Chinese Ambassador Xiong Bo. — VNA/VNS Photo

Vietnam News Agency talks to Chinese Ambassador Xiong Bo on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (July 1, 1921-July 1, 2021) regarding its role in China’s development and cooperative ties with the Communist Party of Việt Nam.

What has been the role of the Chinese Communist Party in China’s nation-building and development efforts in the past century?

In the history of 100 years since the founding, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has united and led Chinese people away from the “half colonial, half imperial” system, set up what is now the People’s Republic of China and established socialism as China’s basic system, implemented reforms and open door policies, opened up the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics which now has entered a new era, so that Chinese people could make leaps from “standing up, to growing prosperous and becoming strong.”

During the past century-long journey, the CPC has been persistent in its synthesis of basic Marxist tenets with the ground reality of China’s revolution, developing Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of the Three Represents, and the pursuit of science and technology. Since the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the CPC – with Xi Jinping at its core – has formulated the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the latest theoretical and ideological achievement in adapting Marxism to Chinese context, marking new understanding in the upholding of the ruling by the Chinese Communist Party, the principles of building Socialism and the principles of human development.

Over the past 100 years, the CPC has been steadfast in its goals, in constantly exploring the modernisation of Socialism in a way that is suitable to China's situation, has set forth the "Four Modernisations", the "Three-Step Approach" and the "Two Centenaries" (100th anniversary of the CPC in 2021 and 100th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China in 2049), which laid out a vision and goals to basically realise modernised Socialism by 2035, and realise the goal of building a modern, prosperous, democratic, civilised, harmonious and beautiful Socialist power by the middle of the 21st century.

The CPC has continuously enriched and perfected its Socialist theory and system, and pursued the modernisation of its governance.

Within a few decades, China has made progress in industrialisation that historically took hundreds of years in developed nations, opening the path of Chinese-style modernisation with a harmonious combination of material and spiritual civilizations, the harmonious coexistence between people and nature, following the path of peaceful development, which offers a completely new choice for many developing countries in modernisation efforts.

From a nation of people without having enough to eat to a comprehensively wealthy nation, China has become a country with the largest middle class in the world and effectively addressed the poverty issues that have plagued the Chinese people throughout its thousands of years of history.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CPC has resolutely prioritised human’s lives and public health and have made important achievements in the fight against the pandemic. To date, more than 1.1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in China, part of the testament to the Party’s ‘for the people’ approach that has been widely supported by Chinese people.

What are your thoughts on the high-level relations between the Communist parties of Việt Nam and China in recent times, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic?

The two countries’ Communist parties have enjoyed a long-standing friendship for 100 years. The two sides have always supported each other in the fight against imperialism and colonialism, as well as in seeking the way to build socialism, sharing a destiny of strategic significance.

Entering a new era, under the strategic planning and direct guidance of Party General Secretaries Xi Jinping and Nguyễn Phú Trọng, the ties between the two parties and nations have been growing in the right direction.

Following the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Việt Nam, Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping has held phone talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyễn Phú Trọng and State President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, which helped maintain close strategic exchanges at the highest level to protect the prosperous development of the socialism cause, uphold peace and stability in the region and the world, and maintain the role of guiding the development of China-Việt Nam ties at present and in the future.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính have also talked on the phone and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Li Zhanshu and National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ have also held virtual talks.

During the exchanges, the two sides reached important “shared understanding” on persistently following the political direction set forth by the two parties’ leaders, strengthening political trust, accelerating strategic development links, expanding result-oriented cooperation in various areas, and boosting collaboration in regional and international issues.

Under the strategic direction of leaders of the two Parties, bilateral ties have deepened significantly, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the drastic leadership of each Party, the two countries have upheld the motto of placing the people at the centre, therefore obtaining great strategic achievements in pandemic prevention and control along with socio-economic development, reflecting the superiority of the Socialist model.

In accordance with the agreement between the two Parties and countries’ leaders, a batch of COVID-19 vaccines, donated by the Chinese Government, has arrived in Hà Nội.

China is willing to strengthening ties with Việt Nam with regards to pandemic prevention, vaccine research and development and production, making practical and effective assistance to Việt Nam in its pursuit of the dual goal of fighting the pandemic and restoring socio-economic development. 

Both China and Việt Nam have started a new journey to build socialism. Amid unpredictable developments in the world and the COVID-19 pandemic, the two Parties, more than ever, need to inherit the wisdom and strength from the nearly 100-year history of their friendly ties, consistently follow the strategic directions of the two Parties’ leaders to deepen ties in various areas in the post-pandemic period, and advance China and Việt Nam's cause of socialism. — VNS