PROMOTING EFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT OF VIETNAM-CHINA COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC COOPERATIVE PARTNERSHIP

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Vietnam from December 12 – 13 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and President Vo Van Thuong.

This is an event of great importance to both Vietnam and China, affirming the two countries’ desire and determination to continuously promote their neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, making the relationship more intensive and effective, for tangible benefits of their people.

Political relations developing stably, with friendship, cooperation as mainstream

As close neighbours, Vietnam and China share many cultural and social similarities. The two countries established diplomatic relations on January 18, 1950. Over the past 73 years, despite ups and downs, the relationship has developed steadily with friendship and cooperation as the mainstream.

The friendship fostered by generations of leaders of the two countries has become the common asset of the two peoples and a foundation for stable cooperation, bringing about practical benefits to both countries.

Notably, over the past decades, the relations have developed in both depth and width in all fields, from politics, economy to culture and national defence and security. High-level exchanges and contacts have been maintained in many flexible forms. Through visits and contacts, high-ranking leaders of the two Parties and countries have reached many important common perceptions, contributing to consolidating and enhancing political trust.

The two sides have agreed to develop the bilateral ties under the motto “Friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability, and looking to the future” (1999) and in the spirit of “Good neighbours, good friends, good comrades, and good partners” (2005).

In 2008, the two sides established the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, the highest cooperation framework in Vietnam’s relations with countries around the world. China is also the first country to build this cooperation framework with Vietnam.

During recent years, Vietnam and China have maintained regular high-level contacts. Party General Secretary Trong paid an official visit to China in October 2022; President Vo Van Thuong led a high-level Vietnamese delegation to attend the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing from October 17-20, 2023; Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh paid an official visit to China and attended the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Tianjin in June 2023, and participated in the China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and the 20th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) in Nanning city, Guangxi province in September 2023; and Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue held online talks with Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee of China Li Zhanshu in June 2021.

On the occasion of important political events of the two Parties, such as the 13th Congress of the CPV and the 100th founding anniversary of the CPC (2021), or Xi Jinping’s re-election as General Secretary of the 20th CPC Central Committee (October 2022), the two sides held celebrations in special forms, showing the great importance that they attach to the bilateral relations.

In particular, the official visit to China from October 30 to November 1, 2022 by Party General Secretary Trong contributed greatly to strengthening the solidarity and traditional friendship between the two peoples, and enhancing and deepening the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era.

During this visit, the two sides issued a joint statement on continuing to promote and deepen the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Trong and Xi also witnessed the signing of 13 cooperation documents between ministries, agencies, and localities of the two countries.

During PM Chinh’s China trip in June this year, the two countries consented to promote the effective implementation of the joint statement.

Exchange and cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the NPC, between the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as well as between ministries and agencies of the two countries like the ministries of foreign affairs, national defence and public security have been constantly enhanced.

At multilateral forums, Vietnam and China have actively coordinated and promoted peace, stability and cooperation in the region and the world, especially at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations.

Economic, trade cooperation constantly growing

The establishment of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has created a favourable and stable political cooperation environment, contributing to forming a momentum and an important foundation for economic collaboration, especially in bilateral trade.

Over the past years, trade cooperation has been a bright spot in the relationship. China has remained Vietnam’s biggest trade partner, and Vietnam is China’s largest trade partner in ASEAN. The two-way trade stood at 133.09 billion USD in 2020 and rose to 165.9 billion USD in 2021, 175 billion USD in 2022, and 105.46 billion USD in the first eight months of this year.

China is currently Vietnam’s largest export market, with main exports being processed and manufactured goods, and agro-aquatic products. Vietnam and China have signed many bilateral cooperation deals, along with multilateral agreements such as the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP). China is working to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Vietnam’s agricultural export to China has expanded continuously. China is one of the most important markets for Vietnamese agro-forestry-aquatic products. As many as 13 Vietnamese agricultural products have been exported to China via official channels, namely bird’s nest, sweet potatoes, dragon fruit, longan, rambutan, mango, jackfruit, watermelon, banana, mangosteen, lychee, passion fruit and durian. Since the ACFTA was put in place, China has reduced tariffs on more than 8,000 products from Vietnam, including agricultural products and fresh fruits.

Regarding investment, as of the end of August 2023, China’s total registered FDI in Vietnam was 25.8 billion USD with 3,949 valid projects.

Vietnamese authorities are pushing ahead with negotiations with China to open the door to the Chinese market for many products of Vietnam.

In addition, cooperation in culture, education and tourism, and people-to-people exchange, especially between youths, has grown increasingly substantive, helping raise mutual understanding, and forge the friendship between the two Parties, countries and peoples. The two sides have organised many other exchange activities, including the Vietnam-China border residents’ festival, the Vietnam-China People’s Forum and friendly exchanges between the VFF and the NPC, while cooperation between localities, especially border provinces and areas, has been stepped up in diverse forms. Such activities have contributed to consolidating the friendship foundation for the Vietnam-China relations to continue developing healthily and stably.

The achievements in the Vietnam-China relations over the past 73 years are valuable assets shared by the two peoples. Vietnam stands ready to work with China to enhance political trust and deepen cooperation across spheres, towards the stable development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, bringing about practical benefits to the two countries’ people and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development of the region and the world./.