Việt Nam-China joint statement on Chinese leader’s visit

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping  (left) and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng had talks on December 12, 2023, in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and China on Wednesday issued a joint statement on continuing deepening and elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, and building a Việt Nam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

The joint statement was released on the occasion of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping’s state visit to Việt Nam.

Following is the English translation of the joint statement by the Vietnam News Agency:

“1. Accepting the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng and President of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam Võ Văn Thưởng, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping pays a state visit to Việt Nam from December 12-13, 2023.

During the visit, General Secretary and President Xi Jinping holds talks with General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng and President Võ Văn Thưởng, and meets with Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ.

The two sides hold that Việt Nam and China are good neighbours, good friends, good comrades, and good partners, and both are socialist countries under the leadership of a communist party, with similar political regimes, compatible ideology and belief, similar development path, shared vision, shared future, and common efforts for happy people and a wealthy and strong country and for the noble cause of peace and progress of mankind.

To inherit and promote the traditional friendship of “Việt Nam-China close bonds as both comrades and brothers” and continue to deepen and further elevate the Việt Nam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, the two sides agree to build a Việt Nam-China Community with a Shared Future having strategic significance and exert efforts for the happiness of the two peoples and for the cause of peace and progress of mankind.

The Vietnamese side supports the building of community with shared future for mankind, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilisation Initiative. These initiatives have the aim of protecting the common interest of the whole mankind, for the cause of peace, fairness and progressiveness of people all over the world, meeting the aspiration to build a better world of people in all countries.

The two sides reach consensus that the development of relations among states should comply with the United Nations’ Charter, international law and essential norms of international relations, persist with mutual respect, equality, mutual benefits, win-win cooperation, respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and persist with the settlement of differences through peaceful measures.

Following the above-mentioned orientations, the two sides agree to take the Vietnam-China relations to a new stage with stronger political trust, more substantial defence-security cooperation, deeper tangible collaboration, firmer social foundation, closer multilateral coordination, better management and settlement of differences, and joint efforts for boosting the development of the world socialism cause, making positive contributions to the cause of peace and progress of mankind.

2. In a friendly, straightforward atmosphere, the two sides inform each other on the situations of their respective Parties, countries, as well as the theory and reality of the building of socialism; showing delight at the great and historic achievements that each Party, country has gained during the cause of national development, modernisation and socialism building in line with each country’s conditions; asserting that these fully demonstrate the vitality and superiority of the socialist regimes in Việt Nam and China.

The Vietnamese side warmly congratulates the great accomplishments that the Party, Government and people of China have made during the 10-year new era as well as important achievements during the realisation of the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress. The Vietnamese side wishes and believes that under the firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the nucleus, following the orientations of the Xi Jinping Thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, the Party, Government and people of China will certainly continue to diversify and expand the path of Chinese-style modernisation, unceasingly perfect the whole-process people’s democracy, strongly promote the new great project on Party building, complete on schedule all targets and tasks set at the 20th CPC National Congress, successfully implement the Second Centenary Goal, turning China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful.

China supports and highly values achievements made by Việt Nam over nearly 40 years of Đổi mới, 10 years of the implementation of the “Platform on national construction during the transitional period toward socialism (supplemented and amended in 2011)”, especially the important and comprehensive accomplishments made since the CPV’s 13th National Congress to date, which have propelled Việt Nam’s synergy and international influence to unprecedented heights. China wishes and believes that under the sound leadership of the CPV Central Committee led by General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, the Party, State and people of Việt Nam will certainly realise major goals and tasks set at the 13th National Congress of the CPV, build Việt Nam into a socialist-oriented developed country with high income by 2045. China affirms its support for Việt Nam’s prosperous development, well-being of its people, building of a strong, independent and self-reliant economy, promotion of the cause of đổi mới, industrialisation, modernisation and comprehensive international integration, development of open and friendly foreign relations, and an increasingly important role in peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world.

