President Tô Lâm meets with Wang Huning, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI – President Tô Lâm hosted a reception in Hà Nội on Thursday for Wang Huning, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, who leads the Chinese Party and State delegation to the state funeral of General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng in Hà Nội.

President Lâm expressed heartfelt gratitude to the CPC Central Committee for its prompt and sincere message of condolence. He also thanked General Secretary and President Xi Jinping for his visit to the Vietnamese Embassy in China to pay tribute to and shared many heartfelt remarks about the late General Secretary.

He said Wang’s presence at the State funeral of General Secretary Trọng in his capacity as the Special Envoy of General Secretary and President Xi Jinping reflects the friendly neighbourliness, the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and the Việt Nam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. It also demonstrated the sincere feelings and respect of the Chinese Party, State, and people as well as President Xi himself, toward the Vietnamese General Secretary.

Wang, for his part, said the death of General Secretary Trọng is a tremendous loss of not only the Vietnamese Party, State and people, but also the Chinese Party, State and people and the cause of peace and progress of humankind.

The Party, State and people of China will always stand shoulder to shoulder with their Vietnamese counterparts, supporting Việt Nam’s renewal and socialism construction and actively promoting the building of the China-Việt Nam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, he said.

He described Việt Nam as a priority and a strategic choice in China's neighborhood diplomacy policy.

In reply, Lâm stressed that Việt Nam gives top priority to the relationship with China in its overall foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of external ties.

Both sides agreed to continue closely adhering to and effectively realising the important common perceptions reached by General Secretary Trọng and General Secretary and President Xi, and maintaining high-level exchanges in the near future. – VNS