Hanoi, Beijing to discuss upgrading ties in Xi’s visit: China spokesperson

China and Vietnam will discuss upgrading bilateral relations during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Hanoi next week, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Thursday.

Discussions will focus on six major areas including politics, security, practical cooperation, public support, multilateral affairs and maritime issues, and work to deepen and substantiate the comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries, Wang said at a regular press conference.

It remains unclear to which level the relationship will be elevated. Vietnam and China in 2008 established a comprehensive strategic partnership, the highest designation in Vietnam’s diplomatic hierarchy. Vietnam did the same with Russia in 2012, India in 2016, South Korea in 2022, and the United States as well as Japan this year.

“This will help both countries to jointly follow their modernization paths with respective features, enrich the paths to modernization for developing countries and bring more benefits to the two peoples,” the spokesperson added. 

During his stay on December 12-13, Xi will meet and hold talks respectively with Vietnam’s top four leaders, who are General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Vo Van Thuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue.

Wang Wenbin noted that China and Vietnam are both socialist countries and neighbors. He reminded that General Secretary Trong visited China at the end of last year, after the 20th CPC National Congress. The two leaders jointly charted the course for the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

This year has seen frequent high-level interactions, close exchanges between various departments and regions, and deeper cooperation in various fields, which have brought tangible benefits to the peoples of the two countries, he added.

China has been Vietnam’s largest trade partner for years while the latter is the former’s biggest trade partner in ASEAN. Bilateral trade reached $175.6 billion in 2022, with Vietnam importing $117.87 billion from the Northeast Asian market, according to Vietnamese customs data.

Mainland China has been the fourth biggest investor in Vietnam this year, with registered FDI of $3.96 billion year to November 20, government data showed.