3. The two sides look back at the development process of relations between the two Parties and countries, appreciate the invaluable and selfless support that the two Parties, countries and their people have provided for each other in various periods; unanimously agree that the traditional friendship as “both comrades and brothers” founded and nurtured by President Hồ Chí Minh and President Mao Zedong and generations of leaders, is an invaluable asset of the two countries’ people that needs to be inherited, well-protected, and effectively upheld. The Party, State and people of Việt Nam always hold in high regard and deeply appreciate the strong support and assistance provided by the Party, State and people of China in the struggle for national liberation and independence, as well as the cause of socialism building and national development.

At the turn of the century, Việt Nam and China set up the motto “friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, looking toward the future” and the spirit of “good neighbours, good friends, good comrades, good partners”. Fifteen years since the establishment of their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in 2008, cooperation in various fields has made positive and comprehensive progress. Entering a new era, the Việt Nam-China relationship has kept expanding and deepening, especially with Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng’s historic visit to China at the invitation of Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping following the CPC’s 20th National Congress, which elevated Việt Nam-China ties to a greater height.

Looking toward the future, China highlights its consistent policy of friendship with Việt Nam, considering Việt Nam a priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy. Việt Nam affirms that the Việt Nam-China relationship is always a top priority in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of external ties. It is a strategic choice of both sides.

Both sides affirm their consistent support for the two Parties, countries and their people to persevere with independence in strategy and choice of development paths that suit each country’s situation; be persistent in properly handling and actively resolving disagreements through peaceful means on the basis of mutual understanding, mutual respect in accordance with international law, maintaining the good development momentum of Việt Nam-China relations, making more active contributions to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

On the basis of the above common perceptions, in the context of rapid, complicated, unpredictable and unprecedented developments in the world, both sides agree to persist with political orientations of the highest Party and State leaders, looking at and developing the Việt Nam-China relationship from a strategic height and long-term perspective in accordance with the “16 words” motto and the spirit of “4 goods”, taking the 15th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership as an opportunity to build the Việt Nam-China community with a shared future of strategic importance, striving for the well-being of their people, and for the sake of peace and progress of humanity.

4. To continue deepening and elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and firmly promoting the building of the Việt Nam-China community for a shared future, both sides reach consensus to well uphold the overall coordinating role of the Việt Nam-China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation, actively promote cooperation in the near future, focusing on the following six major orientations, set goals, fine-tune mechanisms, roll out measures and push the implementation of:

4.1. Stronger political trust

To grasp the development orientation of the Việt Nam-China relationship, both sides agree to increase strategic exchanges, persist in equal treatment and mutual respect to further consolidate political trust.

(1). Both sides vow to further enhance close exchanges between high-ranking leaders of the two Parties and countries through such forms as bilateral visits, deployment of special envoys, hotlines, exchanges of messages and letters, annual meetings and meetings at multilateral forums, engage in timely strategic discussions on important issues in bilateral ties as well as global and regional issues of shared concern, strategic orientations and directions for the stable and healthy development of ties between the two Parties and countries in the new period.

(2) Both sides agree to bring into full play the special role of the Party channel, further enhance the direction and coordination of the high-level meeting mechanism of the two Parties as well as the promotion and coordination roles of the two Parties’ external relations organisations; improve the efficiency of the exchange and cooperation between the two Parties’ respective agencies at the central level, Party organisations of localities, especially border provinces (regions); approve the mechanism of theoretical workshop between the two Parties and personnel training cooperation plans, promote delegation exchanges via Party channel,  step up exchanges and consult each other in Party building and country management, as well as socialism building and many other fields such as organisation, information and education/popularisation, inspection and discipline enforcement, corruption prevention and combat, judicial reform, mass mobilisation/united front and socio-economy. Besides, they concur to further enhance exchanges and friendly cooperation between the Vietnamese and Chinese Governments, the National Assembly of Việt Nam and the National People’s Congress of China, and the Việt Nam Fatherland Front and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

(3) Both sides agree to effectively carry out the agreement on deepening the cooperation in the new era between the two Foreign Ministries; maintain regular meetings between leaders of the two Foreign Ministries; continue organising annual diplomatic consultation; enhance exchanges at department-level; well implement staff training plans; and support and create favourable conditions for each other to renovate headquarters and buildings of the diplomatic representative agencies of the two countries.

