Top Chinese leader mourns passing of Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping writes in the condolence book. — VNA/VNS Photo

 BEIJING — General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping on July 20 came to the Vietnamese Embassy in Beijing to mourn the passing of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng.

He was accompanied by Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Chief of the CPC Central Committee’s Office; Wang Yi, Politburo member, Director of the Office of the CPC Central Committee’s Commission for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Liu Jianchao, member of the CPC Central Committee and head of the International Department of the CPC 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 Phạm Sao Mai that Trọng is a consistent Marxist and a great leader of the Vietnamese Party and people.

He 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.

According to the top Chinese leader, the CPC Central Committee consistently backs the CPV Central Committee in its development path, as well as supports and believes in the further success of Việt Nam’s renewal and socialism building cause. Besides, it stands ready to join hands with Việt Nam to make efforts to promote the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and build a China-Việt Nam 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 Nguyễn Phú Trọng and extending condolences to the Party, State, and people of Việt Nam. The ambassador also thanked the CPC Central Committee for sending condolences to the CPC Central Committee at the earliest, demonstrating the importance the Chinese Party, State, people, and the leader personally attach to the relationship between Việt Nam and China, as well as the special sentiment he holds for General Secretary Trong.

Mai emphasised that Trọng 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 Hồ Chí 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 Trọng is a great loss to the Party, State, and people of Việt Nam.

During his life time, Trọng devoted a lot of love and enthusiasm and made many important contributions to the relationship between the two Parties and the two countries, the diplomat stated, stressing that under the attention and direct instructions of the two General Secretaries, the relations between the two Parties and the two countries had 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, he said.

The ambassador affirmed that the Party, State and people of Việt Nam always consider developing relations with their Chinese counterparts a top priority and a strategic choice. He added that he would, together with the Chinese side, thoroughly implement the common perceptions of the two General Secretaries, and would be ready to work with the Party, State and people of China to further develop the Việt Nam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in a healthy, stable and sustainable manner, in accordance with the “six more” orientation, towards jointly building a China-Việt Nam 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 the CPC Central Committee Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi sent wreaths.

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

Earlier on July 19, the CPC Central Committee sent condolences to the CPV Central Committee over the passing of the Vietnamese leader. — VNS