Stories of Chinese President Xi Jinping with Vietnam

Ahead of the State visit of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping to Vietnam from April 14-15, VietNamNet would like to introduce an article by Xinhua News Agency about the special stories of the Chinese leader with Vietnam.

General Secretary and President To Lam’s state visit to China in August 2024 will not begin in Beijing, but in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. In a post on April 11, Xinhua News Agency said that General Secretary and President Xi Jinping called it “meaningful.”

Because a century ago, in Guangzhou, President Ho Chi Minh started his revolutionary activities. Mr. Xi Jinping called this historical period the "common red memory" between the two parties.

General Secretary and President To Lam and General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua News Agency

Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to Vietnam from April 14-15 will be his fourth state visit as General Secretary and President of China. The trip takes place on the occasion of the two countries celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit is not a diplomatic formality, but the Chinese leader has viewed the close friendship between China and Vietnam as a cause that needs to be promoted. Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit is also an opportunity for the two sides to outline a future roadmap for bilateral relations.

In the article, Xinhua News Agency mentioned Xi Jinping ’s state visit to Vietnam in 2017. Accordingly, the Chinese leader brought a special gift of 19 issues of the People’s Daily. Of these, 16 issues had turned yellow over time and published news about President Ho Chi Minh.

"These articles were about President Ho Chi Minh's visit to China in 1955. It took us a lot of effort to find them," Xi Jinping said during the visit.

The issue dated June 26, 1955 featured a large front-page photo of President Ho Chi Minh meeting with Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and other early leaders of the Chinese Communist Party.

“President Ho Chi Minh was like a brother to Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai, and other Chinese leaders,” Xi Jinping wrote in a signed article published by the People’s Daily ahead of his 2017 visit.

General Secretary and President of China expressed his appreciation for the great contributions of previous leaders in promoting the China-Vietnam friendship. During his first state visit to Vietnam in 2015, when delivering a speech before the Vietnamese National Assembly, Xi Jinping quoted President Ho Chi Minh as saying that "the Vietnam-China friendship is both comradely and brotherly."

When speaking to Vietnamese youth, to express his respect for President Ho Chi Minh, Mr. Xi Jinping said, "We call President Ho Chi Minh 'Uncle Ho'." He emphasized that in the hearts of the Chinese people of his generation, President Ho Chi Minh is remembered as the best friend of the Chinese people.

In 2011, Xi Jinping, then Vice President of China, visited Uncle Ho's former residence. Before leaving, Xi Jinping left a note saying, "The spirit of great President Ho Chi Minh will be honored for thousands of years, and the friendship between China and Vietnam will last through the ages."

Six years later, during his state visit to Vietnam in 2017, Xi Jinping once again visited the former residence of President Ho Chi Minh. Here, when talking about bilateral relations, Xi Jinping said: "We should learn from Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai, and President Ho Chi Minh, and continue to develop the China-Vietnam friendship for the benefit of both peoples."

Tea talk

During General Secretary and President To Lam's visit to China in August 2024, the two leaders had tea talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Madam Peng Liyuan invited Madam Wu Fangli to a private tea talk, and together they enjoyed a traditional Chinese art performance including Peking Opera.

According to Xinhua News Agency, over the years, tea talks have become a tradition between Chinese and Vietnamese leaders, because the two countries have similarities in tea culture.

Madam Ngo Phuong Ly and Madam Peng Li Yuan attend a private tea party. Photo: Xinhua News Agency

"Unlike formal talks, tea talks provide a more intimate and personal form of communication for both leaders," said Pan Jin'e at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Gift-giving during tea talks also creates lasting memories in bilateral activities between the two countries. During the state visit of Chinese General Secretary and President Xi Jinping to Vietnam in 2023, the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong hosted a tea talk and presented the Chinese leader with a painting depicting the previous tea talk between the two leaders in Beijing.

Back in 2017, after a tea party in Beijing, Xi Jinping presented the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong with a copy of a handwritten poem by President Ho Chi Minh in Chinese, talking about his arduous but steadfast journey to liberate the nation.

General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping also quoted this poem when he gave a speech before the Vietnamese National Assembly in 2015.

In this new and challenging era, China and Vietnam have decided to aim higher. During Xi Jinping’s state visit to Vietnam in 2023, the two sides pledged to build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future of strategic significance. Xi Jinping told the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong during the visit: “We should walk this path together.”

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nhung-cau-chuyen-cua-chu-cit-trung-quoc-tap-can-binh-voi-viet-nam-2390469.html