At the invitation of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong, led a high-ranking delegation of the CPV to pay an official visit to China. On the occasion, Nhan Dan Newspaper’s reporters in China interviewed the Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai, about the relations between the two countries, as well as the significance and importance of the visit.
Q: Could you tell us some key features of Vietnam-China relations in recent years?
A: I am pleased to see that thanks to the joint efforts made by both sides, the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and China, in general, has continued to maintain a stable and positive development momentum, achieving many important results in all fields.
Regarding political relations, high-level exchanges and meetings have been held regularly in many flexible forms, significantly contributing to enhancing political trust between the two Parties and countries. In particular, after the 13th National Congress of the CPV (in January 2021), the leaders of the two Parties, States, Governments and National Assemblies, respectively held phone calls and virtual talks to set out important major orientations, creating a strong impetus to develop the Vietnam-China friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation healthily and stably. The cooperation and exchanges on Party channel, foreign affairs, defence, public security, border localities and people-to-people exchanges have been maintained closely. The two sides successfully organised the 14th meeting of the Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation in July 2022.
Economic and trade cooperation maintained stable development. China continues to be Vietnam's largest trading partner and second-largest export market, while Vietnam continues to be China's largest trading partner in ASEAN and China's sixth-largest partner in the world. According to statistics of Vietnamese customs, two-way turnover reached 132.3 billion USD in the first nine months of 2022, up 10.2% over the same period last year. Vietnam's fruit exports to China have made new progress, in which durian was officially the 10th fruit exported to China from July 2022.
Regarding investment, China ranked 4th out of 97 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with a newly registered capital of 1.5 billion USD in the first nine months of the year. Accumulated to September 2022, China ranked 6th out of 139 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with a total registered capital of 22.438 billion USD. Obstacles in investment and economic cooperation projects have been gradually removed.
The cooperation in COVID-19 prevention and control between the two countries has achieved many substantive results. China was one of the countries that provided the most vaccines, making effective contributions to the fight against the pandemic in Vietnam. People-to-people exchanges have been gradually restored. In the first nine months of this year, Vietnam welcomed 78,100 Chinese tourists, a year-on-year increase of 1.7 times.
In terms of border and territory, the two sides have closely coordinated in carrying out the legal documents on the land border between Vietnam and China, as well as strengthening the management of security and safety of the border area. The two countries reached a common understanding on controlling disagreements and maintaining peace and stability at sea per international law, including UNCLOS 1982, while actively promoting negotiation mechanisms on sea-related issues, effectively implementing the DOC and sustaining the COC process.
In addition, the two sides have also actively cooperated at multilateral forums to foster peace, stability and cooperation in the region and the world, while promoting ASEAN's central role, and adhering to the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
However, due to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cooperation between Vietnam and China has still faced some difficulties, such as customs clearance of goods at the border gates sometimes not being smooth, and direct flights not being restored to normal. However, the two sides have maintained frank exchanges through many channels to seek measures to solve the above problems.
Q: Could you talk about the significance of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to China for fostering cooperation between the two countries?
A: This is the first official bilateral visit of a senior leader of the Vietnamese Party and State to China since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and is also the first foreign visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, following the 13th National Party Congress. Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong is also the first high-ranking foreign leader to visit China after the 20th National Congress of the CPC.
The meeting between General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping is the first direct meeting between the General Secretaries of the two Parties after five years (since November 2017).
In the context of the international and regional situation facing many complicated and unpredictable developments and the COVID-19 pandemic, a negative and multidimensional impact on the global political and economic state, the visit plays a very important role in further enhancing and deepening Vietnam-China relations, consolidating political trust between the two Parties and countries, contributing to bringing bilateral relations to a new stage of development.
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Ambassador Pham Sao Mai talks to a reporter of Nhan Dan Newspaper. (Photo: Phan Thanh Duong) |
Q: How do you assess the prospects of the relationship between the two countries in the current context? What should the two countries do to continue promoting and exploiting the maximum potential of cooperation in the coming time?
A: Vietnam and China are two socialist neighbours, which are making efforts to reform and open up deeply.The long-standing traditional friendship between the two countries, which has been cultivated by generations of leaders and people of the two countries, has become a valuable common asset of the two peoples.
In the current situation, further consolidating and strengthening the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic partnership is in line with the fundamental and long-term interests of the two sides and beneficial for maintaining peace and stability and promoting cooperation in the region and the world.
To further promote the potential and strengths of the bilateral relationship, I think that in the near future, the two sides need to strengthen high-level exchanges and meetings at all levels and further consolidate political trust. The two countries should seriously and fully implement the common perceptions reached by their senior leaders and bilateral agreements between the ministries, agencies and localities of the two countries; promptly remove difficulties and obstacles together, and improve the quality of substantive cooperation in all fields.
I firmly believe that with the current advantages, potentials, needs and achievements of the bilateral relationship, along with the joint determination and efforts of the two Parties, the two countries and the two peoples, the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic partnership will enter a new stage of development, with a stronger foundation of friendship and cooperation.
Thank you very much!
