Việt Nam-China relationship at deepest, most comprehensive and substantive level ever: FM

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee and State President Tô Lâm and his spouse will pay a state visit to China from August 18 – 20.

The visit will be made at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping and his spouse, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced.

On this occasion, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn granted an interview to the press ahead of the visit.

What are the expectations from the state visit to China by Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm and his spouse?

The state visit to China is the first foreign trip by Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm in his new position, and a particularly important diplomatic activity between Việt Nam and China this year which has a major impact on the development trend of the relations between the two Parties and the two countries in the subsequent long term.

That Party General Secretary and State President Lâm accepts the invitation from Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping to make his state visit to China first after shouldering his new position manifests the importance and priority of the top level of both sides in consolidating and advancing their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, building the Việt Nam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. Both sides are very eagerly looking forward to the visit and expect to achieve outcomes in several areas as follows:

First, based on the relationship nurtured by leaders of both countries, including late Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng and other Vietnamese leaders, continuing and further enhancing the fine and favourable development trend of the Việt Nam-China relations achieved through the historical mutual visits of the top leaders of both Parties and countries in the recent past; maintaining high-level strategic exchanges, consolidating the foundation of political trust, and promoting the orientation for the development of the bilateral relations in the new phase.

Second, reaching consensus on major orientations and measures for effectively building the Việt Nam-China community with a shared future holding strategic significance in the direction of the “six major goals” agreed upon by both sides; with a focus on realising high-level common perceptions and signed agreements; making substantive cooperation achieve new progress, particularly in the areas of mutual interest such as railway connection, agricultural trade, high-quality investment, financial and monetary affairs, culture and tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. 

Third, through discussions in a frank, sincere, and substantive spirit on border and territorial issues, together appropriately addressing existing issues, better managing and solving differences on the sea, and keeping issues on the sea from affecting momentum of healthy development of relations between the two Parties and countries, thus contributing to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

I am confident that, with the special attention and close coordination from both sides, Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm and his spouse’s state visit to China will arrive at a great success, becoming a new milestone and opening up a new period in the development of the friendly neighbourliness, the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and the Việt Nam-China community with a shared future which carries strategic significance.

How do you evaluate the outcomes of the Việt Nam – China cooperation over the past time?

The Việt Nam – China relations have witnessed rapid progress and been increasingly profound and comprehensive across all domains since their normalisation more than 30 years ago, especially more than 15 years after the establishment of the framework of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in 2008.

Particularly, following the historical official visit to China by late Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng in October 2022 and the third state visit to Việt Nam by Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping in December 2023, the two countries agreed to continue further deepening and elevating their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, as well as building a Việt Nam – China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance in accordance with the “six major goals”, opening up a new chapter for the bilateral relations.

So far this year, the bilateral relations have maintained robust growth momentum, with the cooperation spirit having spread strongly to all levels, sectors, and people from all walks of life. Both sides assess that bilateral relationship has been at the deepest, most comprehensive and substantive level ever. The outcomes of their cooperation could be seen through three perspectives as follows:

First, exchanges and contacts at the high level, and from central to local levels have been regularly maintained with various flexible forms, contributing to strengthening political trust and creating a new impulse for all levels and sectors of both sides. So far this year, Việt Nam has sent two delegations of key leaders, including the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the National Assembly, to visit China and have working sessions there. Besides, several members of the Politburo, Secretaries of the Party Central Committee, and leaders of ministries, sectors and localities of Việt Nam have visited China. The two sides have also opened up new cooperation areas and established more annual high-level exchange mechanisms between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Chinese National People’s Congress.

Recently, the Chinese Party and State manifested their special sentiments and respects at the passing of late Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng. The Communist Party of China Central Committee sent its message of condolences early; Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping came to the Vietnamese Embassy in Beijing to pay respect; and member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee’s Political Bureau and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning was sent to the funeral as the Special Representative.

Second, the bilateral economic-trade-investment cooperation continues growing. We have been impressed by the figures such as two-way trade in the first half of 2024 rising 24.1 per cent year-on-year to US$94.5 billion; the number of FDI projects in the six-month span remaining at the top with 447 new ones worth nearly $1.3 billion; and positive tourism recovery (Việt Nam hosted 2.1 million Chinese tourist arrivals during January-July, higher than that of the whole 2023). Advancements have been seen in the bilateral agricultural cooperation, with the basic completion of procedures for the export through the official channel of several Vietnamese farm produce to China such as frozen durian, fresh coconut, chilli, and passion fruit. People-to-people exchanges have been enhanced, the number of the Vietnamese students in China rising to more than 23,000, doubling the figure recorded before the COVID-19 broke out.

Third, the land border situation has been generally stable; the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) situation basically well controlled; and exchange and negotiation mechanisms between the two sides on the sea issues regularly maintained. The two sides are heading towards organising activities to mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Việt Nam-China Land Border Treaty and the 15th anniversary of the signing of the three legal documents on the Việt Nam-China land border. VNS