President Vo Van Thuong meets with Chairman of the National People's Congress of China Zhao Leji

President Vo Van Thuong and Chairman of the National People's Congress of China Zhao Leji during a meeting in Beijing.

President Vo Van Thuong expressed his pleasure to visit China, emphasizing that the purpose of the working trip, in addition to attending the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation at the invitation of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping, is to contribute to further concretizing and implementing the common understanding of the top leaders of the two Parties and two countries reached during the historic visit to China by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in late October 2022; through maintaining high-level exchanges and contacts, contributing to strengthening political trust and practical cooperation between the two countries. President Vo Van Thuong conveyed the greetings of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and Vietnamese leaders to comrade Trieu Lac Te.

Chairman of the National People's Congress of China Zhao Leji warmly welcomed Comrade Vo Van Thuong on his first working trip to China as President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Chairman Zhao Leji also conveyed his warm regards and invited National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to visit China soon.

The two leaders emphasized that Vietnam and China are two neighboring countries with a long-standing tradition of friendship, the friendship of "both comrades and brothers" that was cultivated by President Ho Chi Minh, President Mao Zedong, previous generations of leaders and the people of the two countries, is an extremely valuable common asset of the two countries, and needs to be continuously inherited, preserved and promoted more strongly.

President Vo Van Thuong affirmed that the Party, State and people of Vietnam always consider building and developing good relations with the Party, Government and people of China as a strategic choice and a top priority in Vietnam's foreign policy. Chairman of the National People's Congress Zhao Leji affirmed that the friendly relations with Vietnam have always been valued by the Party, Government and people of China and have always been a priority direction in China's neighborly diplomacy.

Discussing measures to promote bilateral relations in the coming time, President Vo Van Thuong suggested that the two sides increase high-level and all-level contacts, consolidate political trust, improve the quality and effectiveness of cooperation in all fields, focusing on promoting balanced and sustainable trade growth; suggested that China increase imports of goods, especially agricultural products from Vietnam; promote investment cooperation, and multimodal transport connections. President Vo Van Thuong also suggested that the two sides increase people-to-people exchanges, focusing on cultural exchanges and tourism cooperation, to meet the needs of exchange and spiritual life of the people.

Appreciating the cooperation proposals of President Vo Van Thuong, Chairman of the National People's Congress Trieu Le Te affirmed that China hopes that the two sides will maintain high-level exchanges and contacts, together determine major cooperation directions in the relationship between the two Parties and the two countries in the coming time; further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation areas, in which the strategic connection between the "Two Corridors, One Belt" framework and the "Belt and Road" is the priority focus; promote economic, trade, infrastructure and people-to-people exchange cooperation to continue to achieve even greater results.

Regarding cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries, President Vo Van Thuong suggested that the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Chinese National People's Congress expand exchanges, cooperation, and share experiences in legislation, supervision, anti-corruption, building and perfecting the socialist rule-of-law state; promote the important role in building a favorable legal framework and urging and supervising agencies and localities of the two countries to implement cooperation agreements and arrangements; and promote exchanges and understanding among people of all walks of life.

Appreciating the importance of cooperation between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the Chinese National People's Congress, Chairman Zhao Leji suggested that the two sides strengthen friendly exchanges, deepen cooperation in various areas between the two countries' legislative bodies, specialized committees, parliamentary friendship groups and People's Councils at all levels; and closely and effectively coordinate at multilateral parliamentary forums.

Regarding maritime issues, the two sides agreed to effectively implement the common perception of high-ranking leaders, control and properly handle disagreements, contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region. President Vo Van Thuong suggested that the two sides respect each other's legitimate and legal interests, comply with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and not let maritime issues affect bilateral relations and the feelings of the two peoples.

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