This is the first visit to Vietnam in 11 years by a Chinese Premier and Premier Li’s first visit to Vietnam. It demonstrates the high regard by the Chinese Party and State and Mr. Li personally to the Vietnam-China relationship.
Taking place with Vietnam and China about to celebrate 75 years of their diplomatic relations (January 18), the visit continues the tradition of high-level exchanges between the two Parties and countries, strengthens their Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, and promotes the building of the Vietnam-China community with a shared future.
Development impetus derives from building the Vietnam-China community with a shared future
Since senior leaders of the two Parties and countries agreed to build a Vietnam-China community with a shared future which carries strategic significance and Chinese General Secretary and President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Vietnam in December, 2023, the two countries’ relations have maintained a very positive development momentum, spreading strongly to all localities and sectors and achieving important results in all fields.
Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai said that both sides consider the other country a priority in their external policy. Vietnam always considers developing relations with China a top priority and a strategic choice. Meanwhile, China emphasizes its persistent policy of friendship with Vietnam, considering Vietnam a priority in its neighborly diplomacy. China also affirms its support for Vietnam’s prosperous development, happy people, and strong, independent, and self-reliant economy, Ambassador Mai said.
China is Vietnam's largest trading partner and second largest export market, while Vietnam is China's largest trading partner in ASEAN and China's fifth largest partner in the world. In the past 9 months, two-way trade turnover reached more than 148 billion USD and is forecast to reach 200 billion USD by the end of the year. The two sides are promoting a "hard connection" of railways, expressways, and border gate infrastructure and upgrading the "soft connection" of smart customs and border gates to promote cross-border trade.
Cooperation in culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges has achieved many practical results. The two sides have also recorded encouraging progress in building a peaceful, friendly, cooperative and sustainable Vietnam-China land border, said Deputy Head of the National Border Committee Nguyen Thi Huong.
“Trade at border gates has grown strongly. The opening and upgrading of border gates has achieved outstanding results, including transportation infrastructure development and connectivity. Friendly exchanges and cooperation between border localities have been maintained in diverse and practical forms,” she said.
Cooperation mechanisms have been organized periodically and achieved substantive results. Cooperation in land border management has always been considered by leaders of the two countries to be a bright spot in Vietnam-China relations, said Huong.
The two countries have maintained dialogues to control disagreements at sea and coordinate at multilateral forums.
Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership
During his visit to Vietnam, Premier Li will hold talks with General Secretary and President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man. The leaders will discuss ways to effectively implement the shared perceptions reached between the top leaders of the two Parties and countries to consolidate political trust. The two Prime Ministers will identify key points and specific measures to enhance substantive cooperation in economics, trade, investment, infrastructure, culture, education, tourism, science, and technology.
Premier Li’s visit will generate a strong impetus for localities and sectors of Vietnam and China to expand relations, contributingto bilateral ties between the two countries. It will reinforce the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and community with ashared future.