China and Vietnam should deepen the exchange of governance experience, adhere to the concept of putting people first, and firmly support each other to take the socialist road that meets their national conditions and the modernization road with their own characteristics, Chinese President Xi Jinping said when meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam in Beijing on Tuesday.

At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, the Vietnamese prime minister is paying an official visit to China from June 25 to 28.

China sees Vietnam as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy which is a strategic choice made by China based on the long-term development of bilateral ties, Xi said.

In the face of the increasingly serious and complex international situation, China and Vietnam should uphold the spirit of equality and mutual benefit, solidarity and mutual trust, and win-win cooperation, work together and seek common development for the benefit of the two peoples, and inject more stability into the chaotic world, said Xi.

As two socialist countries, China and Vietnam are comrades with a high degree of mutual trust, partners for mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and friends who know each other well, he said.

Xi urged the two countries to build the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with high quality, strengthen the integration of development strategies, leverage complementary advantages, and accelerate practical cooperation in infrastructure, intelligent customs, green energy and other fields.

China is willing to import more marketable Vietnamese products and welcomes Vietnam's active participation in the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and the China International Import Expo to be held later this year, he added.

The two sides should enrich people-to-people exchanges, enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples, especially the younger generation, and build a solid social foundation for the development of relations between the two countries, he said.

The two sides should jointly oppose decoupling or severing of supply chains, oppose the pan-politicization of economic and scientific issues, safeguard international justice and their own development rights, promote the international order in a more just and reasonable direction, and create a peaceful and stable external environment for the modernization of the two countries, he said.

Pham said that China is a world power and a close neighbor of Vietnam, and the sustainable development of long-term stable and good Vietnam-China relations has always been the strategic choice and top priority of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese government.

The Vietnamese side has always remembered and sincerely appreciated the valuable help China offered to Vietnam for a long time, he said.

Vietnam firmly adheres to the one-China policy and supports the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by Xi as well as China's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and will continue to actively participate in building the BRI, deepen cooperation in various fields, and push forward Vietnam-China relations, he said.

Vietnam opposes politicization of economic issues and is willing to work closely with China to prevent and deal with various risks and challenges to prevent any forces from interfering with Vietnam-China relations and build a Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic partnership with a shared future, he added. 

(Cover: Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Prime Minister of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh in Beijing, China, June 27, 2023. /CMG)