Xi Jinping mourns passing of Vietnam’s Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong

Xi was accompanied by Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of China’s Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Secretariat of China’s Party Central Committee and Chief of the Party Central Committee’s Office; Wang Yi, Politburo member, Director of the Office of Party Central Committee’s Commission for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Liu Jianchao, member of the Party Central Committee and head of the International Department of the Party Central Committee; and many other Chinese officials.

Writing in the condolence book, Xi expressed his deep sympathy over the death of the Vietnamese Party leader.

He told Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Sao Mai that Trong is a consistent Marxist and a great leader of the Vietnamese Party and people.

Trong devoted his whole life to the Vietnamese Party, State and people, led the nation to carve out major achievements in the socialism building cause, and received support and love from the whole Party, military and people, Xi said, affirming that China always bears in mind the significant contributions by the Vietnamese leader to bolstering the traditional “comrade and fraternal” friendship between the two countries.

China’s Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping writes in the funeral memorial book in mourning the passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the Vietnamese Embassy in Beijing, July 20, 2024. Photo by Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

According to the top Chinese leader, China’s Party Central Committee consistently backs Vietnam’s Party Central Committee in its development path, as well as supports and believes in the further success of Vietnam’s renewal and socialism building cause. Besides, it stands ready to join hands with Vietnam to make efforts to promote the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance in a deeper and more substantive manner.

Ambassador Mai expressed gratitude to the Chinese leader for paying respect to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and extending condolences to the Party, State, and people of Vietnam. The ambassador also thanked China’s Party Central Committee for sending condolences to Vietnam’s Party Central Committee at the earliest, demonstrating the importance the Chinese Party, State, people, and the leader personally attach to the relationship between Vietnam and China, as well as the special sentiment he holds for General Secretary Trong.

Mai emphasized that Trong was a great intellectual and talent of the Vietnamese revolution; a thinker, a cultural figure, and a theory leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam; and an outstanding disciple who continuously studied and followed the ideology, morality, and lifestyle of President Ho Chi Minh, dedicated his entire life to the revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese Party and the people, and lived for the country and its people. Therefore, the passing of General Secretary Trong is a great loss to the Party, State, and people of Vietnam.

When Trong was alive, he devoted a lot of love and enthusiasm and made many important contributions to the relationship between the two Parties and the two countries, Mai said, adding that under the attention and direct instructions of the two General Secretaries, the relations between the two Parties and the two countries has made gigantic progress over the past 10 years, becoming a community with a shared future which carries strategic significance, and receiving the support of their people

The ambassador affirmed that the Party, State and people of Vietnam always consider developing relations with their Chinese counterparts a top priority and a strategic choice. He added that he will, together with the Chinese side, thoroughly implement the common perceptions of the two General Secretaries, and is ready to work with the Party, State and people of China to further develop the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in a healthy, stable and sustainable manner, in accordance with the “six more” orientation, towards jointly building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

The same day, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning, and members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of China’s Party Central Committee Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi sent wreaths.

China’s Party Central Committee, State Council, Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Party’s Central Military Commission, and several central and Beijing agencies and organizations also sent wreaths in tribute to Party General Secretary Trong.

Earlier on Friday, China’s Party Central Committee sent condolences to Vietnam’s Party Central Committee over the passing of the Vietnamese leader, who died of old age and severe sickness in Hanoi on Friday afternoon, aged 80.