President Xi Jinping visits Vietnam: Many new expectations for cooperation between Vietnam - China relations

On the morning of December 12, General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping began a two-day state visit to Vietnam, opening up many new expectations for cooperation between the two countries.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Vo Van Thuong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will visit China in October 2022, October 2023 and September 2023. General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping also visited Vietnam in 2015, 2017 and 2023 - Photo: VNA - Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, VNA - Data: BINH AN - Graphics: TAN DAT

This is a highlight event on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership (2008-2023). According to the schedule, Mr. Xi Jinping will attend the welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace and meet with Vietnamese leaders.

During this visit, senior leaders of the two parties and countries will deeply discuss major and comprehensive orientations on deepening and elevating the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai

Nurturing a special relationship

This trip marks the third time that General Secretary - President of China Xi Jinping has visited Vietnam and his first trip to Vietnam after being re-elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President (2022 and 2023). Taking place one year after General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited China, this event continues to reflect the efforts and achievements in maintaining high-level contacts between the two countries in the past period, especially in the context of China's diplomatic activities after COVID-19 only recovering earlier this year. The Chinese press has high expectations for this trip of General Secretary - President of China Xi Jinping, describing Vietnam as both a comrade and a brother. Last June, during a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Mr. Xi Jinping also emphasized that Beijing always considers Vietnam a priority in diplomacy with neighboring countries. Meanwhile, Vietnam has promoted a multilateral foreign policy with a consistent approach of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development, diversifying and multilateralizing foreign relations, in which the top priority is relations with neighboring countries. Observers assessed that the visit of General Secretary - President of China Xi Jinping this time shows the importance of the special friendship between China and Vietnam as well as the role of Vietnam and China in each other's development policies. Southeast Asia expert Murray Hiebert, former deputy director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that through this visit, China wants to ensure that Vietnam as well as neighboring countries in Southeast Asia continue to be strong economic partners of China. "Vietnam plays an important role as a key country for China's southern border policy," Hiebert commented to Tuoi Tre.

Today, General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping and his wife paid a state visit to Vietnam at the invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his wife, President Vo Van Thuong and his wife. In the photo: General Secretary and President Xi Jinping visited Vietnam and attended the APEC Summit Week in Da Nang in November 2017 - Photo: NGUYEN KHANH

Expectations to promote economic cooperation

The Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership has witnessed positive results in many aspects after 15 years. This is the foundation for the two countries to make efforts to deepen bilateral relations, enhance political trust, thereby promoting and exploiting potentials as well as new cooperation initiatives at a time when the global economy is changing.

China is currently Vietnam's largest trading partner, while Vietnam is China's fourth largest trading partner and the largest in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The two countries have emphasized the need to cooperate on issues such as maintaining sustainable supply chains, developing e-commerce and the digital economy, green development, cultural exchanges, etc. "China and Vietnam are quite dependent on each other. China is Vietnam's largest trading partner and the sixth largest foreign investor in Vietnam. China is implementing new major projects, including assembling BYD electric vehicles in Vietnam. The north of Vietnam is part of China's southern supply chain... They will accelerate the construction of railways; currently most of China's foreign economic policy is based on connectivity" - Dr. Zach Abuza, Southeast Asia research expert at the US National War College, analyzed with Tuoi Tre about Vietnam-China economic cooperation. "China always places high priority on relations with neighboring countries, and Vietnam is included in that priority as a socialist brother country" - expert Zach Abuza commented. In a recent exchange with the Vietnamese press in Hanoi, Chinese Ambassador Hung Ba also emphasized the importance of expanding Vietnam - China cooperation in the field of transportation, including upgrading the route from Guangxi to Hanoi and promoting a number of other railway projects. Currently, China is building many major cooperation initiatives. These cooperation initiatives will have a significant impact on the global economic picture and will certainly be on the agenda during General Secretary - President Xi Jinping's visit to Vietnam.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Data: BAO ANH - Graphics: TAN DAT

Chinese tourists receive flowers welcoming them to Nha Trang at Cam Ranh International Airport (Khanh Hoa) - Photo: THUC NGHI

Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Hung Ba:

Support Vietnam's industrialization and modernization

The development and growth of Vietnam is the development and growth of the world's socialist forces. During General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to China, our two sides reached a very important common understanding of supporting each other when following the socialist path suitable to the situation of each country and the path of modernization with the characteristics of each country. The two leaders also determined to support each other in realizing the medium- and long-term development goals, two goals for the two 100-year milestones in each country. I also often hear Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh talk about the need for Vietnam to build an independent and self-reliant economy. I think this is very important for Vietnam, because foreign investment capital currently accounts for a large proportion of Vietnam's GDP. To successfully build an independent and self-reliant economy, Vietnam must definitely accelerate the country's industrialization and modernization. In the context of the current complex and unpredictable international situation, accelerating Vietnam's industrialization and modernization will contribute to increasing its resilience to external risks. General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping has repeatedly mentioned to Vietnamese leaders that China is willing to support Vietnam's industrialization and modernization process and that Chinese enterprises will also actively support and participate in this process. This includes strengthening cooperation in important areas such as green economy, digital economy, energy transition, etc. I believe that cooperation between the two countries in the above areas has great prospects.

Production workers at the Chinese-owned Biel Crystal Vietnam factory in Bac Ninh - Photo: NGUYEN BAO

Dr. Nguyen Tang Nghi (Head of International Relations Department, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU-HCM):

China will materialize the "five intelligences" in Vietnam

The visit of General Secretary - President of China Xi Jinping shows that Vietnam persistently pursues an independent, self-reliant, multilateral, diversified foreign policy and is a friend and reliable partner of other countries as well as an active member of the international community. In my opinion, Vietnam's foreign affairs activities in recent times have all stemmed from national interests. Xi Jinping's visit will be an opportunity for the two countries to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, connoting and enriching that relationship. In recent years, Vietnam has gradually become a vibrant political and diplomatic center of the region as well as the world and has been recognized by many countries. The development, consolidation and stabilization of Vietnam - China relations will have a positive impact on the region, especially Southeast Asia, where Vietnam is increasingly having a big voice. One of the efforts of Vietnamese leaders in recent foreign trips is to clarify Vietnam's policies and aspirations in digital transformation and green transformation, including the construction of green industrial parks. One of the countries that Vietnam can learn from in digital transformation and green transformation is China. After a period of rapid development with great economic achievements, in recent years, China has focused more on sustainable development. China's major coastal cities have undergone strong digital transformation along with the construction of green industrial parks. Therefore, I believe that during this visit, the Chinese side will take the opportunity to introduce and share experiences if Vietnam wants to learn from them. Over the past 10 years, China has actively promoted the "five throughs" - including open policies, connected roads, smooth trade, currency circulation and understanding among the people. This visit by Mr. Xi Jinping will further concretize these "five throughs", especially transport infrastructure. Beijing has modern technology in railways and high-speed roads. The issue of railway connectivity has also been mentioned many times in meetings between the leaders of the two sides. However, I believe that during this visit to Vietnam, the two sides will reach specific agreements in this field.

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