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

Ahead of the official visit to China by a high-level Vietnamese delegation led by National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ at the invitation of Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, Vietnamese Ambassador to China Phạm Sao Mai gave an interview to the press.

Can you tell our readers about the purpose and significance of National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ’s official visit to China?

Accepting the invitation from Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ will lead a high-level delegation from the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam on an official visit to the People's Republic of China from April 7 to 12.

This is the first visit to China by Huệ in his capacity as National Assembly Chairman, signifying a historic moment as it marks the first direct meeting between the heads of the legislative bodies of Việt Nam and China since the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Notably, this visit follows the recent state visit to Việt Nam by General Secretary and President of China, Xi Jinping, in December 2023, during which both nations issued a joint statement on continuing deepening and elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries and building a Việt Nam-China community with a shared future of strategic importance, underscoring its profound strategic significance.

This visit by National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ holds great significance in fostering high-level exchanges, setting strategic direction for bilateral relations and aligning shared perspectives between the top leadership of both parties and countries. It reaffirms Việt Nam’s prioritisation of nurturing relations with China as the foremost agenda and a strategic cornerstone in its foreign policy. The visit also seeks to advance the six major cooperation orientations between the two nations, with a particular emphasis on enhancing "heightened political trust" and fortifying "a more robust social foundation." These efforts contribute to elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Việt Nam and China, fostering mutual benefits for both peoples, and fostering peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the wider world.

Furthermore, against the backdrop of the continuously consolidated and well-developed relationship between the National Assembly of Việt Nam and the National People's Congress of China, this visit will contribute to deepening and enhancing the effectiveness of cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries; affirming the very important role of Việt Nam’s parliamentary diplomacy in the country's development.

Please assess the recent bilateral relations between the two countries?

Việt Nam and China are neighbouring countries with many similarities in culture, political systems and development paths. In recent times, under the joint efforts of both sides, the relations between the two Parties and two countries have maintained a very positive development momentum and gained many important achievements in all areas, reflected in several aspects.

Firstly, high-level exchanges and contacts have been enhanced. The leadership of the Parties, States, Governments, National Assemblies (People's Congress), and Fatherland Fronts of the two countries through flexible forms, regularly meets, exchanges and discussions, have contributed to enhancing political trust and solidifying the political foundation of the relations between the two Parties and two countries.

Especially the historical visits of General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng (October 2022) and General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping (December 2023) have contributed significantly to continually consolidating and elevating the neighbourly and comprehensive cooperation relations between Việt Nam and China.

The most remarkable point in these contacts is that both sides have affirmed considering the other country as a priority in their foreign policies. Việt Nam considers developing relations with China as a top priority and a strategic choice, always desiring to promote stable, healthy, and sustainable development of bilateral relations with China for the happiness of the people of both countries, for the cause of peace and progress of humanity.

China emphasises persisting with a friendly policy towards Việt Nam, considering Việt Nam as a priority direction in its neighbouring diplomacy. China also affirms its support for Việt Nam’s prosperous development, the happiness of its people, the building of a strong, independent, and self-reliant economy, promoting comprehensive renewal, industrialisation, modernisation, comprehensive international integration, and developing open and friendly relations, playing an increasingly important role for peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world.

Secondly, economic, trade, and investment cooperation continue to deepen, becoming substantive and shining points in bilateral relations in recent times. China maintains its position as Việt Nam’s largest trading partner and the second-largest export market, while Việt Nam is China's largest trading partner in ASEAN and the fifth-largest in the world (after the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Russia). Both sides also actively coordinate step by step to resolve outstanding issues in some previous economic cooperation projects.

Thirdly, cooperation in other areas such as culture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges has yielded numerous practical results, bolstering the social foundation of bilateral relations. To date, nearly 60 provinces and cities in Việt Nam have established friendly cooperation relations with various Chinese localities. China has essentially reinstated commercial flights with Việt Nam, currently operating over 200 flights per week between the two countries. Moreover, China has resumed issuing visas for Vietnamese students and workers returning to China. In 2023, over 1.7 million Chinese tourists visited Việt Nam, while in the first three months of 2024, nearly 890,000 visitors arrived, marking a remarkable increase of 634.5 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Fourthly, both sides have made significant strides in fostering peace, friendship and cooperation along the land border between Việt Nam and China, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of border areas. Additionally, efforts have been made to sustain exchanges and manage differences at sea in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Both nations actively engage in negotiation mechanisms on maritime issues and work towards the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). Furthermore, endeavours are underway to establish a substantive, effective and legally binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC), with the aim of ensuring peace and stability in the East Sea and the broader region.

How has the Vietnamese Embassy in China prepared for this important visit? What are the expectations for the achieved results in the future bilateral relations?

The Vietnamese Embassy in China has placed significant emphasis on National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ’s official visit to China, considering it a pivotal focus of our current efforts. We have actively engaged in preliminary delegations, maintained close communication, and exchanged frequently with relevant agencies from both sides to discuss the visit's itinerary, agenda and preparation progress, ensuring the success of the visit.

Through this visit, I expect both sides will achieve substantial outcomes, including:

Advancing the positive trajectory of relations between the two Parties, two countries, and two National Assemblies in the future, contributing to concretising the new achievements and commitments of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Việt Nam and China.

Deepening exchanges and sharing experiences in legislative work, while bolstering social foundations and enhancing mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries.

Underscoring the critical role in monitoring and urging the active implementation of previously reached agreements.

Strengthening coordination and mutual support on regional and global parliamentary platforms, as well as collaborating to ensure the enforcement of international conventions that both sides are party to, for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world. — VNS