Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong had a phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on January 16, on the occasion of the forthcoming Lunar New Year festival or Tet and the 70th anniversary of Vietnam-China diplomatic ties.

Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong (Photo:VNA) 

The Vietnamese Party chief congratulated the Chinese Party, government and people on their achievements in national development over the past years and wished the Chinese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, new successes in the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Despite ups and downs since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties seven decades ago, friendship and cooperation are always the mainstream in the ties between the two Parties and countries, Trong said while affirming that the bilateral friendship and all-around strategic cooperative partnership meet the high aspirations and essential interests of the two peoples.

Trong suggested both sides should maintain their time-honoured friendship and advance practical and mutually-beneficial cooperation across a variety of fields, strengthen people-to-people exchange, thus creating a firm social foundation for stronger bilateral ties.

He called on the two sides persist with peaceful measures to satisfactorily settle existing issues in bilateral ties on the basis of the common perceptions by the two countries’ leaders and Parties, in accordance with international law, thereby contributing to the stable and healthy development of Vietnam – China ties, for the benefit of the two peoples, and for peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

For his part, Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi congratulated the Vietnamese people on their achievements since the 12th National Party Congress.

He also warmly congratulated the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) on its 90th founding anniversary and expressed his confidence that under the leadership of the CPV, the Vietnamese people will reap even greater achievements in the next period.

The Party, Government and people of China place importance on the traditional neighbourly friendship with Vietnam, and are ready to work with Vietnam to consolidate political trust, augment substantive collaboration in a wide range of issues to deliver benefits to the two peoples, and enhance people-to-people exchange to provide a solid foundation for bilateral ties, he said.

He also voiced his nation support for Vietnam to enable it to fulfill its role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure and Chair of the ASEAN in 2020.