Prof. Xu Liping, Director of the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Science, grants an interview to Vietnamese correspondents in Beijing. — VNA photo

BEIJING — Many Chinese experts and scholars have expressed deep sadness about the passing of Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng while affirming the leader’s important role in the development of Việt Nam and the two countries’ relations.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, Prof. Xu Liping, Director of the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS), said General Secretary Trọng was a great revolutionary, strategist, and ideologist who significantly contributed to not only the Đổi mới (Renewal) and door-opening cause of Việt Nam but also the two countries’ relations.

The leader, who breathed his last on July 19, left highly diverse political legacy for Việt Nam and even the world basing on which successive generations will continue promoting Việt Nam on the path of unceasing development to become a powerful socialist nation and bring the cause of renewal and door opening to a new height, Xu noted.

The expert held that being granted the Gold Star Order – the noblest reward of the Vietnamese Party and State – was the recognition of Trọng’s outstanding dedication to the fields of Party building and national and social governance, as well as his enormous contributions to the international community.

He said the General Secretary put forth theoretical reforms in such areas as building a socialist-oriented market economy, developing a progressive culture deeply imbued with the national characteristics, fighting corruption and negative phenomena, and building the Party and the political system. All the ideas centre on the people, come from the people’s demand, and match the country’s conditions and situation, becoming precious spiritual legacy he left for the country.

Mentioning the Party chief’s contributions to Việt Nam - China relations, Xu noted General Secretaries Trọng and Xi Jinping, as the top leaders of the two Parties and the two countries, stepped up Party-to-Party exchanges to strengthen strategic trust, thus creating a solid foundation for cooperation and trust between the two States and the two peoples.

Dr Cheng Hanping, Director of the Việt Nam Research Centre at the Zhejiang University of Technology, also shared the view that Trọng made outstanding contributions to the development of bilateral relations and the long-lasting friendship between the countries.

In 2022, the General Secretary was granted the Friendship Order by the Chinese Government, which reflected the Chinese Government and people’s recognition of his considerable dedication to bilateral ties, Cheng said.

He noted that the “bamboo diplomacy” policy, initiated by Trọng, is not only an inheritance of Việt Nam’s history and President Hồ Chí Minh’s thought on diplomacy, but also based on the current situation and the special context that big countries compete with one another.

Thanks to the “bamboo diplomacy”, Việt Nam has made friends with major nations, expanded friendship without affecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and maximised its national interests. This policy has helped create big economic miracles for Việt Nam and raise the country’s stature in the international arena, according to Cheng.

Researching Việt Nam for many years, Prof. Yu Xiangdong, Director of the Institute for Việt Nam Studies at the Zhengzhou University, held that General Secretary Trọng was a theorist and politician staying steadfast in Marxism - Leninism and leading the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) and people on the path towards socialism.

He said the leader inherited and brought into play Hồ Chí Minh’s ideology, promoted the reform of the theoretical mindset and the cause of Đổi mới (Renewal) and door opening to relentlessly improve the quality of people’s life, especially via the 13th National CPV Congress, which set the goal of developing a modernised and powerful country in the medium and long terms. He made outstanding contributions and was beloved by people.

Under Trọng’s leadership, Việt Nam built the new model of “bamboo diplomacy” to make use of the favourable external environment for national development. In late 2023, Chinese Party General Secretary Xin Jinping and CPV General Secretary Trọng reached common perception on building a China - Việt Nam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, heralding a new period for the countries’ neighbourliness and friendship, practically generating happiness for the two peoples, and contributing to peace and development of humankind, Yu told the VNA. VNA/VNS