(4) Việt Nam reaffirms its consistency in carrying out “One China” policy by recognising Taiwan as an inseparable part of the Chinese territory, resolutely opposing any separatist activity seeking “Taiwan Independence”, supporting the principle of non-interference in internal affairs of other states, and not developing any state-level relations with Taiwan. The Vietnamese side holds that the issues of Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Xizang are China’s internal affairs, and expresses the belief that under the leadership of the Chinese Party and Government, the above-mentioned regions will maintain stability and prosperous development. The Chinese side supports Việt Nam’s efforts in maintaining social stability, ensuring national security, and promoting national solidarity.

4.2. More practical cooperation in defence – security

Defence and security cooperation, a pillar in the Việt Nam-China relations, plays an important role in consolidating strategic trust between the two Parties and States. To protect their security, contributing to maintaining peace, security, and stability in the region and the world, the two sides agree to strengthen cooperation mechanisms in defence, police, security, supreme court and supreme procuracy, consider building exchange mechanisms between their judicial organisations, and boost collaboration in the following key fields:

(1) Both sides agree to further enhance high-level exchanges between the two militaries; bring into play the role of cooperation channels such as border defence friendship exchange, strategic defence dialogue and hotline between the two defence ministries; effectively carry out the joint vision statement on defence cooperation until 2025 between the two defence ministries; step up exchange and cooperation between the two militaries in the fields of political work, personnel training and joint research; further strengthen cooperation in defence industry, joint exercise and training, health care, logistics, UN peace keeping activities and non-traditional security; continue intensive border cooperation by promoting joint border patrol and encouraging border stations of both sides to set up friendly relations and enhance coordination on border management and protection; and continue effective joint patrols on the Gulf of Tonkin and military ships’ mutual visits as well as deepen exchange and cooperation mechanisms between the naval and coast guard forces.

(2) Both sides agree to enhance high-level exchanges between law-enforcement agencies; promote the role of such mechanisms as ministerial-level conference on crime prevention and combat, and strategic security dialogue; establish the mechanism of deputy ministerial-level dialogue on political security and a hotline between the two public security ministries; forge cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and China’s security and law-enforcement agencies in the fields of security, intelligence, particularly deepening cooperation in government security and regime security; bolster cooperation in traditional and non-traditional security such as prevention of terrorism and online scams, cyber security, immigration management, migration, illegal border crossings, and arrest of criminals fleeing overseas; deepening cooperation and enhance experience exchange in the fields of economic security, food security, energy, water resources, and reform and opening up; boost intelligence cooperation and share experience in the issues of anti-interference, anti-secession, prevention and fighting of “peaceful evolution” and “colour revolution” of hostile and reactionary forces; strengthen cooperation in preventing and fighting legal violations in religion and managing non-governmental organisations, promote staff training; and step up cooperation to protect the safety of organisations, businesses and citizens of one country in the other. 

(3) The two sides agree to strengthen legal and judicial cooperation, creating a legal foundation for comprehensive cooperation in all fields between Vietnam and China; actively implement obligations of international treaties of which the two sides are members. The two sides effectively implement the Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement in Civil and Criminal Matters between the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam and the People’s Republic of China, and the Extradition Agreement between the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam and the People’s Republic of China; promote the effective implementation of the Agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons between the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam and the People’s Republic of China; promote the practical outcomes of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice and the Chinese Ministry of Justice, jointly perfecting the mutual legal assistance mechanism; study the establishment of methods for resolving civil and border trade disputes; promote legal and judicial cooperation between localities that share the borderline in appropriate forms.

4.3. Deeper and more practical cooperation

To persist in win-win cooperation to serve the development of the two countries and promote regional and global economic recovery and sustainable growth, the two sides will strengthen their respective cooperation mechanisms in the fields of infrastructure, investment, trade, agriculture, finance and currency; study and build cooperation mechanisms between state-owned enterprises and state-invested enterprises, and transportation agencies, focusing on:

(1) Jointly building “Two Corridors, One Belt”, and “Belt and Road” 

The two sides agree to promote the connection of development strategies between the two countries, well implement the Plan on cooperation in promoting connectivity between the “Two Corridors, One Belt” framework and the “Belt and Road” initiative between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam and the Government of the People’s Republic of China.

