Phan Anh Sơn, Chairman of Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations (left) met Zhou Qiang, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the China’s Great Hall of the People on Monday in Beijing, China.— Photo nhandan.vn

BEIJING — A stronger social foundation, that was the express wish when Phan Anh Sơn, Chairman of Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations met Zhou Qiang, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at China’s Great Hall of the People on Monday in Beijing.

Vice Chairman Zhou Qiang said he welcomed Sơn and other delegates to the 12th Việt Nam-China People's Forum.

Qiang said this year's forum was meaningful because it was held in Hunan Province, the hometown of China’s Chairman Mao Zedong.

He also said the strong and positive development of the bilateral relationship, established and nurtured personally by Chairman Mao Zedong and President Hồ Chí Minh, had been developing well and positively, with higher political trust and stronger practical cooperation.

During the State visit to Việt Nam of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping, the two sides reached a common understanding on building a strategically significant China-Việt Nam Future Sharing Community.

He also expressed positive impressions for Việt Nam's achievements in innovation, international integration and socio-economic development as well as for the bilateral relations between China and Việt Nam in recent years.

He noted that as China advanced towards its form of modernisation and Việt Nam built its modern nation, increased exchanges and shared experiences between the two nations would drive further development for both.

Looking towards the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations establishment between the two countries, he stressed the importance of aligning with shared understandings of the highest leadership of both parties and countries to contribute to building the China-Việt Nam Future Sharing Community.

He also said that the Việt Nam-China People's Forum, jointly organised by the Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, had become a pivotal platform for people-to-people exchanges, highlighted in the 2023 Việt Nam-China Joint Declaration, contributing to "building a stronger social foundation".

He proposed that the 12th forum continue to effectively implement high-level shared understandings. He encouraged active discussions among delegates on bilateral cooperation in political, socio-economic and cultural fields, aiming to make recommendations to further enhance bilateral relations in the future.

For his part, Chairman of Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations Phan Anh Sơn congratulated the Chinese people on their achievements under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, with President Xi Jinping as its core.

Sơn emphasised that both General Secretaries of the two parties highly valued the role of people-to-people diplomacy, with the Việt Nam-China People's Forum being prominent in contributing to enhancing people-to-people exchanges and building a solid social foundation for bilateral relations.

Sơn also added that the bilateral relationship was progressing strongly and reaching new heights.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, exchanges between the people of the two countries had been vibrant, reflected in the significant increase in tourism, student exchanges and bilateral trade reaching US$171.2 billion in 2023, he said.

Sơn said Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations had maintained regular exchanges with Chinese partners.

The Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations together with the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries had successfully co-organised 11 Việt Nam-China People's Forums, establishing a mechanism for sincere and constructive exchanges that contribute to the continued development of bilateral relations.

In the future, the Việt Nam Union of Friendship Organisations along with the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Việt Nam-China Friendship Association and the China-Việt Nam Friendship Association would enhance delegation exchanges to promote practical cooperation and contribute to increasing understanding among the people, thereby building a more solid social foundation for bilateral relations.

Under the theme 'Continuing Friendship, Holding Hands and Moving Forward Together' the 12th Việt Nam-China People's Forum is taking place in Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, China, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

It is attended by 26 experts, scholars, public figures, journalists and business representatives from both countries who have deep insights into Việt Nam-China relations.

Delegates have been engaged in discussions on four main topics of political and diplomatic relations, economic and trade cooperation, local collaboration as well as media and academic exchanges, with a spirit of goodwill, openness, honesty and trust.— VNS