Vietnam president’s China visit to help enhance infrastructure connectivity

Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong’s China visit will help boost economic and trade ties and further enhance infrastructure connectivity between the two countries, said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu.

Thuong and a high-ranking entourage arrived in Beijing on Tuesday morning, starting a trip to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The forum will draw the attendance of over 140 countries and international organizations. The two previous versions took place in 2017 and 2019.

This is the first visit to China and also the first multilateral diplomatic activity of Thuong as Vietnam’s State president.

During the third BRF, the Vietnamese president is scheduled to attend the forum’s opening ceremony chaired by Chinese leader Xi, and a high-level session on the digital economy as a new driver for growth.

Thuong will also have meetings with President Xi and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Zhao Leji.

He will also hold bilateral meetings with leaders of some countries and international organizations, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lao President and Party leader Thonglun Sisoulith, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, United Nations leader Antonio Guterres, among others.

Meetings with executives of some leading Chinese businesses in the fields of technology and telecommunications are also on the agenda.

As countries worldwide are pushing for enhanced economic links amid sluggish recovery, the Vietnamese president’s attendance at the BRF shows Vietnam’s strong commitment to multilateralism and proactive integration into the world, Deputy Minister Vu noted.

He informed that Vietnam will join discussions on contents that fit well with Vietnam’s development orientations such as green growth, digital economy, innovation, small and medium enterprises, anti-corruption, and integrity in economic cooperation.

In terms of bilateral relations, the visit takes place as the two neighboring countries celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam visited China last October.

“Meetings between President Vo Van Thuong and China’s top leaders will help reinforce political trust, keep the momentum of the relationship, and open up new cooperation opportunities,” Vu added.

Bilateral discussions will evolve around visit exchanges of all levels, boosting economic, trade, and investment in a balanced and sustainable way, the diplomat said.

Notably, they will discuss ways to enhance infrastructure links, particularly in the frameworks of the “Two Corridors, One Belt” and “One Belt, One Road” initiatives, he noted.