Senior Chinese, Vietnamese party leaders vow to strengthen bilateral ties

Senior Communist Party leaders from both China and Vietnam have pledged to push the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to a new level.

They made the pledge during a meeting Wednesday in Hanoi between Zhang Dejiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee.

Zhang, also chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, arrived in Hanoi on Tuesday afternoon for a four-day friendly official visit to Vietnam which concluded on Friday.

Zhang conveyed the greetings to Trong from Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Zhang also spoke highly of achievements made by the party and state of Vietnam in recent years.

Zhang said both China and Vietnam are socialist countries under the Communist Party leadership, and it is of crucial importance to strengthen and deepen the relations between the two parties.

The Chinese side is ready to exert joint efforts with Vietnam to implement the important consensus reached by both party leaders, based on the 16-character motto of "friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, durable stability and looking toward the future" as well as the "four good" spirit of "good neighbours, good friends, good comrades and good partners," said Zhang.

Zhang also called for both sides to carry on the traditional friendship, strengthen strategic guidance and the docking of development strategies, enrich the connotation of cooperation, enhance communications and consultation, eliminate the interferences, increase people to people exchanges, and constantly consolidate and deepen the Sino-Vietnam community of common destiny.

Trong said Vietnam's new party and state leadership attach great importance to the bilateral traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Vietnam will never forget China's non-selfish support in the past, and regard developing friendly ties with China as its "strategic choice and top priority in foreign policy," said the CPV general secretary.

Vietnam is ready to exert joint efforts with China, to enhance political mutual trust, expand pragmatic cooperation, properly control the differences, thus to carry on the bilateral traditional friendship from generations to generations, he said.

During his visit in Hanoi, Zhang also met with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, chairwoman of the National Assembly of Vietnam, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Zhang also briefed the Vietnamese leaders about the sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, held last month.

Zhang also attended the 3rd Sino-Vietnam Youth Festival in Hanoi.

Zhang concluded his visit and was back to Beijing on Friday. Endit