Vietnam expects to strengthen youth exchanges with China to cement traditional friendship and advance bilateral comprehensive cooperation, said a Vietnamese party official on Monday.

Ha Thi Khiet, a member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, made the remark when receiving a 100-member Chinese youth delegation which is in Vietnam for the 10th China-Vietnam youth friendship meeting.

Ha said Vietnam and China celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties and Year of Friendship in 2010. The visit of the Chinese youth delegation is an important part of the celebration activities.

Ha said Vietnam always attaches great importance to the role of young people in the national construction. She expected Vietnamese and Chinese young people could continue to work closely to strengthen friendship and advance bilateral ties.

Wang Hongyan, head of the Chinese youth delegation and a member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China, said in the meeting with Khiet that the Chinese delegation is glad to visit Vietnam on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Vietnam diplomatic relations.

Wang said Chinese youth league would like to continue to work with its counterpart in Vietnam to conduct youth activities in various forms to forge deep friendship among young generations of the two countries. The Chinese youth delegation arrived in Vietnam on Sunday for a 10-day visit.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2010)