At the meeting, Phuong, who is also Chairman of the Vietnam-China Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, conveyed greetings and best wishes from General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam and key Vietnamese leaders to General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders. He also extended regards and invitation from National Assemly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to Zhao to pay an official visit to Vietnam and co-chair the first meeting of the cooperation committee between the Vietnamese NA and the Chinese NPC.

Phuong spoke highly of the positive development of relations between the two Parties, two States, and particularly the legislatures in recent years. He reaffirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance and gives top priority to advancing ties with China.

Briefing on Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements, Phuong said the country has recently adopted four strategic resolutions on economic growth, science-technology and innovation, international integration, and institutional and legal reforms. He noted that Vietnam has also streamlined administrative units and state agencies, and reorganised local authorities into a two-tier structure.

To effectively implement the high-level common understandings reached between the top leaders of the two Parties and countries, NA Vice Chairman Phuong proposed that the two legislatures continue to build on past achievements and step up exchanges of experience at all levels — including specialised committees, friendship parliamentarians' groups and localities — in areas such as law-making, oversight, anti-corruption, building a socialist rule-of-law state, national governance and social management. Such efforts, he said, would further facilitate economic connectivity and the implementation of development strategies between the two countries, while shaping a more comprehensive and substantive model of cooperation, particularly in strategic transport infrastructure, innovation, science and technology, digital economy and green growth.

Phuong also stressed the need for the legislatures to adopt practical measures to enhance mutual understanding and strengthen friendship between the peoples of the two nations.

For his part, Zhao conveyed warm regards from Party General Secretary and President Xi and other high-ranking Chinese leaders to General Secretary Lam and other Vietnamese leaders, and expressed his readiness to visit Vietnam at an early date.

Zhao expressed delight at the recent progress of relations between the two Parties and two countries, including the elevation of cooperation between the NPC and Vietnamese National Assembly to a new level. He congratulated Vietnam on issuing new policies to boost economic growth, sci-tech and global integration; refining institutional and legal reforms, restructuring administrative units and state agencies, and adopting a two-tier local governance model.

The Chinese Party and State always consider the development of ties with Vietnam a priority in their neighborhood diplomacy, and stay ready to work with Vietnam to fully realise reached agreements and high-level common perceptions, he said.

The NPC, he added, is willing to expand and further deepen friendly exchanges and practical cooperation with the Vietnamese NA, while stepping up experience sharing among specialised committees, parliamentary friendship groups, and localities. Such efforts, he said, would help advance the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and the China - Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Earlier on August 19, NA Vice Chairman Phuong and his entourage met with staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in Beijing. They also engaged with representatives of the Vietnamese community living, studying and working in Beijing, listening to and addressing their concerns.

Vietnam, China strengthen substantive military cooperation

The ground forces of Vietnam and China are conducting their first joint training exercise in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from July 21 to 30.