73 years on, China and Vietnam strive for a shared future

(ECNS)-- China and Vietnam established diplomatic relations in 1950 and forged a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in 2008. 

The two countries on Tuesday agreed to build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance on the basis of deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two sides.

Both Beijing and Hanoi believe that the elevation of the relationship to a new level represents a natural and opportune development, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Monday. 

China has been Vietnam's largest trading partner for several years, while Vietnam is China's biggest trading partner among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and fourth-largest globally, according to Ministry of Commerce spokeswoman Shu Jueting. 

In the first 11 months of this year, bilateral trade grew by 3.6 percent year-on-year to 1.45 trillion yuan ($202.07 billion), accounting for 25 percent of China's trade with ASEAN members, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

The Cat Linh-Ha Dong elevated railway is a landmark project jointly built by China and Vietnam under the Belt and Road Initiative, it is also the first metro line in the Southeast Asian country. Since its launch in 2021, it has served over 17.5 million passengers. It has also become a landmark in Hanoi. 

Educational cooperation between China and Vietnam is increasing annually. In the 2022-2023 academic year, 23,000 Vietnamese students were studying in China, according to the China Scholarship Council.

Cultural exchanges between the two countries are deepening. Vietnamese people have a strong liking for Chinese movies and TV dramas, with a preference among the youth for historical and urban romantic genres. From January to October, Chinese tourists made more than 1.3 million visits to Vietnam.

According to statistics from Vietnam, China is Vietnam's sixth-largest source of foreign direct investment, with 3,949 active projects, and total registered capital exceeding $25.8 billion.

China will keep its neighborhood policy consistent and stable, bringing more benefits to its neighbors through Chinese modernization and jointly moving forward Asia's modernization process.