Yearender: Exchange of high-level visits between China, Vietnam reveals bilateral relations in full bloom

by Tao Jun, Le Yanna

HANOI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Reciprocal visits of Chinese and Vietnamese leaders in 2017 have revealed a vista of relations between both countries which are now in full bloom, Vietnamese experts said.

In January, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong paid a visit to China in January. In May, Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang traveled to Beijing on a state visit. In November, Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Vietnam.

The exchange of visits within one year are evidence that the China-Vietnam relations will be broadened and deepened in the coming time, and that any differences can be solved through negotiations and consultations, said the experts.

The state visit to Vietnam by Xi after the 19th National Congress of the CPC has indicated "a higher political trust and closer cooperation" between the two countries, whose ties will "develop unceasingly," said Vo Dai Luoc, director of Vietnam's Asia-Pacific Economic Center.

The two countries' top leaders agreeing to deepen their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership can be seen from time to time, including during the Vietnamese party chief's visit to Beijing and the Chinese leader's trip to Hanoi, Luoc said.

The two sides have agreed on a list of key projects for trade and economic cooperation in the 2017-2021 period.

"This shows that the two sides have already defined concrete plans for long-term cooperation, not just short-term ones," Luoc, who is also former director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

In addition, memorandums of understanding inked between the two sides have also opened up new fields of cooperation, including renewable energy, e-commerce and cross-border economic zones, Luoc said, adding that the bilateral cooperation is making remarkable contribution to Vietnam's economic growth.

After hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Year 2017, especially the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November, Vietnam is expected to make great leaps in promoting international economic integration, especially with Pacific Rim countries, including China.

"Economic ties with China will remain a pillar in boosting Vietnam's import and export sectors in 2018 and the following years," Luoc said.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thien Chi, member of Executive Committee of Ho Chi Minh City's Vietnam-China Friendship Association, believed that reciprocal visits of Vietnamese and Chinese leaders in 2017 have further oriented their foreign policies closer toward each other.

"I strongly believe that the mutual trust shown will be reinforced ceaselessly, the diplomatic ties will develop robustly, and the two-way trade will make a breakthrough in the coming years," Chi said.

Amid complicated changes in the world, the CPC and the CPV have maintained and reinforced high-level contacts, and frequently exchanged views and discussed measures to cope with potential global crises or existing global and regional issues.

The bolstering of cooperation and coordination is conducive to developing stronger ability to adapt to international changes, while following socialism with their own characteristics, said Vietnamese experts.

Luu Bich Ho, former director of the Institute of Development Strategy under the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment, said Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era will have profound impacts not only in China but the broader region and the world.

"Along its own socialist path, Vietnam can learn from the success of the 19th National Congress of the CPC and its strategies for deepening reform, promoting innovation, bringing prosperity to people and building a beautiful country," Ho said.

Tran Viet Thai, deputy director-general of the Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies under the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, said Xi's visit to Vietnam as his first foreign trip after the 19th CPC National Congress highlighted China's implementation of foreign policy in a new period.

"The visit marks a milestone in Vietnam-China relations and creates momentum for practical development in the near future, which is not only beneficial to the two countries, but also to the region and the whole world," he said. Enditem