Vietnam, China strive for people’s happiness, humankind’s progress: Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang speaks at the Ministry’s regular press conference in Hanoi on December 14, 2023. (Photo: VNA)

According to the Spokesperson, after 15 years since the establishment of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, the relations between the two countries as well as between their parties have been continuously expanded and deepened. Bilateral cooperation across fields has made significant and comprehensive progress.

The states maintain contacts, dialogues, and exchanges at various levels, particularly high-level visits, she said.

During a state visit to Vietnam on December 12 and 13 by General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and Spouse, the two sides issued a joint statement on continuing deepening and elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries and building a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Both sides agreed to build a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, striving for their peoples’ happiness and for the peace and progress of humankind, Hang said.

She noted that Vietnam and China also concurred that the development of their relations needs to comply with the United Nations Charter, international law, and basic norms of international relations; to persist with mutual respect, equality, mutual benefits, win-win cooperation, respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity; and to persist with the settlement of differences through peaceful measures.

This is a common future that the sides share and aspire to, in line with the interests of both countries, contributing to the trends of peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world, Hang affirmed.

Regarding the content of the shared-future community cooperation between Vietnam and China, the Spokesperson stated that cooperation orientations between the two Parties and two countries in the time to come concerning bilateral, regional, and global aspects have been specifically outlined in the Joint Statement.

Among the 36 cooperation documents signed between the sides during the visit, two are related to railway cooperation. These are the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam and the National Development and Reform Commission of China on strengthening Vietnam-China railway cooperation, and the MoU between the Vietnamese ministry and the International Development Cooperation Agency of China on strengthening aid cooperation for railway development across the Vietnam – China border.

Regarding the prospects for cooperation in this area, Hang said the two sides have agreed to study and promote the construction of a standard gauge railway for the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong route, and study similar standard railways for the Dong Dang - Hanoi - Mong Cai - Ha Long - Hai Phong route at an appropriate time. The implementation of these projects will contribute to enhancing connectivity cooperation within the "Two Corridors, One Belt" framework and the "Belt and Road" initiative.