Vietnamese Ambassador to China Phạm Sao Mai. — VNA/VNS Photo

BEIJING — Vietnamese Ambassador to China Phạm Sao Mai has highlighted the significance of the upcoming trip to China by President Võ Văn Thưởng to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing from October 17-20.

The trip, made at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping, is Thưởng's first working trip to China in his capacity as State President of Việt Nam, and the third time a Vietnamese senior leader has attended the forum, the ambassador told the Vietnam News Agency, adding it is the continuation of regular exchanges and contacts between high-ranking leaders of the two parties and countries over the past time.

In the context of the 15th anniversary of the Việt Nam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2023, the trip demonstrates the high regard and top priority that the Vietnamese Party and State give to promoting the relations with the neighbouring country, as well as Việt Nam's appreciation of connectivity initiatives, including the BRI, for peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world at large, Mai said.

He noted that the trip also offers an opportunity for the two countries’ senior leaders to hold in-depth discussions on measures to concretise their high-level common perceptions, especially those reached during the historic official visit to China by Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng last year, to promote the development of the Việt Nam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership in a stable and healthy manner, with higher political trust, practical cooperation, stronger social foundation, and better-controlled differences.

Given complex and unpredictable developments in the international situation and profound changes in the global economy, the President’s attendance at the forum is a practical activity to implement Việt Nam's consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, and development, and diversification and multilateralisation of relations, and active international integration, according to the diplomat.

He went on to say that it also conveys the message that Việt Nam is a friend, a reliable partner, and an active, responsible member of the international community, actively contributing to peace, stability, development, and cooperation in the region and the world.

According to the ambassador, with the theme "High-quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Together for Common Development and Prosperity,” the forum will review the achievements of the BRI over the past decade and discuss cooperation prospects and directions in the future.

The forum will include three high-level sessions, focusing on the digital economy as a new driving force of growth, connectivity in an open global economy, and a green silk road for harmony with nature, and six other forums on trade connection, people-to-people exchange, clean silk road, local cooperation, collaboration between research agencies, and cooperation at sea.

The ambassador said the President will deliver important speeches at the event, which will see the participation of senior leaders, delegates and businesspeople from about 140 countries and international organisations.

This will contribute to adding Việt Nam's voice to promoting peace, collaboration, economic integration, and regional connectivity, thereby deepening relations with countries around the world, and contributing to promoting regional and global economic growth and effectively implementing the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, he stressed.

It is also an occasion for Việt Nam to promote its socio-economic development achievements, share major messages about the nation’s goals, perspectives, and development orientation in a bid to effectively attract international resources to further serve socio-economic development goals, especially those of green transformation, digital transformation, and inclusive and people-centred growth, thus raising the country's role and position in the international arena, Mai said. — VNS