Prime Minister: Vietnamese people in Yunnan preserve and promote Vietnam-China relations

The Prime Minister hopes that the Vietnamese community in Yunnan will strengthen the Vietnam-China relationship, especially in the current context when implementing the community of shared future has strategic significance.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at a meeting with officials, staff of the Consulate General and the Vietnamese community in Yunnan province. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

According to the special correspondent of VNA, during the program of attending the 8th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit, the 10th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Summit (ACMECS), the 11th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) Summit and working in China, on the afternoon of November 5, in Kunming city, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with officials and staff of the Vietnamese representative agency in China and the Vietnamese community in Yunnan province, China.

Reporting on the situation of the Vietnamese community in Yunnan province, Vietnamese Consul General in Kunming Hoang Minh Son said that Yunnan province is a key locality in Southwest China with a population of over 48 million people. Yunnan also has deep and close relations with Vietnam. The Vietnamese community in Yunnan has about 4,000 people working, living, doing business and studying, including many multicultural families.

Representatives of the Vietnamese community in Yunnan expressed that they always miss their homeland; are happy to see the country developing more and more; always feel proud to be Vietnamese; and regularly contribute to their homeland. During the recent storm, the Vietnamese community here donated 5,000 USD and sent it to the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front to support their compatriots back home...

Moved by the growth and affection of the Vietnamese community in Yunnan, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that Kunming, Yunnan, China is a place very close to Vietnam, with mountains connecting to mountains and rivers connecting to rivers. This is where President Ho Chi Minh stopped while searching for a way to save the country and lead the revolution, then returned to Cao Bang to directly lead the Vietnamese revolution.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with officials and staff of the Consulate General and the Vietnamese community in Yunnan province. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

Emphasizing that Yunnan is a southwestern Chinese province bordering four provinces of Vietnam, with majestic mountain landscapes, unique traditional culture, and warm people, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his feelings about the closeness and good relations between Vietnam and the Vietnamese provinces of Lao Cai, Dien Bien, Lai Chau and Ha Giang, especially when there is a railway connecting the two countries.

These localities of the two countries also have an important position and role in the development of bilateral relations, especially in realizing the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and the "Vietnam-China Community of Shared Future of Strategic Significance" to bring common benefits to the two peoples and two countries.

Reviewing the development of Vietnam-China relations, the Prime Minister emphasized that the Vietnam-China relationship is an objective requirement, a strategic choice and a top priority. Uncle Ho and Vietnam's predecessors initially started their revolutionary activities and built the Indochinese Communist Party from China. Many generations of Vietnamese leaders also studied and cultivated themselves from China. During Vietnam's resistance wars, China was always there to help; Vietnam has never forgotten that sentiment; Vietnam and China are truly both comrades and brothers.

Therefore, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hopes that the Vietnamese community here will always value, preserve, promote, consolidate and enhance this relationship, especially in the current context when implementing the community sharing the future has strategic significance.

The Prime Minister also thanked the Party, State and people of China for always valuing, caring for and preserving the relationship between the two countries in general, creating conditions for the Vietnamese community here to do business, live legally and best develop their abilities.

Informing the people about the domestic situation, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that after the war for national independence and the embargo ended, Vietnam has been implementing the Doi Moi process since 1986. After nearly 40 years of Doi Moi, from a country under siege and embargo, from a poor, backward, war-torn country, the scale of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has increased from about 4 billion USD to about 430 billion USD in 2023, the average income per capita reached about 4,300 USD; belonging to the group of 34 largest economies in the world and the top 20 economies in terms of trade, having signed 17 free trade agreements.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets with officials and staff of the Consulate General in Yunnan province. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

In the context of many difficulties and instability in the world economy, the growth of many economies and global investment decline, Vietnam's economic growth and investment have still recovered positively, GDP growth in recent years is nearly double the world average and higher than inflation. GDP in 2024 is estimated to increase by about 7%; attracting foreign investment of about 35-40 billion USD. Budget deficit, public debt, and foreign debt are well controlled. Social security and people's lives continue to improve. Socio-political stability; national defense and security are consolidated and enhanced; foreign affairs and international integration are promoted, achieving many important results.

Proud of the solidarity and strong development of the Vietnamese community in Yunnan province, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hopes that people will promote the spirit of solidarity, overcoming difficulties, innovation and creativity; preserve national cultural identity; strictly abide by the law and integrate into local life; always look towards the homeland; establish a career, contribute to the development of each country and foster Vietnam-China relations.

The Prime Minister pointed out: "Each person should be an ambassador to foster the friendship between Vietnam and China, 'both comrades and brothers', to be forever green and everlasting."

Emphasizing the need to consider the work of the people as one's own work; to consider the people as one's own brothers and sisters, relatives, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh instructed the cadres and staff of the Vietnamese representative agencies in China in general and in Yunnan in particular to take care of connecting and developing a strong community; support and resolve the requests, rights and legitimate and legal interests of the people; especially help and create conditions for the people, especially in difficult times, with responsibility and with national sentiment and compatriotism.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh with the Vietnamese community in Yunnan province. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

Also on the afternoon of November 5, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the Vietnam Culture and Tourism Festival at the Yunnan Theater in Kunming city, towards the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and China and the "Vietnam-China Humanitarian Exchange Year" in 2025.

Here, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited the exhibition displaying 40 photos about Vietnam's heritage, culture and tourism, with 4 main themes: Vietnam - Land of miraculous heritages; Vietnam - Paradise of world biosphere reserves; Vietnam - Land of human memory; Vietnam - Home of world intangible heritages.

In particular, the Prime Minister and the delegation enjoyed an art program performed by Vietnamese and Chinese artists with the theme: "Vow to always hold hands, keep the whole heart sincere."

Songs with cultural colors of both countries were performed by artists of both countries with traditional musical instruments. Meanwhile, many Vietnamese songs were performed by Chinese artists and many Chinese songs were performed very successfully by Vietnamese artists.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presented flowers to congratulate and commend artists from both countries for bringing the audience a program of high artistic quality; especially, demonstrating the spirit of solidarity and friendship between the two countries and peoples; contributing to further consolidating and promoting the friendly neighborly relationship, the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and the “Vietnam-China Community of Shared Future of Strategic Significance” to develop more deeply, comprehensively and sustainably./.

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