consensus on upgrading bilateral relations which will open up a new stage in the two countries' relationship.

Earlier, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular press briefing in Beijing that the enhancement of solidarity and friendship and the deepening of mutually-beneficial cooperation between China and Vietnam is in the common interests of both sides and conducive to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping and his spouse will pay a State visit to Vietnam on December 12-13 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and his spouse, and President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse.

Wang noted that right after the 20th National Congress of the CPC, CPV General Secretary Trong made a visit to China from October 30 to November 1 at the invitation of Xi.

During the visit, both nations' leaders had an in-depth discussion on major orientations to push up the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China, said the spokesperson.

This year has seen frequent high-level interactions, close exchanges between various ministries and localities, and deeper cooperation in a multitude of fields, which have brought benefits to the two countries' peoples, he stated.