Chinese Ambassador to Việt Nam Xiong Bo. — VNA/VNS Photo

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Nguyễn Phú Trọng passed away on July 19 afternoon at the age of 80, according to the Expert Council for Health Protection of Central-level Officials.

The Vietnam News Agency interviewed the Chinese Ambassador to Việt Nam Xiong Bo following the event.

How do you assess the role and contributions by Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng to the revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese Party, State, and people? Over the recent past, Việt Nam’s corruption fight and Party building and rectification have gained considerable achievements, how do you assess Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng’s role in this work?

First of all, I am deeply grieved and would like to express my deepest condolences on the passing away of Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China immediately sent its message of condolences to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Việt Nam, respectfully commemorating Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng.

Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng is a person who persisted Marxism and a great leader of the Communist Party of Việt Nam and the Vietnamese people. He was elected as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Việt Nam at the Party’s 11th, 12th, and 13th Congresses, and supported and loved by the Vietnamese people.

Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng attached great importance to the combination of Marxism and the revolution cause of Việt Nam. Over the past more than 10 years, he has led the Party, Government, and people of Việt Nam in making important contributions to the development of socialism in the country.

Party General Nguyễn Phú Trọng is not only an outstanding politician, but also a great theorist who has a profound and clear-minded perception of the need for Việt Nam to keep the Party’s leadership and to persist the way to socialism, leaving deep imprints on me.

Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng attached special importance to the corruption fight and Party building and rectification, especially after the 13th Congress of the Party, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Việt Nam headed by Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng has pushed up the corruption fight with a spirit of “no tolerance” and reaped many important results, firmly ensuring the maintenance of social order and security and the way to socialism suitable to the situation in the country.

In recent years, Việt Nam has implemented “bamboo diplomacy” featuring Vietnamese bamboo with strong roots, solid stems, and flexible branches. How do you assess the role of Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng in shaping and developing of this diplomatic school?

Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng initiated and persistently implemented the “bamboo diplomacy”, underlining that sturdy root means consistently following the CPV leadership and the path to socialism.

At the same time, it is necessary to be flexible in terms of strategy on the basis of firmly maintaining independence and self-reliance, and actively developing friendly relations with countries in the world.

Under the leadership of the CPV Central Committee headed by General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, Vietnamese diplomacy has gained many important achievements as described by the CPV leader that Việt Nam “has never enjoyed such fortune, power, international standing and prestige as it does today.”

We found that Việt Nam's diplomacy underscores the priority of developing relations with neighbours and world powers as well as countries sharing traditional friendship with Việt Nam. At the same time, the country has persistently supported true multilateralism, respected and protected international equality and justice, and opposed the interference in the internal affairs of other states. China highly evaluates this.

What are your comments on the imprints that Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng has left in the Việt Nam-China overall relations? During the Việt Nam visit by General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and Chinese President Xi Jinping in late 2023, the two sides established a “new positioning" for bilateral relations, elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, and building a Việt Nam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. How do you assess Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng's contributions to this event?

Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng is a close comrade and a sincere friend of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people. He was the one who inherited and developed the traditional "comradeship and brotherhood" relations between the two Parties and countries of China and Việt Nam, forming a passionate friendship with the Communist Party of China and Chinese leaders.

Since taking office as the General Secretary of the CPV, comrade Nguyễn Phú Trọng has made significant contributions to promoting the development of relations between the two Parties and the two countries, especially through the exchange of three historic visits with General Secretary Xi Jinping, during which they oriented the development of relations between the two Parties and countries of China and Việt Nam in the new era together, which have played an important and irreplaceable role.

In the past two years, Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng visited China right after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and warmly welcomed General Secretary Xi Jinping last year. The two leaders announced the building of a Việt Nam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, defining a new positioning of the ties between the two countries in the new era, elevating the relations between the two Parties and countries to a new historical height. We recognise, highly appreciate and will never forget this.

Could you share your impressions of Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng? What left the deepest impression on you?

I have been the Chinese Ambassador to Việt Nam for more than five years, and my work has received great support from Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng. After taking office in 2018, I was very honoured to present my credentials to General Secretary and President Nguyễn Phú Trọng. This was the first time the Party leader received a foreign ambassador presenting credentials after he assumed the position of President.

Since then, I have met with the Party leader many times and had opportunities to listen to his important and profound insights on developing the relationship between the Parties and countries of Việt Nam and China, which has left deep impression on me.

The event that left the deepest impression on me took place on August 25 last year. At the invitation of Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, I accompanied him on the visit to the Hữu Nghị International Border Gate in the northern province of Lạng Sơn, which is located at the border between the two countries. Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng repeatedly emphasised that Việt Nam-China friendship border gate is unique in the world, sending an important message to the people of both countries and the international community that the traditional friendship between China and Việt Nam is unparalleled.

Together with Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, we replanted the Việt Nam-China friendship tree. The Party leader affectionately said: "This friendship tree has strong roots like the Việt Nam-China relationship. Under the care of the people of the two nations, this friendship tree will surely grow strong and healthy." Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng’s personal efforts to promote the traditional friendship between the two countries made me feel extremely touched.

Thank you for your conversation. — VNS