Việt Nam's top leader Tô Lâm and his spouse Ngô Phương Ly and relatives of Chinese generals, experts and others who had supported Việt Nam–China friendship in Beijing. — VNA/VNS Photo

BEIJING — Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm and his spouse Ngô Phương Ly on Wednesday evening met with relatives of Chinese generals, experts and others who had supported Việt Nam–China friendship in Beijing.

General Secretary and President Lâm recalled the support of the Chinese advisors and experts, including General Chen Geng and Senior Lieutenant General Wei Guoqing, for Việt Nam during the years of hardship in wartime.

The leader once again expressed profound gratitude to China for its invaluable support in both manpower and resources, describing it as a great rear base for Việt Nam's revolution.

He also highlighted the strong and substantive development of Việt Nam–China relations in recent years, noting that alongside regular exchanges between Party leaders, cooperation in defence and security has become increasingly practical, while economic, trade and investment cooperation as well as transport connectivity has seen new breakthroughs.

China is currently Việt Nam's largest trading partner, while Việt Nam ranks as China’s fourth largest trading partner globally.

In addition, local-level cooperation and people-to-people exchanges have remained vibrant, and it can be said that relations between the two Parties and countries are at their most positive, deep, substantive and comprehensive stage in decades.

Reaffirming that Việt Nam and China are neighbouring countries, traditional friends and comprehensive strategic cooperative partners, jointly building a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, General Secretary and President Lâm stressed that developing relations with China is an objective requirement, a natural and strategic choice, and a top, consistent priority in Việt Nam's foreign policy.

On this occasion, he expressed sincere appreciation to the attendees, describing them as close friends and family members of the Vietnamese people and witnesses to the history of bilateral friendship. He affirmed that Vietnam always treasures and remembers the great and wholehearted support of the Chinese Party, State and people.

The leader voiced his hope that the relatives of the Chinese generals and experts would continue to preserve and nurture the traditional friendship, inspiring successors to carry forward the enduring ties between the two nations. — VNA/VNS