Vietnamese ambassador highlights significance of top leader’s China visit

Ambassador of Việt Nam to China Phạm Sao Mai. — VNA/VNS Photo Thành Dương

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese Ambassador to China Phạm Sao Mai has emphasised the purposes and significance of the upcoming state visit to the neighbouring country by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee and State President Tô Lâm.

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 Lâm 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 in time for each Party and country as well as the Việt Nam-China relations.

Việt Nam 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 Đổi Mới (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 Việt Nam-China relations have maintained positive development momentum and recorded various important achievements across all aspects 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 humankind’s peace and progress.

The diplomat noted that Lâm’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 Việt Nam and China have been attaching great importance to the visit, and they have made thorough preparations in terms of both agenda and contents.

Party General Secretary and State President Lâm 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 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 takes place at a very special point in time, in the year that marks the centenary of President Hồ Chí Minh’s arrival in Guangzhou from Moscow for revolutionary activities.

While there, President Hồ Chí 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 Việt Nam always treasures and is grateful to China for its valuable assistance in the past struggle for national liberation, as well as its current national construction and development.

According to the diplomat, over the past time, economic, trade, and investment cooperation between Việt Nam and China has maintained robust development momentum.

Việt Nam 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 Việt Nam’s largest trade partner, largest import market, and second biggest export market.

Two-way trade reached US$171.9 billion in 2023, and $112.6 billion USD in the first seven months of this year.

Meanwhile, China’s direct investment in Việt Nam amounted to $4.47 billion in 2023 and $1.524 billion in January-July 2024.

Vietnamese 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; making the most of e-commerce, upgrading logistics systems; improve cargo customs clearance efficiency through cooperation in building border trade infrastructure, particularly smart border gate pairs; maintaining and ensuring 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 Việt Nam 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.

Việt Nam welcomes and is willing to provide a healthy and stable investment environment for reputable and capable Chinese companies to invest in Việt Nam, Mai said, 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 to create 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 Việt Nam-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 Việt Nam and China, in accordance with the aspirations and interests of both peoples.

He stressed that local cooperation has become an increasingly important part of 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 Việt Nam-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 Việt Nam 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 highlight in bilateral ties, and will become one of the driving forces behind the development of the Việt Nam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership,” said the ambassador. — VNS