This aerial photo taken on Sept. 9, 2023 shows the port of Friendship Pass in Pingxiang, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo/Xinhua)
Undoubtedly, Beijing and Hanoi jointly expect that the ongoing visit to China by To Lam, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of Vietnam, can help further intensify the two countries’ joint efforts to jointly pursue the socialist path, build a community of shared destiny and uphold international fairness and justice.
Lam recently said that his country has always given top priority to developing relations with China, saying China is the only country that meets all the priority factors of Vietnam’s foreign policy. Choosing China as the destination of his first overseas trip since his election as Party leader on August 3 fully reflects the high importance Hanoi attaches to developing relations between the two parties and the two countries.
The zeal and seriousness shown by Vietnam in this regard have always been reciprocated by China, which in return offers its sincerity and full support for cooperation. As President Xi Jinping said in his signed article published in the Vietnamese newspaper Nhan Dan late last year before his visit to Vietnam, the Chinese side always regards the development of relations with Vietnam as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy.
China not only values its traditional friendship with Vietnam, but also strives to strengthen common interests through mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to keep the relationship of “comradeship and brotherhood” alive in the new era and bring even greater benefits to both peoples.
Building on their fruitful 15-year comprehensive strategic partnership, China and Vietnam agreed to build a community with a shared future of strategic significance during Xi’s visit to Hanoi, which helped bring the relations between the two countries and the two parties to a new strategic height.
Lam’s three-day visit, which begins on Sunday, is expected to result in a series of agreements on cooperation projects that will underpin future joint efforts to turn that vision into reality and give new substance to the principles of friendship, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness that govern their relations.
China has long been Vietnam’s largest trading partner, and Vietnam is China’s largest trading partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the fourth largest in the world. The bilateral trade volume between China and Vietnam reached 230 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, accounting for about a quarter of Vietnam’s foreign trade.
The two countries now want to accelerate the integration of the Belt and Road Initiative and the “Two Corridors, One Economic Circle” strategy and expand cooperation in areas such as connectivity, green energy and critical minerals.
As long as both sides focus on the correct development direction of their respective parties and countries, the two neighbors have no reason to let an external party exploit their maritime disputes to sow discord between them. They should act on the basis of the common understanding of their leaders, properly handle their differences on maritime issues, and jointly seek solutions acceptable to both sides.
The more some try to drive a wedge between them, the more efforts they should make to vigorously promote cooperation and communication, so as to create a conducive external environment for their respective development and realize long-term stability and security in the region.
Both China and Vietnam attach importance to dialogue, consultation and peaceful cooperation, and firmly adhere to the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. They should support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, and maintain close coordination in regional and international cooperation mechanisms.
It is expected that the Vietnamese President’s visit will inject further positive energy into the two neighbours’ joint efforts to promote their long-term development and peace and stability in the region.
