​Vietnam, China pledge to give priority to each other, promote all-round ties

​Vietnam, China pledge to give priority to each other, promote all-round ties

Vietnam and China reaffirmed their commitment to prioritizing each other in their foreign policies and pledged to further enhance their comprehensive strategic partnership during a recent meeting between Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang.

Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President To Lam (L) shakes hands with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang at their meeting in Hanoi, October 12, 2024. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

The Vietnamese leader on Saturday hosted talks with PM Li, who arrived in Hanoi a day earlier for a three-day official visit, according to the Central Commission for External Relations.

Welcoming Li’s first visit to Vietnam, Lam stressed that the visit would help further develop the bilateral relationship for the interests of the two nations and peoples.

“Vietnam consistently considers the development of relations with China as a top priority in its foreign policy,” Lam said.

Lam praised PM Li for his great contributions to promoting bilateral relations, as well as the effective and timely coordination of the prime ministers and governments of the two countries.

Li expressed his pleasure at visiting Vietnam, emphasizing that the visit is meant to implement the common perception that the top leaders of the two Parties and two countries have reached in recent times.

He said that China considers developing relations with Vietnam a priority in its neighborly foreign policy, affirming that the Chinese Party and government constantly support Vietnam on its journey of innovation, development, and socialism building.

Both officials agreed to maintain regular exchanges at all levels, boost cooperation in defense and security, jointly respond effectively to non-traditional security challenges, and improve the effectiveness of existing cooperative mechanisms.

Reviewing the outstanding achievements in bilateral cooperation in recent times, both sides consented to take measures to strengthen economic and trade cooperation, including facilitation of border trade by making the best use of the model of smart border gates.

Both sides expressed their commitment to strengthening the alignment between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the ‘Two Corridors, One Belt’ cooperative framework established by the two countries, with a particular focus on enhancing railway connectivity.

They also concurred in expanding cooperation in science, technology, manufacturing supply chains, green development, and digital transformation.

The top Vietnamese leader said Vietnam welcomes and is ready to create favorable conditions for Chinese enterprises to invest in large-scale, advanced technology projects in Southeast Asian country for mutual interests.

PM Li promised that China would further open its market to Vietnamese agricultural products and support the neighboring country in setting up trade promotion offices in China.

As the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations approaches in 2025, both sides agreed to work closely in organizing activities for the upcoming year, which has been designated as the ‘Year of Vietnam-China Humanistic Exchange,’ with a view to elevating the bilateral relationship to new heights.

Regarding maritime issues, they agreed on the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and cooperation in the East Vietnam Sea.

Lam urged both sides to strictly adhere to high-level agreements and direct relevant agencies to implement effective methods and measures to better manage and resolve disputes, in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Vietnam and China established their diplomatic ties in January 1950, and set up their comprehensive strategic partnership in May 2008.

Tuoi Tre News