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General Secretary To Lam and General Secretary andPresident of China Xi Jinping review and listen to an introduction to the documents signed between the two countries on the occasion of General Secretary and President Xi Jinping's visit to Vietnam in April 2025. (Photo: Nguyen Hong) |
Vietnam-China relations are built on the foundation of profound political awareness and strategic trust that generations of leaders of the two Parties and countries, typically President Ho Chi Minh and Chairman Mao Zedong, have painstakingly cultivated over the past 75 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations (January 18, 1950).
General Secretary To Lam affirmed that “Vietnam always persistently and consistently gives top priority and is determined to work with China to develop the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and the Vietnam-China Community of Shared Future, which has strategic significance, for the happiness of the people of the two countries, for the cause of peace and progress of all mankind.”
China considers Vietnam a "priority direction in its neighborhood policy", General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed "four persistences" as a guideline for relations with Vietnam: (i) persistently befriending based on trust, (ii) persistently connecting based on interests, (iii) persistently tightening based on friendship, (iv) persistently treating each other based on sincerity.
The strategic vision of the top leaders of the two Parties and two States will bring Vietnam-China relations to new heights.
Creating a foundation for social awareness
Political awareness and strategic trust between Vietnam and China have become a valuable heritage of the two Parties, two countries, two peoples and have become the strategic vision of the two countries' senior leaders.
This vision is clearly reflected and consistent through mutual visits by the two countries' top leaders. General Secretary and President To Lam paid an official visit to China right after being elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (August 2024). His first stop at the cradle of the Vietnamese revolution in Guangdong also demonstrated the importance of the traditional friendship in Vietnam-China relations.
General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping has also visited Vietnam four times since taking office, twice in the same term, which is also unprecedented in the relationship between the two countries.
The 16-word motto of "friendly neighbors, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, looking towards the future", the spirit of 4 goods "good neighbors, good comrades, good friends, good partners", the framework of the Vietnam - China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership signed in 2008, and recently the "Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership to build a Community of Shared Future of Strategic Significance" (2023) have demonstrated the broad vision, as well as the determination of the two Parties and two governments to create a comprehensive and solid framework for bilateral relations.
The strength of political awareness, trust and strategic vision between Vietnam and China, cultivated through many generations of senior leaders, has helped create a solid foundation for social awareness between the two countries. The Vietnam-China Cultural Exchange Year 2025 has become an important "catalyst", the program "Meeting Vietnamese and Chinese students of all periods" in March 2025 clearly demonstrated the spread of political awareness from the top to the grassroots, creating "young cultural ambassadors" to inherit the tradition of friendship and play a pivotal role in future relations.
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| Delegates attending the 19th Theoretical Workshop between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Communist Party of China with the theme "Perfecting Development Institutions: Vietnam's Experience, China's Experience" on December 6, 2024. |
Creating momentum for real development
In the current international context, the strategic vision of the senior leaders of Vietnam and China can help create momentum for breakthrough development in strategic, open, balanced, inclusive and sustainable fields, in line with the development goals of each country in the new period.
The senior leaders of Vietnam and China pledged to build a "Community of Shared Future of Strategic Significance" in the Vietnam-China Joint Statement in December 2023. During the State visit of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping in April 2025, the two sides signed 45 cooperation documents in various fields from infrastructure connectivity, agricultural trade, defense, science and technology to education and local cooperation.
Comprehensive development in all fields has created a "vibrant and practical atmosphere of cooperation", creating a solid foundation for both sides to jointly solve existing problems.
Regarding trade, the two sides pledged to address the trade imbalance (Vietnam's trade deficit was 60 billion USD) by expanding the export of Vietnam's strong products such as Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products, promoting cooperation in the processing and manufacturing industry, developing e-commerce and the digital economy.
In particular, Vietnam has the potential to become an important strategic partner of China in the process of shifting production and supply chains in the region. Vietnam prioritizes high-quality FDI capital to achieve the goal of becoming an upper-middle-income developing country by 2030, welcoming China with its modernization experience and strong financial resources to commit to investing in projects that have a positive impact on sustainable development in Vietnam.
Commitments to implement cooperation in intermodal railway connectivity and infrastructure connectivity, including connecting Vietnam's "Two Corridors, One Belt" with China's "Belt and Road" will create new momentum for production and infrastructure development of the two countries. The construction of smart border gates at border gates, including Huu Nghi and Mong Cai-Dong Hung, will facilitate trade and tourism. The standard gauge railway project is considered a symbol of bilateral cooperation in the new era. The two sides have signed intergovernmental agreements on three railway lines: Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong, Lang Son-Hanoi and Mong Cai-Ha Long-Hai Phong.
Technology transfer and industry cooperation in new fields, digital economy, green technology, renewable energy are identified as "new bright spots", which are areas of great potential cooperation between Vietnam and China. The prospect of cooperation with China, the world's leading country in R&D with more than 400 billion USD per year, can help Vietnam achieve its goals of innovation, digital transformation and green transformation according to Resolution 57 on science and technology.
According to the Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam, Chinese enterprises have invested more than 6 billion USD in Vietnam's solar energy projects. Ambassador Ha Vi hopes that Vietnam and China will be able to combine opportunities when China develops new quality production forces and Vietnam develops new production forces, creating a new bright spot in cooperation on AI, semiconductors and nuclear after Xi Jinping's visit.
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The program "Meeting Vietnamese and Chinese students from all periods" in March 2025 creates "young cultural ambassadors" to inherit the tradition of friendship and play a pivotal role in future relations. (Photo: Jackie Chan) |
Creating opportunities for stable cooperation
Long-term strategic vision, strong political awareness and commitment, and strategic trust can be considered the "root" for sustainable and mutually beneficial cooperation between Vietnam and China that both sides need to continue to strive to cultivate, creating important driving forces to promote the prospect of Vietnam-China cooperation to new heights, further strengthen and deepen bilateral relations, enhance cooperation in the direction of "6 more", bring substantive cooperation into depth, achieve many practical results and new bright spots.
Vietnam-China relations in the new period need to be built on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. There must be trust, respect and awareness of common interests to build a solid foundation, help narrow differences and strengthen bilateral relations between Vietnam and China. Comprehensive and positive developments in bilateral relations have initially promoted the role and effectiveness of mechanisms for controlling and handling disagreements, creating favorable opportunities to resolve existing problems, paving the way for long-term solutions.
The unceasing efforts with the spirit of "turning danger into opportunity" of all levels, sectors and people of the two countries under the direct guidance of the highest leaders of the two Parties and two Governments are important driving forces to help develop comprehensive cooperation and increasingly close and profound cooperation between Vietnam and China.
* Official article by Dr. Dinh Thi Hien Luong in the special issue of 75 years of Vietnam-China relations (page 21).
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/viet-nam-trung-quoc-tam-nhin-chien-luoc-va-trien-vong-hop-tac-trong-giai-doan-moi-319674.html
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