The two sides promote standard-gauge railway connectivity across the Việt Nam-China border, study and promote the building of Lào Cai-Hà Nội-Hải Phòng standard-gauge railway route, study on the Đồng Đăng-Hà Nội and Móng Cái-Hạ Long-Hải Phòng standard-gauge railway routes at appropriate times.

The two sides accelerate the connection and construction of border infrastructure, including the building a road bridge across the Red River in the Bát Xát (Việt Nam) – Ba Sa (China) border area. The two sides encourage businesses of the two countries to cooperate in the fields of road, bridge and railway infrastructure, clean electricity, telecommunications, and logistics; continue close coordination and facilitate cooperation in road, aviation, and railway transport; and strengthen logistics cooperation.

(2) Investment

The two sides agree to effectively deploy an economic-trade cooperation zone, focusing on intensifying investment cooperation in such fields as agriculture, infrastructure, energy, digital economy, and green development. The two sides encourage and support businesses with real capacity, prestige, and advanced technologies to invest in the other country in areas suitable to the demand and sustainable development strategies of each nation and create a fair and favourable business environment for these businesses.

The two sides speed up the implementation of projects using non-refundable aid funded by the Chinese Government for Việt Nam, including a project to build the second facility of the Traditional Medicine Hospital.

The two sides agree to enhance the exchange of experience in reforming state-owned enterprises and managing state capital at enterprises, cooperate in training human resources, especially high-level management human resources of state-owned enterprises; encourage state capital management agencies at enterprises of the two countries to increase contacts and connection, and create favourable conditions for enterprises of the two countries to boost mutually beneficial cooperation.

The two sides actively seek the possibility of strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the field of key minerals based on market principles and the spirit of substance and sustainability, ensuring security of energy production and supply chains.

(3) Trade

The two sides agree to apply practical measures to expand the size of bilateral trade in a balanced and sustainable direction. The two sides effectively promote the role of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA); strengthen cooperation on platforms such as the China International Import Expo (CIIE), the China – ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), and the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair); expand the export of products to each other’s market. The two sides agree to enhance cooperation in the fields of standardisation, ensuring harmony of standards for goods and products of Vietnam and China, especially agricultural products, thus facilitating bilateral trade cooperation. The Chinese side will actively accelerate the market opening process for Vietnamese agricultural products such as fresh coconuts, frozen fruit products, citrus fruits, avocados, custard apples, rose-apples, medicinal herbs, buffalo meat, beef, pork, and products from cattle and poultry meat. The Vietnamese side will actively promote the import of Chinese sturgeon, increase exchanges between professional organisations of the two sides, and foster the healthy development of relevant industries of the two countries.

The two sides agree to apply effective measures to ensure smooth commodity supply chains serving the production and consumption between the two countries and in the region. Improving customs clearance efficiency, promoting the pilot building of smart border gates on the specialised freight transport routes through the area of border marker No.1088/2 – 1089 and at the Tân Thanh-Puzhai border gates (the area at border marker No.1090-1091) within the international border gates Hữu Nghị (Việt Nam) – Youyi Guan (China); rationally segregating the flow of goods at border gates, ensuring the smooth operations of key border gates. The two sides concur that they will promote the role of the Việt Nam-China task force for trade facilitation, further exploit the potential of bilateral trade; promote the implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed between the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and Chinese Ministry of Commerce on strengthening the Việt Nam-China supply chain, ensuring the safety and stability of the two countries’ production and supply chains. The two sides agree to promote the role of their joint working group for e-commerce and the engagement of Vietnamese and Chinese enterprises in e-commerce cooperation.

The two sides agree to effectively leverage the role of the mechanisms of the land border joint committee and the joint committee for Việt Nam-China border gate management, continue to well implement the three legal documents on the Việt Nam-China land border and related agreements; enhance the management of security and order in the border area; actively promote the opening and upgrading of border gates. Continuing to effectively implement the agreement on vessel navigation in the free navigation area at the mouth of Bắc Luân River. Studying cooperation in granting mutual Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) certificates, stepping up cooperation and exchanges regarding the “single-window” mechanism, further deepening collaboration on anti-smuggling law enforcement, boosting the Operation Mekong Dragon to achieve even more significant results.

