Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s official visit to Vietnam was a success: Chinese Ambassador He Wei. (Photo: VNA)

Talking to the Vietnamese press to share his insights on the outcomes of the Chinese leader’s visit, the Ambassador highlighted the significance of the trip to bilateral relations, saying that both sides attach importance to the event.

According to the Ambassador, Premier Li’s visit took place right in the first year of implementing the important consensus between the top leaders of the two Parties and promoting the building of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future.Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam, He Wei. (Source: VNA)

He added that it was also the first by a Chinese Premier to Vietnam in 11 years and marked the first time I visited Vietnam since taking office.

On the evening of October 12, shortly after arriving in Hanoi, Premier Li was welcomed by and met with the Vietnamese Party General Secretary and President To Lam.

A day later, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presided over an official welcome ceremony for the Chinese leader, spent significant time engaging in talks with and hosting a banquet for him, witnessing a ceremony to exchange cooperation agreements, and participating in a business seminar between enterprises of the two countries, along with other activities. National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man also held a meeting with Premier Li. Vietnam and China issued a joint statement featuring a wide range of contents.

All of these fully reflect the nature of the special friendship as “both comrades and brothers” between China and Vietnam, the ambassador said, adding that the two sides agreed that the visit produced fruitful outcomes and played a positive role in advancing the building of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Ambassador He Wei said that the outcomes of the visit are reflected in three key aspects.

Firstly, the visit further strengthened mutual political trust between the two sides. During talks and meetings, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to prioritizing the development of bilateral relations as a strategic choice for each other. They emphasized that the development of one country presents an opportunity for the other’s development and serves as a positive factor for regional and global development. The two sides also agreed to fully implement the common and important perceptions reached between the top leaders of the two Parties and countries, advancing the China-Vietnam community with a shared future toward practical outcomes by the "six more" direction. The visit also underscored the leading role of the two countries' top leaders in shaping the development of bilateral relations.

On the morning of October 13, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the welcoming ceremony for Chinese Premier Li Qiang. (Photo: Anh Son)

Secondly, the visit helped further step up substantive cooperation between Vietnam and China, which is already experiencing rapid growth. During meetings, the two sides reached an important consensus on expanding economic and trade cooperation while promoting "hard connectivity" in areas such as railways, highways, and seaport infrastructure, as well as "soft connectivity" such as smart customs. The two sides also successfully organized a thematic conference between representatives of Chinese and Vietnamese businesses, facilitating deeper cooperation within the two countries' business communities.

Thirdly, the visit contributed to creating a comprehensive consensus on the friendship between the two countries' peoples. The media in both nations swiftly covered the visit, reflecting the positive momentum in Vietnam-China relations and promoting the spread of friendly consensus from the high to the grassroots level.

Leaders of the two countries reached an important common perception on strengthening the dissemination of the China-Vietnam friendship, fostering mutual understanding between the two peoples, and supporting exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Vietnamese localities, especially those in border areas. The two sides also engaged in frank and in-depth discussions on issues at sea. The diplomat stated they strongly agreed to abide by the principle of managing differences through friendly consultations and have full confidence in the future of China-Vietnam relations.

Further promoting traditional bilateral friendship.

As the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam, He shared insights and observations about the current relationship between the two countries and the potential for further development across various fields.

The strategic guidance of the top leaders of the two Parties and states serves as the "balancing point" in the bilateral relations, he noted

Premier Li Qiang met with Party General Secretary and President To Lam. (Photo: VNA)

Reviewing the top-level visits between the two countries over the past three years and emphasizing the foundation-laying role of the predecessors in fostering sincere friendship and deep revolutionary ties, Ambassador He expressed his belief that Vietnamese leaders will inherit and promote the legacy left by the previous generations of leaders, thus further promoting the traditional friendship between the two countries, and working together to build the Vietnam – China community with a shared future that carries strategic significances.

Establishing the community with a shared future has made a promising start, with substantive cooperation becoming a "growth point" in bilateral relations.

China is Vietnam's largest trade partner. Two-way trade has exceeded 200 billion USD for three consecutive years. In the first eight months of this year, the trade hit 167 billion USD, up 19.2 per cent year-on-year.

According to the diplomat, in the first seven months of 2024, the China-Vietnam freight train service set three new records for monthly cargo volume. Additionally, the construction of the cross-border railway route between China and Vietnam has been accelerated to promote regional connectivity.

With its experience in structural transformation and economic development, China is willing to share its knowledge with Vietnam, helping the Southeast Asian country avoid detours and move toward industrialization and modernization more effectively, He said.

He believed that as long as the two sides have trust, patience, and determination, many challenging problems can be solved.

He stressed that people-to-people exchanges and cultural interactions between the two countries hold immense potential and are regarded as a "treasure" in the bilateral relations.

According to the ambassador, about 23,000 Vietnamese students are studying in China, doubling the number before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

Regarding tourism, in the first eight months of 2024, Vietnam welcomed 2.4 million Chinese visitors, accounting for 21.4 per cent of the total international arrivals, making China the second-largest source market of international tourists to Vietnam. There are more than 200 round-trip flights between the two countries each week.

Next year will mark the 75th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam, as well as the "Year of Vietnam-China Humanistic Exchange,” so the two sides should seize these opportunities to strengthen a more solid social foundation, further promoting their traditional friendship so that the friendship between the two peoples become a “catalyst” for the bilateral relations, theChinese Ambassador said.