Party General Secretary Tô Lâm meets with General Secretary of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping in Hà Nội on Monday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Tô Lâm reaffirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State consistently regard the development of relations with China as an objective necessity, a strategic choice and a top priority in Việt Nam’s foreign policy.

He made the remarks on Monday while holding talks with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee and President of China, Xi Jinping. The talks followed the official welcome ceremony for the top Chinese leader. This two-day trip marks President Xi’s fourth visit to Việt Nam as China’s top Party and State leader and his second during his current term.

Lâm extended a warm welcome to the Chinese leader and the high-level Chinese delegation on their State visit, which coincides with the Việt Nam–China Year of People-to-People Exchanges and the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. He expressed confidence that the visit would become a new milestone in the history of bilateral ties, helping to further deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and promoting the building of a Việt Nam–China community with a shared future of strategic significance.

Xi expressed his pleasure at returning to Việt Nam, noting that choosing Việt Nam as the first destination of his overseas visits in 2025 underscored the high regard the Chinese Party and State place on China–Việt Nam relations, as well as the profound friendship between the two nations.

He affirmed China’s readiness to engage in in-depth discussions on strengthening traditional ties, charting a strategic vision for building a China–Việt Nam community with a shared future under the 'six priorities' framework [higher political trust, more practical and deeper defence - security cooperation, more substantive and deeper cooperation, more solid social foundation, closer multilateral coordination, and better control and settlement of differences], and working together to contribute to peace and development within the global community.

The talks followed the official welcome ceremony for General Secretary of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping during his official visit to Việt Nam. VNA/VNS Photo

As comrades and brothers on the path of socialist modernisation, China and Việt Nam must strengthen solidarity and cooperation, advance together, strive for the well-being of their peoples and make greater contributions to the progress of humanity, Xi said.

Xi praised Việt Nam's achievements in recent years, noting that under the leadership of the Vietnamese Party and State, the country had achieved significant successes through the Đổi Mới (Renewal) process and steadily enhanced its international standing.

He highly valued the bold and effective reforms implemented by the Vietnamese Party and State, expressing confidence that under the leadership of the Communist Party of Việt Nam, headed by General Secretary Tô Lâm, the Vietnamese people would successfully achieve their development goals and lead the nation into a new era.

He also shared that China had recently convened a central conference on neighbourhood diplomacy, where the vision of building 'five major homes' of peace, tranquillity, prosperity, beauty and friendship with neighbouring countries was affirmed. This vision is based on the principles of harmony, mutual security, shared prosperity and sincere, inclusive and mutually beneficial cooperation.

The top Chinese leader reiterated that China would steadfastly pursue a policy of friendship with Việt Nam, consistently regarding Việt Nam as a top priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy, and would firmly support Việt Nam’s prosperity and the happiness of its people.

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and the Vietnamese delegation hold talks with General Secretary of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping and the Chinese delegation in Hà Nội on Monday. VNA/VNS Photo

At the talks, the two leaders engaged in in-depth discussions on the situations in their respective parties and countries, bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual concern.

They agreed that ties between the two Parties and countries had made substantial progress in recent years under the 'six priorities' framework. High-level and multi-tiered strategic exchanges had intensified, while practical cooperation across sectors had yielded tangible results, particularly in economic and trade growth.

The foundation of friendship had been further solidified, with notable achievements in tourism, education, culture and local-to-local exchanges. Both sides also cooperated effectively within multilateral frameworks and maintained open, sincere dialogues to manage outstanding issues.

Looking ahead, both leaders agreed to continue regular high-level exchanges and to elevate the strategic dialogue mechanisms between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Public Security, to the ministerial level. They also committed to strengthening practical cooperation across all sectors, including the establishment of an inter-governmental railway cooperation committee to promote rail connectivity.

The two sides will jointly organise activities to celebrate the Việt Nam–China Year of People-to-People Exchanges in 2025, further strengthen public support for the relationship, enhance multilateral coordination and manage differences in a constructive and appropriate manner.

During high-level talks, General Secretary Lâm proposed that Việt Nam and China maintain regular strategic exchanges and strengthen cooperation between the two Parties and across key sectors, particularly diplomacy, defence and security.

He emphasised the importance of promoting strategic transportation infrastructure connectivity and called for preferential access to concessional loans, technology transfer and human resource training. Both sides should exert their utmost efforts to ensure the timely implementation of the Lào Cai – Hà Nội – Hải Phòng railway project, he said.

The Vietnamese leader also proposed that digital transformation and science–technology cooperation be made a new highlight in Việt Nam–China relations. He encouraged both countries to strengthen collaboration in critical technological sectors, promote more balanced trade and attract high-quality Chinese investments into Việt Nam. He stressed the need to prioritise landmark and model projects, and expressed hope that China would support major cities including Hà Nội in tackling urban air pollution challenges.

Lâm further called for strengthening the social foundation of bilateral ties by enhancing public awareness and education, particularly among the younger generation, about the long-standing friendship between the two countries. He suggested organising a theoretical seminar between the two Parties this year and expanding education cooperation, especially in training high-quality human resources across all fields, including basic sciences and emerging strategic technologies.

In response, General Secretary and President Xi called for deepening mutual strategic trust and intensifying exchanges on governance experience. Xi emphasised the importance of aligning China’s Belt and Road Initiative with Việt Nam’s 'Two Corridors, One Belt' framework, and said China was ready to welcome more Vietnamese goods into its vast market and to encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest in Việt Nam.

He highlighted the need for stronger cooperation in industrial and supply chains, and for expanded collaboration in cutting-edge technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, semiconductors, green development and the transformation of scientific and technological innovations into productive capacity.

Xi also advocated for more diverse and vibrant people-to-people exchanges, including cultural and friendship activities that tell compelling stories of Việt Nam–China friendship. He announced that over the next three years, China will invite Vietnamese youth to join the 'Red Journey' study programme on the revolutionary histories of both countries.

On cooperation in multilateral forums, Xi expressed support for stronger judicial and law enforcement collaboration between the two countries within the Lancang–Mekong Cooperation framework.

The two top leaders agreed to instruct their respective ministries and sectors to actively seek effective ways to properly handle differences and promote cooperation in line with the new stage of Việt Nam–China relations. They reaffirmed their commitment to resolving disputes on the basis of international law, strictly adhering to the consensus between ASEAN and China on the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea [called the East Sea in Việt Nam] (DOC), and working toward an effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC) in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping look at the display of cooperation documents between the two countries in Hà Nội on Monday. VNA/VNS Photo

Following the talks, the two leaders reviewed and were briefed on 45 cooperation agreements signed across various fields between Party agencies, ministries, sectors and localities of both countries.

On the same day, Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping also held separate meetings with Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn and attended a state banquet hosted in his honour by Vietnamese President Lương Cường. — VNS