Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai (Photo: Bich Thuan)

China and Vietnam share a land and marine border, which creates a high level of connectivity, complementarity, and alignment of interests between the them, especially economically.

The leaders of both countries highly value their bilateral relations

The two countries established diplomatic relations 74 years ago on January 18, 1950. Through many historical upheavals, and especially in the 15 years since the establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership in 2008, they’ve seen rapid and profound progress in every field.

Since former Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s official visit to China in October 2022 and Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping’s third state visit to Vietnam in December 2023, the two countries have deepened and enhanced the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership toward a strategically meaningful shared future.

Since the beginning of the year, bilateral relations have seen positive development. In a congratulatory message on President Lam’s election as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam on August 3, Mr. Xi affirmed his readiness to work substantively and in-depth with Mr. Lam in building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future.

The cooperative spirit prevails strongly at all levels and among all social strata. Since the beginning of the year, two key leadership delegations, which included the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the National Assembly, have paid working visits to China. A number of Politburo members, the Secretary of the Party Central Committee, and leaders of ministries, sectors, and localities have also visited China. The two sides have opened up new cooperative areas, and established an annual high-level exchange between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Chinese National People's Congress.

Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai said that Vietnam-China relations have maintained positive momentum and recorded major achievements in all fields. The two sides agree to continue strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, build a community with a shared future, strive for the happiness of their people, and contribute to the peace and progress of humanity, he said.

The state visit to China by Mr. To Lam and his wife is a particularly important foreign policy activity this year, with the two countries preparing to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2025.

Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo said that visit, half a year after General Secretary and President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Vietnam, demonstrates a high regard for developing relations between the two Parties and States.

Promoting cooperative results

According to Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung, the two countries will continue to strengthen political trust and mutual understanding and affirm their respect for common perceptions, re-evaluate achieved results, propose ways to implement agreements, and suggest new directions and new mechanisms.

“Through this visit, both sides affirm their respect for and the importance of the relationship between the two Parties and States. The two sides will reaffirm proposed directions and high-level cooperation agreements, and create conditions, mechanisms, and consensus to effectively implement agreements,” Mr. Trung said.

Professor Liu Ying of China’s Renmin University (Photo: Bich Thuan)

Cooperation in economics, trade, and investment has become a bright spot in Vietnam-China relations.

Economists say bilateral trade has a lot of room to grow. Professor Liu Ying of China’s Renmin University said that reciprocal visits by the Chinese and Vietnamese leaders help maintain the direction of relations and cooperation.

“The two sides are strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, connecting 'Belt and Road' with 'Two Corridors, One Belt' initiatives, and constantly strengthening practical cooperation,” she said. 

In 2025 Vietnam and China will celebrate the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. The state visit to China by General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife is a reminder of past achievements and a step toward even closer bilateral cooperation.