The relationship was good, and it will get even better.

The visit of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping to Vietnam will yield positive results, benefiting the people of both countries.

General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping awarded the Friendship Order to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong during his visit to China from October 30 to November 1, 2022. (Source: VNA)

The visit of Chinese President and General Secretary Xi Jinping to Vietnam is a diplomatic reciprocal gesture following last year's visit by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. This time, high-level leaders are meeting again, so the already good relations between the two countries will only get better.

This was the assessment of the Chairman of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association, Nguyen Vinh Quang, regarding the visit to Vietnam by General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping (December 12-13) at the invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Vo Van Thuong.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association Nguyen Vinh Quang. (Photo: TT)

This is President Xi Jinping's third visit to Vietnam.

Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang believes that all meetings between the top leaders of the two countries are important, but the importance and significance of each visit vary depending on the timing.

According to the Vice President of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association, the visit of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping is a diplomatic reciprocal gesture following last year's visit by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (October 30 - November 1, 2022).

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit was very successful, with a 13-point joint statement widely publicized in both countries and internationally. The agreements reached between the two General Secretaries last year are being implemented very well. "This time, with high-level leaders meeting again, I think that the already good relationship between the two countries will get even better," Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang emphasized.

One notable point that Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang noted about the visit was that this was the third time General Secretary and President Xi Jinping had visited Vietnam. "It should also be added that since the normalization of relations, this is the first time a General Secretary and President of China has visited Vietnam three times," the Chinese expert added.

Therefore, Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang hopes that the visit will yield positive results, benefiting the people of both countries. The two countries may reach new agreements or implement existing agreements more concretely and put them into practice.

A rare year

Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang believes that 2023 was a year of favorable development in relations between Vietnam and China. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, exchanges and delegation visits resumed, beginning with the visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to China. This visit was of significant importance, arguably historic, opening a new phase for bilateral relations and resolving some difficult issues between the two countries.

Following that visit, many high-ranking leaders, ministries, and localities of the two countries have had contact and exchanges. On the Vietnamese side, notable events include President Vo Van Thuong attending the 3rd Belt and Road Summit in Beijing (October); Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visiting China and attending the World Economic Forum in Tianjin (June), and more recently, participating in the China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit in Guangxi (September); and the visit of Standing Committee member of the Party Central Committee Truong Thi Mai (April)...

On the Chinese side, Wang Yi, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China and Minister of Foreign Affairs, visited Vietnam to co-chair the meeting of the Vietnam-China Bilateral Cooperation Steering Committee; Wang Yong, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, visited Vietnam; and there were visits by the Party Secretaries of Hainan and Yunnan provinces, and Guangxi regional Party Committee, among others.

President Vo Van Thuong met with General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping on the occasion of attending the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in October 2023. (Source: VNA)

According to Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang, such extensive exchanges, meetings, and interactions within a short period of time are rare. This is because both sides have recognized the significance of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit and the fact that bilateral relations are currently in their most favorable stage of development. Not only in politics and diplomacy, but also in economics, trade, and people-to-people exchanges, these areas are being strengthened and promoted.

"And coincidentally, 2023 marks the 15th anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries (2008-2023). Looking back, it can be seen that the relationship between the two countries has developed in the right direction, and the framework established by the high-level leaders of both countries 15 years ago is very accurate," Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang remarked.

The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is Vietnam's highest diplomatic framework with countries around the world. China was the first country with which Vietnam established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Vietnam was also the first Southeast Asian country with which China established this framework.

The potential for cooperation is still enormous.

Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang stated that, overall, the bilateral relationship over the past year has been favorable and has many positive aspects, and he hopes that the relationship will improve in the future. However, he acknowledged that there are still outstanding issues between the two countries that require concrete solutions to address them gradually. These issues have been seriously discussed by high-level leaders, and mechanisms for resolving them have been resumed after the pandemic.

"There are still unresolved issues, but if they are cleared this time, relations between the two countries will certainly improve," a Chinese expert commented. According to him, this is also the hope of many people, both in Vietnam and China.

In the Joint Statement during General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's official visit (November 2022) and in the Joint Press Release during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to China (June 2023), both sides affirmed their "agreement to actively promote the strategic connectivity of development between the two countries."

Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang believes that aligning development strategies is a global trend, especially since Vietnam and China are neighboring countries with many similarities, making such alignment necessary.

The potential for development between Vietnam and China remains enormous, with people-to-people and cultural exchanges being bright spots and strengths in the bilateral relationship.

"Having worked in people-to-people diplomacy for many years, I believe that promoting this element is very good. Because strengthening mutual understanding between the people of the two countries is the foundation and basis of the Vietnam-China friendship. If there is no exchange and understanding between the people, then that friendship is not genuine and may not be true," the Chinese expert expressed.

Economically, according to Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang, despite being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, trade between the two countries has remained relatively strong, especially after China reopened. Currently, China is Vietnam's largest trading partner, and Vietnam is China's largest trading partner in ASEAN.

"The most encouraging thing is that the trade deficit between Vietnam and China is gradually narrowing. In fact, many Vietnamese goods are increasingly favored by Chinese consumers, such as agricultural products and seafood... and some agricultural products have only recently become attractive to the Chinese, for example, durian. Therefore, the two countries still have much room for cooperation," said Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang.

Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang observed that Vietnam is an agricultural country with hardworking farmers producing many products, and China is a very large market. Conversely, China, as "the world's factory," can supply Vietnam with many things that the market needs.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tong-bi-thu-chu-tich-trung-quoc-tap-can-binh-tham-viet-nam-quan-he-da-tot-se-tot-hon-253220.html