President's visit to China a boost for bilateral relations: foreign minister

The state visit to China by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President To Lam underscores the priority both Vietnam and China attach to strengthening their Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, according to Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son. Photo courtesy of the ministry

Minister Son told the press on August 15 that President Lam's first overseas trip in his new role is an important diplomatic event that will advance long-term bilateral relations.

According to the Foreign Minister, the visit, building on the strong foundation laid by previous leaders, will further develop Vietnam-China relations, maintain high-level strategic exchanges, and enhance political trust.

The two sides aim to reach consensus on strategic directions to further build the Vietnam-China Community of Shared Future based on the "six steps forward" and promote substantial cooperation, especially in areas such as railway connectivity, agricultural trade, high-quality investment, monetary finance, culture-tourism and people-to-people exchanges, the minister said.

Minister Son added that discussions on border and territorial issues will be a key aspect of the visit. He said that Vietnam and China will better control and settle disagreements at sea, ensure that maritime issues do not affect the progress of relations between the two communist parties and countries, and contribute to regional and global peace, stability, cooperation and development.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and President To Lam and his wife will pay a state visit to China from August 18 to 20.

Over the past 30 years, especially since the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership in 2008, Vietnam-China relations have deepened in various fields. In particular, after General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's official visit to China in October 2022 and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping's state visit to Vietnam in December 2023, the two countries agreed to upgrade their partnership and build a shared future.

Since the beginning of 2024, there has been a positive development in bilateral relations, with cooperation at all levels. Political trust has been strengthened through frequent high-level exchanges.

Vietnam has sent two high-level delegations to China, led by the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the National Assembly. Other senior officials have also visited China and worked with their Chinese counterparts. New areas of cooperation and annual high-level exchange mechanisms have been established between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the National People's Congress of China.

The Chinese Party and State expressed their special feelings and respect for the passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sent a message of condolence immediately after learning of his death; Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping came to the Vietnamese Embassy in Beijing to pay his respects; and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning was sent to the funeral as a special representative.

Economic and trade relations between Vietnam and China continue to grow. Bilateral trade increased by 24% year-on-year to US$94.5 billion in the first half of 2024. Vietnam has licensed 447 new FDI projects from Chinese investors with a total registered capital of nearly US$1.3 billion. About 2.1 million Chinese tourists visited Vietnam from January to July. Agricultural cooperation has made progress, with several Vietnamese products gaining access to the Chinese market. Meanwhile, more than 23,000 Vietnamese students are attending educational programs in China, double the number before the pandemic.

The land border remains stable and the situation in the South China Sea is under control. The two sides are preparing to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Land Border Treaty and the 15th anniversary of the three legal documents on the Vietnam-China land border, further consolidating their partnership.