PM Chính leaves Nội Bài International Airport for the trip. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and the official delegation arrived in China on Sunday for an official visit to China and the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions of the World Economic Forum (WEF) from June 25-28 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang and WEF Founder and Chairman Klaus Schwab.

The Government leader is accompanied by many senior officials from different ministries and agencies, including Minister of National Defence Phan Văn Giang; Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Sơn; Chairman of the Government Office Trần Văn Sơn; Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyễn Chí Dũng; Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyễn Hồng Diên; Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Đặng Quốc Khánh; Chairman of the Committee for Management of State Capital at Enterprises Nguyễn Hoàng Anh; Deputy Minister of Public Security Lương Tam Quang; Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Minh Vũ; Deputy Chief of the Office of the Party Central Committee Bùi Văn Thạch; and Vietnamese Ambassador to China Phạm Sao Mai.

This is the first official visit by PM Chính and the first by a Vietnamese PM to China after seven years. It is also the first time key leaders of the two countries directly meet after China completed the State leadership for the new tenure.

PM Chính’s trip is taking place in the context that the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries has been following a developing trend with many positive outcomes. In particular, the official visit to China by Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng in October 2022 created a new strong impetus for bilateral ties.

Việt Nam and China have enjoyed strong political trust, along with expanding economic, trade and investment partnership. Viet Nam is currently the fourth largest trade partner of China, with bilateral trade reaching US$175 billion in 2022, accounting for one fourth of China's total trade with ASEAN member countries.

In a recent interview with Vietnam News Agency, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Minh Vũ said PM Chính's official visit to China shows that the two parties and countries attach special importance to the comprehensive strategic partnership and their determination to develop the relationship in a more sustainable, stable and substantive manner.

He noted that the visit is a very important new development step in order to concretise and implement the substantive results of the very successful visit of General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng to China in November 2022.

Vũ said that this visit would focus on finding specific measures to promote economic and trade cooperation as well as finding solutions to limitations of major infrastructure projects between the two countries.

The diplomat added that this visit will also contribute to strengthening political trust and making the relationship between the two countries more stable, substantive and sustainable, contributing to peace, stability and cooperation in the region and the world.

At the WEF meeting, PM Chính will call on the regional and global business community, as well as governments to strengthen cooperation, open the market for trade and investment, actively support businesses and free up resources to recover the current declining trend.

The Vietnamese leader would also share the country's experiences and learn from the experiences and lessons of other member economies as well as large enterprises in taking advantage of growth drivers such as digital transformation, green transformation, energy transition and circular economy development to contribute to the realisation of rapid, sustainable, inclusive growth models, science and technology-based innovation.

He will also call on the global business community to continue to pay attention to, and increase investment in, Việt Nam.

The cooperation between Việt Nam and the WEF is also expanding. The WEF and Professor Klaus Schwab personally attach great importance to and highly value the role and position of Việt Nam. The two sides have cooperated in macro policy consultations, reducing plastic waste, promoting sustainable agriculture, narrowing the labour skills gap and speeding up digital transformation.

Việt Nam's cooperation with the WEF through programmes and projects and participation in WEF meetings as well as hosting a number of the forum's events have helped the country attract more investment, promote the image of the nation, foster collaboration with many global enterprises and update on new trends and advanced development-governance practices. — VNS