The Chinese side supports the opening of a Vietnamese Consulate General in Chongqing, the active roles of Vietnamese trade promotion offices in Chongqing and Hangzhou (China) in economic and trade cooperation between the two countries; is willing to further create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese side to soon open more trade promotion offices in relevant Chinese localities.

The two sides support authorities of Vietnamese and Chinese localities, particularly inland ones with relatively large economic and population scales, in establishing coordination mechanisms, holding trade-investment promotion activities together to capitalise on their potential, strengths, creating new growth drivers for economic, commercial, and trade cooperation between the two countries. Continuing to support cooperation between the two countries’ railway companies to enhance the efficiency of the transit of Vietnamese goods through China.

(4) Finance, currency

The two sides agree to increase the exchange and cooperation between the State Bank of Việt Nam and the Bank of China as well as between the two countries’ financial supervisory and management agencies. Leveraging the role of the joint working group for finance-currency cooperation to step up monetary cooperation between the two countries. Supporting the deepening of the two sides’ collaboration in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the provision of assistance in terms of capital for related projects in line with the bank’s strategy, policy, and procedure.

(5) Food security and green development

The two sides agree to actively promote their cooperation in agricultural techniques and agricultural policy exchange, study the implementation of joint works in such fields as low-carbon agriculture, digital agriculture, green agriculture, land and water resources protection, the promotion of green products with low-carbon emissions, and sustainable development; increase discussions and coordination on policies on ensuring food security.

The sides concur that they will actively participate in and build the global clean energy cooperation partnership. Deepening cooperation in such fields as biodiversity conservation, climate change response, new energy automobiles, which cover the management of Asian natural reserves, the protection of migratory wildlife, and the control of invasive alien species along the border region. The Chinese side welcomes Việt Nam’s participation in related activities of the Belt and Road Initiative International Green Development Coalition. 

The two sides agree to enhance cooperation in the fields of cultivation and agricultural product processing; deploy the research cooperation for integrated management of the marine and insular environment, implement cooperation in releasing fish fries into and protecting aquatic resources in the Gulf of Tonkin. The two sides will soon sign an agreement on fishery cooperation in the Gulf of Tonkin; and well implement the Việt Nam-China agreement on setting up a hotline on unexpected incidents in fishery activities at sea.

The two sides agree to exchange meteorological data in the flooding season, and implement cooperation in such fields as integrated management of water resources, prevention of natural disasters of flooding and drought, safe drinking water in rural areas, economical irrigation, and irrigation science and techniques. The two sides will hold high-level policy dialogues on the sustainable use of cross-border water resources; and enhance coordination in preventing and controlling drought and flooding and in ensuring safety for hydropower dams. The two sides increase the exchange of forecast information about meteorology, weather and dangerous weather conditions and cooperate to develop meteorological services in the Asian region.

4.4. More solid social foundation

To enhance mutual understanding and friendship, promote exchanges, mutual understanding and connections between the two nations’ people, and consolidate the social foundation of the relations between the two Parties and the two countries, the two sides will enhance exchange mechanisms between the information and education/popularisation agencies of the two Parties, between key communication bodies and publishing houses, between cultural and tourism agencies, youths and localities; and study the building of cooperation mechanisms between education, health care, traditional medicine, and civil aviation agencies, with the following key cooperation areas to be promoted:

(1) Popularisation

The information and education/popularisation agencies of the two Parties will step up communications and education about the traditional friendship between the two Parties and the two countries and the Việt Nam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Encouraging the two countries to implement cooperation in communications, press publication, radio broadcasting, cinematography, and television broadcasting, and promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries’ people, especially younger generations.

(2) Culture and tourism

The Vietnamese side supports China to build a Cultural Centre in Việt Nam; the Chinese side welcomes Việt Nam’s establishment of a Cultural Centre in China and properly operating the Việt Nam-China Friendship Palace. The Vietnamese side actively supports the Chinese Cultural Centre in Hà Nội to carry out activities.

