Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh (1st R) shakes hands with President of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association Nguyen Xuan Thang (2nd R) in Hanoi, Vietnam, Aug. 3, 2017. (Xinhua/Le Yanna)
Reinforcing and bolstering the friendly and cooperative relations between Vietnam and China in a sound, stable manner are in line with principal and long-term benefits of the two peoples, Vietnamese deputy prime minister said on Thursday.
It is also beneficial to peace, stability and development of the region as well as the world, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh said when addressing the national congress of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association for the 2017-2022 tenure.
"Vietnam treasures the development of friendly and cooperative relations with China, always considering that a strategic choice and a leading priority in Vietnam's foreign policy," the deputy prime minister stated.
Friendly exchanges among Vietnamese and Chinese people strengthen the bilateral ties, playing an important part in enhancing mutual trust and understanding, he said.
According to the deputy prime minister, to further develop Vietnam-China ties in a more practical and a more comprehensive way, the Vietnam-China Friendship Association should focus on strengthening friendly exchanges, actively contributing to their closer cooperation in various fields, and improving the association's organizational quality and operations.
At the congress, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Hong Xiaoyong stated that preserving and promoting China-Vietnam friendship are glorious historical responsibility of the two peoples, and it should be brought into full play.
China and Vietnam will intensify strategic exchanges and enhance mutual political trust through high-ranking visits and contacts, bolster win-win cooperation through facilitating strategic linkages such as "Belt and Road" initiative, and the "Two Corridors and One Economic Circle" plan, and effectively manage differences through friendly consultations, the Chinese ambassador said.
The congress reelected Nguyen Xuan Thang, member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, and Director of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, as president of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association.
