Xi Jinping Meets with Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng

On the morning of October 20, 2023, President Xi Jinping met at the Great Hall of the People with Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng who is in China to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF).

Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Vietnam have supported each other in their respective struggles for national liberation, forming a deep and enduring comrades-plus-brothers friendship. Both nations are moving ahead with their respective causes of socialist modernization, seeing each other as a priority in their respective foreign policies and considering each other’s development as an opportunity for their own development. In the face of a changing international landscape and arduous tasks of domestic development, both countries should stay true to the original aspiration of carrying forward traditional friendship, bear in mind the shared ideals and mission, move forward hand in hand along the path of socialism to build a community of a shared future with strategic significance, and ensure that bilateral relations will always stay on the fast track of win-win cooperation and joint development.

Xi emphasized that both China and Vietnam are committed to a people-centered development philosophy. It is important that the two sides maintain strategic communication, learn from each other, and pursue strategies for national prosperity and development that suit their own national conditions. Both countries should stay committed to the principle of “planning together, building together, and benefiting together”, and move more quickly to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the “Two Corridors, One Economic Belt” initiative by fully leveraging their strengths in geographical proximity and industrial complementarity. Priority should be given to advancing cooperation in strategic areas like connectivity and bolstering collaboration in emerging sectors such as e-commerce. China stands ready to further increase the import of high-quality Vietnamese products. The two countries should continue to forge closer bonds between the two peoples and at sub-national levels, especially among the younger generation, so as to pass on the traditional friendship from generation to generation.

Võ Văn Thưởng congratulated China on successfully hosting the third BRF. He noted that the participation of representatives from more than 150 countries reflects the international community’s affirmation and support of the BRI. Over the past decade, the BRI has become an open, inclusive, and high-quality international cooperation platform, contributing significantly to the development of relevant nations and friendship among the people. President Xi’s speech at the opening of the forum was visionary, encompassing both strategic planning and specific measures, showcasing the role of China as a major country and the role of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as a major party. It will have a significant impact in guiding future international cooperation and global development. Vietnam admires the significant achievements of the CPC in theoretical and practical innovation. President Xi’s governance philosophy has been inspiring to the party and government of Vietnam. Vietnam views China’s development as an opportunity and supports socialist China in developing itself and achieving its goal of building a strong China as scheduled. The Vietnamese side believes that China will make a greater contribution to world peace and development. Vietnam firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and is ready to maintain high-level strategic communication with China, upgrade the positioning of Vietnam-China relations, and continuously enrich the substance of the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era.

Cai Qi and Wang Yi attended the meeting.