3 special points in Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit

(Dan Tri) - The visit to Vietnam by General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping helps to strengthen and enhance the relationship between the two Parties and two countries, according to former Vietnamese Ambassador to China Nguyen Van Tho.

General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping left Hanoi on the afternoon of December 13, successfully concluding his 2-day visit to Vietnam with a busy schedule. Ambassador Nguyen Van Tho, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, former Vietnamese Ambassador to China, Vice President of the Vietnam - China Friendship Association, told Dan Tri that the visit of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping to Vietnam this time was very successful. Firstly , the official welcoming ceremony for General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping was solemnly held according to the highest protocol for welcoming heads of state. This demonstrates the respect of the leaders of the Party and State of Vietnam, as well as General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong personally, for General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping. Second , during the visit of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping to Vietnam, the leaders of the two countries reached common understanding and very important agreements to deepen the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and further deepen the relationship between the two Parties and the two countries. Third , Vietnam and China signed 36 cooperation documents during the visit of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping. This is the largest number of agreements ever, covering all areas of politics, national defense and security, economy, trade and investment, cooperation between the two Parties, local issues of the two sides, etc. Of particular importance is the agreement on connecting the Two Corridors, One Belt framework with the Belt and Road Initiative between Vietnam and China.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping before their talks on the afternoon of December 12 (Photo: Dinh Trong Hai).

The agreements between the two countries have mentioned very specific areas. The agreements help the relationship between the two countries become deeper, more substantial, and more sustainable. From there, political trust between the two Parties and the two States has been further consolidated and enhanced. This time in particular, the two sides agreed to build a Vietnam-China Community of Shared Future with strategic significance. This ensures the fundamental interests of the Vietnamese people, and is also in line with the current trend of peace, cooperation, and mutual development. "This is a very important visit, the agreements reached cover a wide range of comprehensive areas," said Ambassador Tho. According to Ambassador Tho, in the coming time, the two sides will continue to discuss to promote and achieve connectivity, especially in the fields of infrastructure, road and railway transport, etc. The ministries and sectors of the two countries will continue to implement the agreements, to ensure that the agreements are effectively implemented, best serving the interests of the people of the two countries.

Six big directions for the future

During his 28-hour visit to Vietnam, General Secretary and President Xi Jinping had many exchanges and meetings with representatives of all walks of life of the Vietnamese people. After arriving at Noi Bai airport at noon on December 12, General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping attended a welcoming ceremony chaired by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong according to the highest protocol, with a 21-gun salute. The two leaders then held talks. On December 13, President Xi Jinping visited the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, met with National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, President Vo Van Thuong, and then had an exchange with friendly personalities and young generations of the two countries. During President Xi Jinping's visit, Vietnam and China also issued a Joint Statement, in which the two sides reaffirmed the significance of bilateral relations and outlined new directions for future development. "In order to further deepen and elevate the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, the two sides agreed to build a Vietnam-China Community of Shared Future of strategic significance, making efforts for the happiness of the people of the two countries, for the cause of peace and progress of mankind," the joint statement affirmed.

_{Some activities of General Secretary and President Xi Jinping in Hanoi (Photo: Viet Trung, Nhat Bac, Dinh Trong Hai, Phong Son).}

The joint statement stated that the two countries agreed to promote cross-border standard gauge railway connections, as well as study the construction of the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong standard gauge railway... Before General Secretary and President Xi Jinping set foot in Hanoi, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Hung Ba also affirmed that infrastructure cooperation is one of the upcoming priorities of the two countries. "China is willing to provide non-refundable aid to help Vietnam upgrade and renovate the Dong Dang - Hanoi railway line," Mr. Hung Ba told the press on December 10. The joint statement of the two countries said that in the coming time, the two countries will focus on six major cooperation directions including: higher political trust, more substantive defense and security cooperation, deeper substantive cooperation, a more solid social foundation, closer multilateral coordination, and better control and resolution of disagreements. In particular, the highlight of President Xi Jinping's visit was not merely the statements but also the substantive results. The agencies of the two countries signed 36 cooperation documents on this occasion. Speaking to China News , Professor Phan Kim Nga of the Institute of Marxism under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said that on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, improving relations is a natural development. "This stems from the special relationship between the two countries and the laws of history, and is also in line with the requirements of the times," Professor Phan said. The fact that Vietnam always considers developing relations with China a strategic choice and top priority, along with China considering Vietnam a priority direction in China's neighborly diplomacy, shows that the two sides value each other very much, according to Professor Phan. Mr. Hua Liping, Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China News that the above six directions mean that cooperation will be stronger, helping to promote deeper and more comprehensive strategic cooperation, moving towards a higher-quality development stage. Mr. Hua pointed out that the high complementarity of the Vietnamese and Chinese economies allows the two countries to integrate and effectively utilize their comparative advantages as well as available resources, enhancing their competitiveness in the regional and global supply chain. That will also promote the development and transformation of other countries in the region, thereby forming a tighter and more effective regional industrial network, according to Mr. Hua. Talking about the expectations for cooperation after the visit, Ambassador Nguyen Van Tho said that both sides need to make efforts, strive, and implement the common perception of the two countries' senior leaders, and implement the agreements that the two countries' senior leaders reached during the visit. "With the efforts of ministries, sectors and localities, and the consensus of the people of the two countries, the two sides will take steps to develop the friendly and cooperative relationship between Vietnam and China in a more stable and healthy manner, bringing more practical benefits to the people of the two countries, and making practical contributions to peace and stability in the region as well as in the world," Ambassador Tho said.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping look at the documents signed between the two sides (Photo: Dinh Trong Hai).

Chinese press highlights results of visit

Both before and after the visit of General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, the Chinese press paid the highest attention to this event. These agencies published many articles and interviewed many experts from both countries, thereby highlighting the importance of this visit to Vietnam-China relations. Xinhua published an editorial with the title: "Upgrading China-Vietnam relations in line with the trend of the times". The editorial said that the two countries' agreement to build a community with a shared future opens a new chapter in bilateral relations and is in line with the trend of the times. "China and Vietnam are connected by mountains and rivers, culturally close, share the same ideals and have a common future ahead. No matter how the international situation may change, the two sides will jointly maintain peace and stability, pursue development and cooperation, promote prosperity and progress, and embark on a bright path towards building a community with a shared future for mankind," the editorial said. Meanwhile, the People's Daily also published a commentary by Professor Phan Kim Nga. The article said that this visit is very meaningful because it marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership. "This visit aims to chart a roadmap for bilateral relations in the new era and will certainly become an important milestone in the history of Vietnam-China relations," Ms. Phan wrote. "As the world undergoes profound changes unprecedented in a century, the healthy development of Vietnam-China relations will make positive contributions to peace, stability and development in the region and the world," Professor Phan concluded. The Chinese leader's visit to Vietnam also received attention from international media. Japan's Nikkei Asia newspaper wrote: "With Xi Jinping's visit, Vietnam has become the only country in the world to welcome both the heads of state of the United States and China this year, demonstrating Vietnam's strategic importance as a manufacturing hub in Asia."

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