President Xi Jinping visits Vietnam to strengthen the enduring friendship between China and Vietnam

HANOI, VIETNAM –
Media OutReach Newswire – 14 April 2025 – General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping is going to pay a state visit to Vietnam from April 14 to 15. The visit will be made at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Tô Lâm and State President Lương Cường.

Vietnam and China are neighbouring countries with many cultural and customary similarities. The two nations are both comrades and brothers, pursuing the path of socialism under the leadership of their respective Communist Parties. President Hồ Chí Minh and Chairman Mao Zedong founded the Vietnam-China relationship. It has been nurtured by generations of leaders from both sides, becoming a valuable asset.

The two countries have consistently provided each other with significant support in their respective processes of national development. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations on January 18, 1950, their friendship and cooperation have continued to grow and deepen across key pillars, including politics-diplomacy, economy, defence and security. This has strengthened the traditional friendship and enhanced political trust between the two Parties and the two nations.

Positive developments in political and diplomatic cooperation

Vietnam and China pursue the motto of ‘friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability and looking towards the future’ (1999). Both sides also identify the ‘Four Goods Spirit’ introduced in 2005, of ‘good neighbours, good friends, good comrades and good partners.’ Two countries officially established the framework of a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in 2008. High-level exchanges and visits between leaders of the two Parties and countries have been frequent, underscoring the great importance attached to this bilateral relationship.

Notable milestones include the visit to China by the late Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng in October 2022; the visit to Vietnam by Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping in December 2023; and the visit to China by Party General Secretary Tô Lâm in August 2024.

On these occasions, the two sides issued important joint statements, including a ‘Joint Statement on further strengthening and deepening the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership’ and a ‘Joint Statement on further deepening and elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and building a Vietnam-China community with a shared future.’

It aims to lay a solid foundation and provide long-term direction for the bilateral relationship as it enters a new development phase.

Both sides have also agreed on a strategic orientation called the ‘Six Elevations,’ namely higher political trust, more substantive security and defence cooperation, deeper practical and deeper cooperation, stronger social foundation, closer multilateral coordination and better management and settlement of differences.

Economic and trade cooperation expands

For 20 consecutive years (2004-2024), China has remained Vietnam’s largest trading partner and its second-largest export market globally. Conversely, Vietnam is China’s largest trading partner within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ranks as China’s fifth-largest trading partner worldwide.

In 2024, two-way trade exceeded US$205 billion, marking an over 6,400-fold increase over the past three decades, from just $32 million to over $200 billion.

China is Vietnam’s sixth-largest foreign investor, with 4,922 active projects and total registered capital reaching $29.55 billion. Bilateral trade still holds substantial growth potential, supported by numerous bilateral cooperation agreements and multilateral trade frameworks, including the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Vietnam welcomes high-quality Chinese investment and is ready to facilitate the operations of reputable and large-scale enterprises to increase investment in projects involving advanced technologies, green transformation and digital transformation.

People-to-people exchanges deepen mutual understanding

To date, nearly 60 provinces and cities in Vietnam have established friendly cooperative relationships with Chinese localities. Various political and social organisations from both countries have initiated and maintained regular mechanisms and exchange programmes. These include the Vietnam-China People’s Forum, organised since 2010, and the annual Vietnam-China Youth Friendship Meeting, held since 2000.

As of 2020, the two countries had jointly organised three Vietnam-China Youth Festivals. Party leaders from both sides have designated 2025 as the ‘Vietnam-China Year of People-to-People Exchange.’

This year is also to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties. They have agreed to further enhance grassroots exchanges to strengthen the foundation of the bilateral relationship.

Tourism and education cooperation achieve positive results

In the first 10 months of 2024, Vietnam welcomed over 3 million Chinese visitors, surpassing the total of 1.75 million Chinese visitors recorded for the entire year of 2023. This figure accounted for over 20 per cent of all international arrivals to Vietnam, ranking second only to South Korea.

The number of Vietnamese students studying in China reached a record high in 2024, totalling nearly 23,000, double the figure from 2019. Cooperation has also yielded significant results across various fields, including culture, healthcare, science and technology.

Defence and security cooperation remains a pillar

Both countries have maintained and promoted cooperation mechanisms and delegation exchanges in flexible formats, both in-person and online. Their collaboration spans various military services and branches, including education and training, strategic research, academic exchanges between military institutions, UN peacekeeping operations and military medicine.

The two sides also continue to conduct border defence friendship exchanges, joint patrols to enforce border laws and strengthen coordination in combating cross-border and transnational crimes, as well as in managing immigration.

Over the past 75 years, the practice has shown that continuously developing Vietnam-China relations is of great significance to the sustainable development of the two countries, contributing to regional and global peace, stability and prosperity. In the time ahead, both sides should implement concrete measures to further consolidate traditional friendship, strengthen strategic trust and deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership that brings tangible benefits.

First, maintain frequent high-level exchanges and contacts, and promote inter-party diplomacy, state diplomacy and people-to-people exchanges. It aims to leverage the unique strengths and crucial role of diplomatic relations in the bilateral relationship.

It is also essential to enhance the effective cooperation already in place between the two Parties, the governments at all levels, the Vietnamese National Assembly and the National People’s Congress of China, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, especially cooperation between border provinces and regions.

Second, deepen, balance and sustain cooperation in all sectors, ensuring that such cooperation delivers greater benefits to the peoples of both countries. This includes expanding high-quality economic connectivity and accelerating transportation linkages, particularly railway connections.

Third, work together to maintain and proactively cultivate a friendly, peaceful and stable environment for the bilateral relationship. Efforts should be made to promote the achievements of each Party and each country, as well as the friendship and comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China.

People-to-people exchanges and ties between socio-political organisations should be enhanced to foster deeper understanding and stronger bonds of friendship.

Fourth, encourage localities in both countries to enhance comprehensive and in-depth cooperation. This includes making full use of existing cooperation mechanisms and focusing on practical, mutually beneficial collaboration in trade, tourism, agriculture, human resource training, cross-border labour management and border infrastructure development.

Building on the advantages, potential, needs and current foundations of their bilateral relationship, with the shared determination and joint efforts, the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership will develop strongly in the coming time.

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