Commentary: Work for substantial progress in building China-Vietnam community

HANOI, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Vietnamese President To Lam paid a state visit to China from Sunday to Tuesday, his inaugural foreign visit as Vietnam's top leader.

Currently, China is making active efforts to comprehensively deepen reforms, while Vietnam is conducting a comprehensive review of its nearly 40 years of renovation experience. This visit served to strengthen the exchange of governance experiences, deepen strategic trust, and promote the alignment of development strategies between the two countries.

By intensifying high-level exchanges and strategic communication, both countries have also signaled a commitment to strengthening their traditionally close relationship, enhancing political trust and deepening practical cooperation, underscoring a shared vision of solidarity.

China and Vietnam are linked by mountains and rivers, and the friendship between their people is deeply rooted in history. The older generations of leaders from the two countries forged a deep "comrades-plus-brothers" friendship during their revolutionary struggles for national independence and development.

A century ago, Ho Chi Minh, a revolutionary leader in Vietnam's struggle for independence, arrived in Guangzhou, marking the beginning of a new chapter in Vietnam's journey towards national liberation. Now, a hundred years later, To Lam chose Guangzhou as the first destination of his visit to China. During his visit, he paid tribute to the sites of Vietnam's revolutionary martyrs, reiterating his dedication to upholding the spirit of friendship and furthering the longstanding ties between the two countries.

Last December, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, made a successful state visit to Vietnam. During the visit, the two sides decided to build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Over the past six months, leaders of both parties and countries have engaged in frequent interactions, providing strong momentum for bilateral relations to enter a new stage of higher political trust.

In the meantime, mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Vietnam has continued to deepen, laying a solid foundation for the building of a strategically significant China-Vietnam community with a shared future.

From January to July, bilateral economic and trade cooperation stayed at a high level, with the trade volume reaching 145 billion U.S. dollars, a growth of 21 percent. Notably, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports to China reached 2.1 billion dollars, accounting for 64 percent of Vietnam's total fruit and vegetable exports.

In terms of local border trade cooperation, several international and bilateral ports have been opened, contributing to border trade and cross-border tourism between China and Vietnam.

From January to July, the China-Vietnam freight trains departing from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region shipped a total of 6,850 containers, a 16-fold increase year on year. In July alone, 1,922 containers were shipped, exceeding the total shipment volume of the first quarter, and marking the third time this year that a new monthly shipping record has been set.

The enhancement of economic exchanges and cross-border infrastructure has led to an increase in cultural exchanges between China and Vietnam. So far this year, 2.1 million Chinese tourists have visited Vietnam, making China the second-largest source of tourists. In the 2022-2023 academic year, more than 23,000 Vietnamese students studied in China.

The deepening relationship between the two countries has also created more opportunities and broader prospects for Vietnamese students studying Chinese. Currently, over 10,000 primary and secondary school students in Vietnam are learning Chinese, and more than 20,000 university students are studying the language.

During To Lam's visit, more than 10 cooperation agreements were signed, covering areas such as connectivity, industry, finance, customs inspection and quarantine, health, news agencies and media, subnational cooperation, and people's livelihoods. These agreements fully reflect the vision of both sides to share opportunities, seek common development, and jointly promote the deepening and solidification of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

The deepening of China-Vietnam relations serves the fundamental interests of both nations and aligns with the current global trends. As the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Vietnam approaches next year, this will send a strong message to the world, highlighting their steadfast dedication to jointly promoting regional and global peace, stability and development.