Vietnamese ambassador highlights significance of top leader’s China visit

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of the top leader’s visit from August 18-20, Mai said this is the first trip abroad by Party General Secretary and State President Lam in his new position, and that it demonstrates the great importance the Vietnamese Party and State attach to the development of the friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Mai added that the visit takes place at a key point of time for each Party and country as well as the Vietnam-China relations.

Vietnam is exerting efforts to successfully realise the goals and tasks set out in the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress; review the 40 years of Doi moi (Renewal) and prepare for the 14th Congress. Meanwhile, China is stepping up the implementation of development tasks and goals, and conducting intensive reforms as identified at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The Vietnam - China relations have maintained very positive development momentum and recorded various important achievements across all the spheres over the past time. The two sides have agreed to continue deepening and elevating their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and build a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, striving for the happiness of their people, and for peace and progress of humankind.

The diplomat noted that Lam’s visit will offer an opportunity for the high-ranking leaders of the two Parties and countries to continue having more in-depth strategic exchanges and identify major directions and measures to promote the bilateral relations, making them more stable, substantive and effective in the time ahead. Mai said both Vietnam and China have been attaching a great importance to the visit, and they have made thorough preparations in terms of both agenda and contents.

Party General Secretary and State President Lam will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, and meet other high-ranking leaders of China, according to the diplomat.

The two sides will inform each other of the situation of each Party and country, and have in-depth discussions on how to further strengthen and deepen the bilateral ties, including promoting the regular high-level exchanges, further consolidating political trust, pushing ahead with the effective implementation of high-level common perceptions and agreements signed, expanding and improving the efficiency and quality of cooperation fields following the “six major orientations", and deepening the bilateral cooperation, with more practical results to be reaped, for the sake of the two peoples.

The ambassador stressed that the visit will take place at a very special point of time, right in the year that marks the centenary of President Ho Chi Minh's arrival in Guangzhou from Moscow for revolutionary activities. While there, President Ho Chi Minh and other Vietnamese revolutionaries received wholehearted support and help from the Chinese Party and people.

Therefore, the visit will also offer a chance for the two sides to recall the development history of the relations between the two Parties and countries, continuing to inherit and bring into play their traditional friendship.

It also shows that Vietnam always treasures and is grateful to China for its valuable assistance in the past struggle for national liberation, as well as the its current national construction and development. According to the diplomat, over the past time, economic, trade, and investment cooperation between Vietnam and China has maintained robust development momentum.

Vietnam remains China’s largest trade partner within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and is its fifth largest in the globe, while China is Vietnam’s largest trade partner, largest import market, and second biggest export market.

Two-way trade reached 171.9 billion USD in 2023, and 112.6 billion USD in the first seven months of this year. Meanwhile, China’s direct investment in Vietnam amounted to 4.47 billion USD in 2023 and 1.524 billion USD in January-July 2024.

Ambassador Mai said the two countries have many opportunities and ample potential to expand their ties in these areas, as they are both conducting reforms, intensifying integration, striving for high-quality development, pursuing industrialisation and modernisation, and given the positive momentum in bilateral relations.

Regarding trade, he suggested that both sides need to continue with efforts to maintain a stable, balanced, and sustainable growth trend; actively work for the early completion of procedures for the export of Vietnamese products, particularly agricultural and aquatic ones, to China; and tap into new and potential markets in China's northern, northeastern, eastern, central, and western regions.

It is also important to leverage and make the most of signed cooperation agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, and various trade fair mechanisms like the China International Import Expo (CIIE), the China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), and the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) to connect the two countries’ enterprises, said Mai.

In addition, both sides need to further facilitate trade by enhancing road and rail connectivity in association with maritime transport; make the most of e-commerce, upgrade logistics systems; improve cargo customs clearance efficiency through cooperation in building border trade infrastructure, particularly smart border gate pairs; maintain and ensure the smooth operation of the supply chain between the two countries; and strengthen cooperation in standardisation to ensure harmonised standards for goods and products of both Vietnam and China.

Regarding investment, the ambassador proposed the two sides further explore collaboration potential in areas such as high-quality agriculture, innovation, infrastructure, digital economy, and green energy.

Vietnam welcomes and is willing to provide a healthy and stable investment environment for reputable and capable Chinese companies to invest in Vietnam, Mai stated, adding that there are also significant opportunities for mutual support and enhancement in various sectors, particularly in border infrastructure, road and rail infrastructure, and high-tech projects.

The ambassador also noted the need to collaborate to handle obstacles in some existing investment projects with a view to creating a positive environment for new cooperation deals.

He expressed his belief that based on the existing advantages, potential, needs, and the foundation of the bilateral relations, along with the joint determination and efforts of the two Parties, countries, and peoples, the bilateral economic, trade, and investment cooperation will continue to develop and achieve even greater successes, aligned with the significance of the current Vietnam-China relations.

Regarding local cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, the diplomat affirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State consistently support and create conditions for Vietnamese localities and people to further enhance exchanges and cooperation with their counterparts in China, in order to contribute to the effective implementation of high-level agreements and perceptions, and to strengthen and consolidate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China, in accordance with the aspirations and interests of both peoples.

He stressed that local cooperation has become an increasingly important part in bilateral ties, given the close proximity and convenient transport of the two countries, citing as examples annual exchange mechanisms of border provinces.

People-to-people exchanges also prosper, such as the regular Vietnam-China people’s forum and friendship exchange of young people, helping deepen mutual understanding and solidify the social foundation of bilateral ties.

Cultural, educational, and tourism cooperation has yielded a lot of encouraging results. Currently, there are over 23,000 Vietnamese students living and studying in China. The number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam continues to rise, reaching approximately 2.1 million in the first seven months of 2024, Mai stated.

“I believe that along with the stable and positive momentum in the relations between the two Parties and countries, local cooperation and people-to-people exchanges will continue to be a bright spot in bilateral ties, and will become one of the driving forces behind the development of the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership,” the ambassador said.