Vietnamese Ambassador to China Phạm Sao Mai at an interview with Vietnam News Agency. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI The official visit to be made by Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Việt Nam at the invitation of Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính from October 12 to 14 is expected to identify key areas and specific measures to enhance substantive cooperation between the two countries.

Topics will include economics, trade, investment, infrastructure, culture, education, tourism, science and technology, said Vietnamese Ambassador to China Phạm Sao Mai during an interview with Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of the visit.

Mai said this will be Li Qiang’s first visit to Việt Nam in 11 years and also his first visit to the Southeast Asian country as Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China.

This has demonstrated that the Chinese Party and State and Premier Li Qiang personally attaches importance to the relationship with Việt Nam, Mai said.

“The visit takes place at a very special time for the bilateral relations when the two countries are heading towards celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations (January 18, 1950 - January 18, 2025), as well as right after important visits by senior leaders of the two Parties and countries,” he said.

Premier Li Qiang is scheduled to have important talks and meetings with Party General Secretary, State President Tô Lâm, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and the National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn.

The two sides' senior leaders will discuss in depth measures to continue to effectively implement the common perceptions reached by top leaders of the two parties and two countries and to further consolidate political trust.

The two government leaders will focus specific measures to expand substantive cooperation, Mai told Vietnam News Agency.

Fruitful cooperation with various fields

In December 2023, during the State visit of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping to Việt Nam, the senior leaders of both countries agreed to build a Việt Nam-China Community of Shared Future that carries strategic significance, striving for their peoples’ happiness and for the peace and progress of humankind.

During high-level meetings between senior leaders, both sides affirmed that they consider the other country a priority in their foreign policies. China emphasised its persistent policy of friendship with Việt Nam and always considers Việt Nam a priority in neighbourly diplomacy.

Việt Nam affirmed that it always considers relations with China a top priority in Việt Nam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification.

Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm meets with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during his state visit to China from August 18-20, 2024. VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng

According to Ambassador Mai, China is currently Việt Nam's largest trading partner and second largest export market while Việt Nam is China's largest trading partner in ASEAN and China's fifth largest partner in the world after the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Russia.

In the first nine months of 2024, bilateral import and export turnover reached US$148.6 billion, of which Việt Nam exported goods worth $43.6 billion to China, up one per cent over the same period last year.

Imports from China were estimated at $105 billion, up 32.5 per cent year one year.

From now until the end of 2024, due to the strong improvement in trade in the first half of the year, it is forecasted that the import-export turnover between the two countries will approach the $200 billion mark.

Currently, the two sides are promoting 'hard connections' in terms of railways, highways, border gate infrastructure and upgrading 'soft connections' in terms of smart customs, smart border gates to facilitate and further enhance trade exchanges, he said.

In the first nine months of 2024, China was the leading partner in the number of new foreign direct investment projects invested in Việt Nam (accounting for 29.3 per cent of the total) and ranked second with an investment capital of $3.2 billion (accounting for 13 per cent of the total investment capital).

Mai also highlighted outstanding cooperation in culture, education, tourism and people-to-people exchange, citing that there are now more than 200 flights between the two countries every week. More than 23,000 Vietnamese students are living and studying in China, doubling the number before the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of Chinese tourists coming to Viêt Nam has continued to rise with over 2.4 million visiting in the first nine months of 2024.

The two sides have achieved many results in building a peaceful, friendly, cooperative and sustainably developed Việt Nam-China land border and made efforts to maintain exchanges and control disagreements at sea, in accordance with the provisions of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They have actively deployed negotiation mechanisms on maritime issues, promoted the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), strive to build a substantive, effective and efficient Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), contributing to ensuring peace and stability in the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) and the region.

Expectations

Ambassador Mai hopes that the upcoming visit made by Chinese Premier Li Qiang will achieve specific and substantive results including the signing of many cooperation documents in various fields to create new highlights for the cooperation.

“The visit will create a strong impetus for all levels, sectors and localities of Việt Nam to continue to maintain and expand existing relations with China, thereby contributing to further consolidating a solid and good social foundation for the development of bilateral relations.”

“I firmly believe that on the basis of advantages, potentials, needs and existing foundations of the bilateral relations, with the determination and joint efforts of the two parties, two countries and two peoples, the Việt Nam - China Comprehensive Strategy Partnership will rigorously progress in the coming time, for the benefit of the people of the two countries, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world,” he said.

He added that in preparation for the celebration of Việt Nam-China’s 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations, relevant agencies are closely coordinating to organise meaningful commemorative activities, people-to-people, cultural and artistic exchanges, so that the Vietnamese and Chinese people, especially the young generation, can better understand each other's cultures, customs and people and consolidate the relations. VNS