Published: 10:51, August 19, 2024 | Updated: 21:02, August 19, 2024
Xi holds talks with Vietnam's top leader To Lam in Beijing
By Xinhua
Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) meets with To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and Vietnamese president, in Beijing on Aug 19, 2024. (FENG YONGBIN / CHINADAILY.COM.CN)

BEIJING - Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, held talks with To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and Vietnamese president, on Monday in Beijing.

Xi welcomed Lam's state visit to China and once again congratulated him on election as general secretary of the CPV Central Committee.

China is the destination for Lam's first overseas visit after taking office as general secretary of the CPV Central Committee. Xi said this fully reflects the great importance Lam attaches to the relations between the two parties and the two countries, as well as the high level and strategic nature of China-Vietnam relations.

Xi expressed the willingness to establish good working relations and personal friendship with Lam to jointly guide the substantial development in building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future.

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Amid changes in the world, the times and history, China and Vietnam have maintained rapid economic development and long-term social stability, demonstrating the superiority of the socialist system and the vitality of the socialist cause, Xi said, noting that China takes Vietnam as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, and supports Vietnam in upholding the leadership of the CPV, taking the socialist path suited to its national conditions, and further advancing the cause of reform, opening up and socialist modernization.

Xi underscored that at the critical stage of national development and revitalization, China and Vietnam should, under the direction of the vision of building a community with a shared future, consolidate the development pattern featuring higher political mutual trust, more solid security cooperation, deeper practical cooperation, stronger public support, closer multilateral coordination and cooperation, and better management and resolution of differences.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) holds a welcoming ceremony for To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and Vietnamese president, in Beijing on Aug 19, 2024. (FENG YONGBIN / CHINADAILY.COM.CN)

China is ready to maintain close strategic communication and high-level exchanges with Vietnam, firmly adhere to mutual support, actively explore ways to expand synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Two Corridors and One Economic Circle strategy, accelerate the "hard connectivity" of railway, expressway and port infrastructure, enhance the "soft connectivity" of smart customs, and jointly build a secure and stable industrial and supply chain, Xi said.

He called on the two sides to take the opportunity of celebrating the 75th anniversary of China-Vietnam diplomatic ties next year to jointly hold a series of activities such as the China-Vietnam Year of People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges to consolidate the popular support of the two countries.

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He also called for joint efforts to uphold the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and other basic norms governing international relations, promote an equal and orderly multi-polar world and economic globalization that benefits all, uphold international fairness and justice and the common interests of developing countries, and work to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Xi briefed Lam on the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, stressing that China's further deepening of reform in an all-round way and advancing of high-level opening-up will create new impetus and new opportunities for the development of Vietnam and other countries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) meets with To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and Vietnamese president, in Beijing on Aug 19, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

China is willing to deepen the exchange of experience in party and state governance with Vietnam, jointly upgrade the modernization of the national governance system and capacity, and march toward modernization together, he said.

For his part, Lam said Vietnam is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges, deepen strategic mutual trust, enhance synergy of development strategies, and promote mutually beneficial cooperation with China.

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Lam said China being the destination for his first overseas visit as general secretary of the CPV Central Committee and Vietnamese president fully demonstrates that the CPV and the Vietnamese government always attach importance to developing relations with China and regard China as the strategic choice and top priority of Vietnam's foreign policy.

The CPV and the Vietnamese government will carry on the legacy of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, adhere to the leadership of the Communist party and the socialist path, deepen the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and push forward the building of the Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, Lam said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) meets with To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and Vietnamese president, in Beijing on Aug 19, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China has successfully completed all the reform tasks set out in the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. China has achieved significant development accomplishments, with its international status and influence increasingly enhanced. It has also made important contributions to world peace and development and the progress of humankind, Lam noted.

Vietnam extends its congratulations on the successful convening of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, which has ushered in a new era of comprehensively deepening reform and further advancing Chinese modernization, Lam said.

It is believed that under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping, China will achieve the Second Centenary Goal of building itself into a great modern socialist country in all respects, Lam added.

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Vietnam adheres to the principle of independence, firmly pursues the one-China policy and believes that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory. Vietnam firmly opposes all forms of "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and supports China in achieving national reunification, Lam stressed, adding that issues related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Xizang are all China's internal affairs, and Vietnam firmly opposes any interference in China's internal affairs.

Vietnam is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges; share experience in party and state governance; deepen strategic mutual trust; enhance synergy of development strategies; promote mutually beneficial cooperation in such fields as national defense and security, trade and investment and cross-border infrastructure connectivity, and strengthen youth and local exchanges and cooperation with China, Lam said.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Vietnamese President To Lam (third right) visits the relic site of the headquarters of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, Aug 18, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Vietnam is willing to work with China to properly manage maritime differences and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, he added.

Vietnam supports and is willing to actively participate in the initiative to build a community with a shared future for humanity, as well as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, Lam said.

Vietnam is also willing to strengthen multilateral international cooperation with China, uphold multilateralism, safeguard international fairness and justice, and make positive contributions to promoting world peace and development, he added.