The two sides support cultural organisations, art troupes, and cultural – art training schools of the two countries to carry out exchanges and cooperation. The two sides increase coordination and exchanges of information about tourism policies between the two countries, and coordinate to operate tourism routes and develop tourism products. The two sides well implement the Việt Nam-China Plan on Cultural and Tourism Cooperation for the 2023-2027 period, increase the exchanges of all-level cultural and tourism delegations, and promote the recovery and healthy development of the tourism sector. The two sides safely and effectively conduct the pilot operation of the landscape site of Bản Giốc (Việt Nam) – Detian (China) Waterfalls to create the basis for the official operation, and encourage tourists from both sides to visit the landscape site. The two sides support air transport businesses of the two nations to increase flights between Việt Nam and China basing on the market demand.

(3) Education, sports, human resources and science and technology

The two sides agree to well implement the Việt Nam-China agreement on educational cooperation; encourage the increase of exchanging students, education managers, and lecturers of the two countries; step up training in specialised knowledge and skills for Vietnamese teachers through scholarship programmes for courses in China; boost exchanges and cooperation between educational institutions of the two countries; actively bring into play the role of the Confucius Institute at the Hà Nội University; and deepen cooperation in vocational training, digital education, and sports. The two sides agree to increase exchanges between universities and research institutions of the two countries.

The two sides agree to strengthen cooperation in the field of labour on the basis of effectively implementing the agreements on cross-border labour management of the two countries’ border provinces/regions, thus ensuring the rights and legitimate interests of labourers in border areas of the two countries. The two sides agree to promoting the exchange and cooperation programmes on human resources and skill development, social security and social insurance to meet socio-economic development demand of both countries.

The two sides agree to continue well bringing into play the role of the Việt Nam-China Joint Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation; actively enhance cooperation and connections in the fields of the regulations on legal management of nuclear safety, intellectual property, and quality measurement standards; and boost the exchange of delegations at all levels to deepen cooperation in the abovementioned areas.

(4) Health care and natural disaster prevention and control

The two sides agree to continue implementing cooperation and exchanges in the fields of medicine and health, including health protection and care, prevention and control of infectious diseases, traditional medicine, and natural disaster prevention and control. The two sides agree to support localities of the two countries to implement cooperation in sharing information and jointly preventing and controlling cross-border disease outbreaks.

(5) Locality-to-locality, people-to-people and youth-to-youth exchanges

Both sides agree to support the countries’ localities, especially border provinces/areas, to implement exchange and cooperation activities; improve the effectiveness of periodic exchange mechanisms between Vietnamese and Chinese organisations, such as trade unions, and those of women and youths; well organise activities like Việt Nam-China youth friendship meeting, Việt Nam-China people’s forum, border people’s festival; increase exchanges between young leaders, entrepreneurs and volunteers of the two countries.

4.5. Further coordination

To protect international fairness, justice and common interests, promote peace, stability and prosperous development in the region, create an external environment beneficial to the development of each country and the Việt Nam-China relations, the two sides concur to persistently uphold multilateralism, strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, and jointly protect the international system with the United Nations as its core and an international law-based international order.

(1) Both sides agree to intensify the consultation mechanism on human rights and policies between the two foreign ministries and non-periodic exchanges between resident representative agencies, as well as delegations/ representative offices located in third country or international organisations.

(2) The Vietnamese side welcomes a viewpoint on building a community with a shared future for mankind put forth by the Chinese side to promote common values on peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom; supports and is willing to participate in specific cooperation projects within the framework of the global development initiative in line with Việt Nam’s capacity, conditions and demand; jointly implements the Sustainable Development Programme to 2030; discusses and coordinates policies, supports each other and carries out substantive cooperation within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

(3) The two sides affirm to abide by the United Nations Charter and international law, respect each other’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, equality, mutual benefit, efforts for peace, stability, cooperation and development. The Vietnamese side welcomes and supports the Global Security Initiative. The two sides will study the appropriate implementation of suitable cooperation within the initiative, and continue maintaining exchange and close coordination on regional and global security issues.

(4) The two sides hold that countries whose fates are closely related to each other and with different civilisations live together in tolerance, exchange to learn from each other. The Vietnamese side supports the Global Security Initiative, for peace, development, fairness, justice and progress of humankind, and is ready to study the implementation of cooperation within the initiative.

