National Assembly President Trần Thanh Mẫn (left) and Premier of the State Council of China Li Qiang had talks in Beijing on October 12. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

BEIJING — National Assembly (NA) President Trần Thanh Mẫn on Monday met with Li Qiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Premier of the State Council of China in Beijing.

NA President Mẫn relayed greetings from General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPV) Central Committee and President Tô Lâm, Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng and other key Vietnamese leaders to CPC General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, Premier Li and other Chinese leaders. On behalf of the Vietnamese Party, State and NA, he congratulated China on its 77th founding anniversary (October 1) as well as on its strong theoretical and practical advances and major socio-economic achievements.

Welcoming the top Vietnamese legislator on his official visit to China, Li congratulated the CPV on the success of its fourth plenum and said he is strongly impressed by Việt Nam's development gains.

China always considers Việt Nam a priority in its overall neighborhood diplomacy, and stands ready to push for deeper and more substantive ties between the two Parties and countries, he said.

The two leaders expressed their delight at the positive momentum in bilateral relations, with substantive results in political and economic ties, trade, investment, strategic infrastructure connectivity and people-to-people exchanges.

The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the positive momentum in Việt Nam–China relations, citing substantive progress in political ties, economic, trade and investment cooperation, strategic infrastructure connectivity and people-to-people exchanges.

A view of the talks between National Assembly President Trần Thanh Mẫn and Premier of the State Council of China Li Qiang in Beijing on October 12. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

NA President Mẫn stressed that developing ties with China is a consistent policy, an objective requirement, a strategic choice, and a top priority in Việt Nam's foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, self-strengthening, multilateralisation and diversification of relations.

On future cooperation, he proposed that the two sides maintain high-level contacts, strengthen strategic exchanges, make effective use of strategic dialogue mechanisms and step up cooperation among key agencies, particularly those responsible for diplomacy, national defence and public security.

He wished that both sides would enhance strategic infrastructure connectivity, especially in railways, begin and complete construction of rail links at an early date to facilitate exchanges between their people.

The guest also urged stronger bilateral trade, particularly more favourable conditions for Vietnamese goods and farm produce to enter the Chinese market. He called for closer border gate cooperation, wider use of the smart border gate model, development of cross-border economic cooperation zones and broader quality investment cooperation.

Other priorities include cooperation in science-technology, innovation, and the training of highly skilled personnel, particularly in artificial intelligence, smart cities and manufacturing.

In this process, the Vietnamese NA will work alongside the Vietnamese Government and closely work with Chinese agencies to share experience and jointly build and refine a legal framework conducive to bilateral cooperation, he said.

Lauding the guest’s proposals, Li affirmed that China stands ready to maintain strategic exchanges with Việt Nam, promote high-level contacts and make full use of the cooperation committee between the two legislatures, the Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation, and the 3+3 Strategic Dialogue covering diplomacy, national defence and public security.

Praising the Vietnamese legislature’s support for railway cooperation, he proposed speeding up construction of standard-gauge lines and linking them to China’s regional development strategies. He also pushed for stronger waterway and road connectivity, development of smart border gates and cross-border cooperation zones, and better electricity grid links between the two countries.

The premier lauded Việt Nam's role as a founding member of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation and suggested closer cooperation in AI application in manufacturing, smart agriculture, and skilled personnel training.

China is ready to open its market further to quality Vietnamese goods and agricultural products and deepen inspection and quarantine cooperation, he said. He welcomed Việt Nam's involvement as the theme country in the “Big Market for All: Export to China” initiative and encouraged capable Chinese companies to invest in Việt Nam.

China supports expanded people-to-people exchanges, early establishment of a Việt Nam–China education cooperation committee and faster delivery of aid projects, he said, proposing that the two sides work closely to make the Việt Nam–China Tourism Cooperation Year 2026–27 a success.

The two sides also agreed to bolster coordination in multilateral affairs to raise their international roles and standing, manage their land border effectively, and better control and settle maritime issues. — VNA/VNS