Interview: Vietnamese, Chinese youths' cooperation plays significant role in bolstering ties

The cooperation between Vietnamese and Chinese youths plays a significant role in preserving and highlighting the traditional friendly and collaborative relations between the two parties, states and peoples, a local senior official told Xinhua in a recent exclusive interview.

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Communist Youth League of China have decided to organize the third China-Vietnam Youth Festival in Vietnam from Nov. 7-10, with the participation of 1,000 Chinese youths and over 9,000 Vietnamese young people.

The festival's aim is to solidify the ties between Vietnamese and Chinese people, especially the younger ones, and help enhance their bilateral understanding of culture, arts, education, training and other such facets.

Leaders of both Vietnamese and Chinese parties and states have paid special attention to the festivals, including the first and the second in 2010 and 2013, said Nguyen Manh Dung, Standing Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the largest social-political organization of Vietnamese youth, led by the Communist Party of Vietnam.

"The festivals have, from a practical sense, significantly helped to foster friendships, understanding and mutual trust among the two countries' younger generations, as well as help contribute to a reinforced and deepened comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China in line with the guidelines of long-term stability. In addition, looking towards the future, maintaining a good-neighborly friendship and comprehensive cooperation, have also been the aims of the festivals," the secretary stated.

The festivals comprise specific activities to convey the youths' messages of missions to connect people, foster friendship, and share their aspirations for maintaining peace and stability for Vietnam and China's development and prosperity, he said.

The success of the third festival will contribute to the closer friendship between Vietnam and China, which is a priceless asset tirelessly fostered by the late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh, as well as the late Chinese President Mao Zedong and generations of leaders and people of the two countries.

Amid the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China, youths, as masters and makers of their nations' future, will play a significant part in national development, as well as in promotion of the traditional friendly and cooperative ties that exist between the two countries, Dung said.

To further enhance the friendship and cooperation among Vietnamese and Chinese young people, and help to fortify understanding and mutual trust among the two peoples, the two sides should increase annual exchanges of students, art troupes, sports and tourism delegations, as well as strengthen cooperation and coordination in healthcare and rural development, and among young entrepreneurs, youth unions and young people in border areas, the Vietnamese official proposed.

"Specifically, Vietnamese and Chinese youth unions and young people should create many research and academic exchange forums for young intellectuals from the two countries, to provide more opportunities to get to know and share their knowledge of economics, education, science and technology, and eventually assist each other in joint developments to make practical contributions to national development while forging closer Vietnam-China ties," Dung said.

The third China-Vietnam Youth Festival, themed: "Vietnamese and Chinese Youths Join Hands in Fostering Friendship," features various activities in Vietnam's capital cit of Hanoi and the six northern provinces of Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh, Ninh Binh, Phu Tho and Lao Cai. The festival's sub-themes and activities include the youths' participation in environmental protection and sustainable development, as well as cultural identity preservation and tourism development.

The festival's 1,000 Chinese delegates are scheduled to pay courtesy visits to provincial leaders, tour historical, cultural and economic establishments, plant trees, participate in talks and arts performances in the six provinces.

In Hanoi, Vietnamese and Chinese delegates will attend a grand art exchange program and the festival's closing ceremony will see the participation of leaders of the two parties and states.

In the festival, the first Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee will meet with the first Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China Central Committee, and the high-ranking delegation of the Communist Youth League of China will visit Tien Phong (Pionner) daily newspaper and the Topica Edtech Group.

The first and the second China-Vietnam Youth Festival were previously and successfully held in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The festival in 2010 was attended by nearly 30,000 Vietnamese and Chinese youths and senior officials, including Vietnamese Politburo member Ho Duc Viet, first Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Communist Youth Union Central Committee Vo Van Thuong, Chinese Politburo member Li Yuanchao and first Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China Central Committee Lu Hao.

The festival in 2013 took place in Guangxi's eight cities, and was attended by the Vietnamese Politburo member, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan, first Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Communist Youth Union Central Committee Nguyen Dac Vinh, Chinese Politburo member, Vice President Li Yuanchao and first Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China Central Committee Qin Yizhi.

"I was deeply impressed by the second China-Vietnam Youth Festival, with the image of senior leaders of the two parties and states and youths holding hands while singing and dancing together," said Nguyen Manh Dung, Standing Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

They have sent to young generations of Vietnam and China messages of sincere friendship and unity, he said, adding that "the image has also symbolized aspirations for peace, cooperation and joint development among the youths and people of the two countries." Endit