The official visit to China by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (in October 2022) was the first direct official foreign affairs activity between the top leaders of the two Parties and countries following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic and was the first foreign visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong after the 13th National Party Congress.
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was the first highest foreign leader that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping welcomed right after the CPC's 20th National Congress. In the context of complicated and unpredictable developments in the world and region and the process of doi moi (renewal), reform, and socialism construction in each country entering a new phase, the official visit to China by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was of great significance in strengthening and deepening the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership in the new period; strengthening political trust, contributing to creating a solid political foundation and promoting substantive cooperation in all fields between the two countries; and enhancing the friendship between the two peoples of Vietnam and China.
During the visit, the two sides issued a joint statement with 13 articles including strategic contents orienting the development of relations between the two countries in all fields in the near future as well as agreed to continue consolidating and developing the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership under the motto of ‘friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive co-operation, long-lasting friendship, and looking towards the future’ and the spirit of ‘good neighbours, good friends, good comrades, good partners’.
At the same time, the two sides reached agreement on many substantive cooperation contents, such as promoting connectivity between the “Two corridors, one belt” framework and the “Belt and Road” initiative, accelerating the progress of opening the market for a number of agricultural, forestry and fishery products of Vietnam, and opening Vietnamese commercial offices in China.
The two sides are willing to create favourable conditions for businesses of the two countries to strengthen investment, economic-trade cooperation, and cooperation in the fields of air, road, and rail transport. In addition, the two sides also showed their determination in making efforts to reduce the trade imbalance between the two countries, seeking solutions to completely solve the congestion at border gates, while ensuring safety for pandemic prevention and control as well as maintaining favourable customs clearance.
Regarding issues on sea, the two sides agreed that properly controlling disagreements and maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea/South China Sea are very important, and agreed to continue promoting the comprehensive and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) on the basis of consultation and consensus, to soon achieve a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982. The two sides also concurred on the good control of disputes at sea, without action to complicate the situation or widen any dispute.
Following the strengthening of political trust, the economic-trade and investment cooperation between the two countries have maintained growth. Vietnam is China's 4th largest trading partner in the world. Their two-way trade turnover in 2022 reached 175 billion USD in 2022, accounting for a quarter of the total trade turnover between China and ASEAN.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, in the first four months of 2023, two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and China reached 49.6 billion USD. China is Vietnam's second largest export market with a turnover of 16.4 billion USD and is Vietnam's largest import market with an estimated turnover of 33.2 billion USD. In terms of foreign investment in Vietnam, China ranks third with total registered investment capital of about 752 million USD.
