In his remarks, Dien highlighted the traditional friendship that is “both comradeship and brotherhood” between the Vietnamese and Chinese people.
The Vietnamese Party, State, and people consider the enhancement and development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China as the strategic option and top priority in Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and multilateralisation and diversification of foreign relations, he emphasised.
He noted with satisfaction that in 2022, administrations at all levels and sectors of the two countries made joint efforts to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control and promote cooperation in various fields.
High-level exchanges and meetings in person were resumed. Among them, the official visit to China by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong right after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held special significance to relations between the two Parties, countries, and people.
Meanwhile, many cooperation projects have been promoted, customs clearance in their border gates kept stable, and many agricultural products of Vietnam exported via the official channel to China such as banana, durian, sweet potato, salangane nest, and passion fruits, according to the minister.
He expressed his belief that in 2023, with both sides’ determination and joint efforts, the Vietnam-China friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation will continue developing in a practical, stable, healthy, and sustainable manner, thus meeting the two countries’ aspirations and their people’ interests and contributing to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world at large.
In his speech, Dien also offered New Year and Lunar New Year greetings to the people of Vietnam and China.
Also on this occasion, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo highly valued achievements in bilateral ties over the last 73 years.
He affirmed that the Party and State of China attach importance to the development of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with Vietnam, and that they are ready to join hands with Vietnam in strengthening political trust, intensify result-oriented cooperation in all spheres, and bolster exchanges and mutual understanding, thereby heralding a new period for relations between the two Parties, countries, and their people.