(5) Both sides advocate that countries carry out exchange and cooperation in the human rights issue on the basis of equality and mutual respect, promote the strengthening of international dialogue and cooperation in the human rights field, not to politicise the human rights issue and not to use the human rights issue to interfere in other country’s internal affairs.

(6) The two sides agree to strengthen cooperation in international and regional organisations and mechanisms, such as United Nations, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and support each other to run for seats at international organisations.

(7) Both sides support ASEAN to maintain its centrality in the unceasingly evolving and changing architecture of the Asia-Pacific region. China supports ASEAN to build the ASEAN Community of solidary, unity, self-resilience and development; accelerates the construction of the version 3.0 ASEAN-China free trade area, deepen the ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership.

(8) The two sides concur to boost Mekong-Lancang cooperation, strive to promote the building of a community with a shared future for peace and prosperity among Mekong-Lancang nations; foster cooperation within the Greater Mekong Subregion economic cooperation framework.

(9) Both sides agree and do their best to protect basic principles and core values of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), promote necessary reforms in WTO, especially the resumption of normal operations of the two-level, binding dispute settlement mechanism. Enhancing cooperation within the WTO framework, the two sides jointly protect legitimate rights and interests of developing members, promote WTO to play more effective role.

(10) The Vietnamese side supports China’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on the basis of conforming with standards and order of the agreement. The two sides are willing to well implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and boost regional economic connectivity.

4.6. Better management and settlement of differences 

The two sides engage in sincere and straightforward in-depth discussions on sea-related issues, and stress the need to better manage and actively address differences at sea, and maintain peace and stability in the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea) and the region.

(1) The two sides agree to continue to adhere to important common perceptions between senior leaders of the two Parties and two states, persistently pursue friendly negotiations, strengthen the negotiation mechanism at the governmental level on Việt Nam-China border and affiliated working groups; actively seek basic and long-term solutions acceptable by both sides, in accordance with the “Việt Nam-China agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues”, and international law, including the 1982  United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

(2) The two sides reach consensus on actively speeding up discussions on cooperation for joint development at sea, and on maritime boundary delimitation outside the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin; towards reaching substantive progress in these two works. The two sides will continue to actively cooperate in less sensitive fields at sea. Intensifying collaboration in fishery law enforcement, and in aquaculture and protection of creature resources in the East Sea. Intensifying cooperation in search and rescue missions at sea.

(3) The two sides agree to continue to comprehensively and effectively implement the “Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea” (DOC) on the basis of consultations and consensus, work to early reach a substantive and efficient “Code of Conduct in the East Sea” (COC) in accordance with international law, including the UNCLOS 1982. Implementing the mechanisms of senior official meetings (SOM) and the ASEAN-China Joint Working Group meetings on the implementation of the “Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea” (DOC); well controlling differences at sea, avoiding acts that complicate the situation and expand disputes, and jointly maintaining stability at sea.

(4) The two sides agree to jointly mark 25 years of land boundary delimitation and 15 years of the signing of three legal documents on Việt Nam-China land border in 2024.

5. The two sides agree that the state visit to Việt Nam by Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping is a success, and an important milestone in the history of the relations of the two Parties and two countries, thus contributing importantly to promoting the Việt Nam-China traditional friendship, elevating the Việt Nam-China relations in the new period, and promoting peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

The top leaders of the two Parties and states agree to direct relevant agencies, ministries, sectors and localities of Việt Nam and China to build and complete appropriate exchange mechanisms, clearly define units responsible for implementation as well as directions of implementation on the basis of task assignment and reality, build detailed implementation plans and promptly report cooperation progress to the Việt Nam-China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation. The steering committee for bilateral cooperation is in charge of assessing, supervising, urging and coordinating works for the following periods, and reporting to each side’s high-ranking leaders on the cooperation situation and progress. Based on their needs, the two sides discuss, connect, and review the implementation and settlement of arising issues through friendly consultations.

Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping sincerely thanks Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, President Võ Văn Thưởng, and senior leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State and the Vietnamese people for their grand, warm and friendly welcome; and respectfully invites Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng and President Võ Văn Thưởng to soon visit China again. Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng and President Võ Văn Thưởng express their thanks and accepts the invitation with pleasure.

Hà Nội, December 13, 2023.”— VNS