Attending the ceremony were Permanent Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Duong Ngoc Hai, Vice Chairman of the People's Council of Ho Chi Minh City Huynh Thanh Nhan along with leaders from various departments of the city.
Representing China were Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei, Chinese Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City Wei Huaxiang along with representatives of businesses and Chinese citizens who are working and living in Ho Chi Minh City.
On behalf of the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City, Permanent Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Duong Ngoc Hai highly appreciated the close and strong cooperative relationship between the two Parties and the two States.
As indicated by Permanent Vice Chairman Duong Ngoc Hai, Vietnam is now China's fourth-largest global trading partner and continues to hold the position of the largest trading partner within ASEAN.
The import-export turnover between the two countries reached a historic milestone, surpassing US$200 billion for the first time in 2024, reaffirming the strategic role of bilateral economic relations.
Mr. Duong Ngoc Hai affirmed that as an economic hub of the country, the Party, government and people of Ho Chi Minh City always value and prioritize the development of the cooperative relationship with Chinese agencies and localities.
Ho Chi Minh City is committed to closely cooperating with China, focusing on enhancing economic cooperation efficiency and promoting exchanges and strong connections between localities. These efforts aim to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.
By the end of 2024, China had 835 investment projects in Ho Chi Minh City with a total capital of nearly US$344 million. In terms of trade, the import-export turnover between Ho Chi Minh City and China reached US$21.7 billion by November 2024.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei affirmed that over the past 75 years, the China-Vietnam relationship has overcome many difficulties and continuously developed.
According to the Chinese ambassador, in 2024, 3.7 million Chinese tourists arrived in Vietnam, doubling the number over the same period the previous year, helping China rank as the second for source of tourists to Vietnam.
Meanwhile, over 20,000 Vietnamese students are studying in China, nearly double the number in the pre-Covid-19 period. Additionally, China has increasingly become a top travel destination for Vietnamese people.
Ambassador He Wei believed that Ho Chi Minh City, as the economic locomotive and innovation pioneer of Vietnam, would have the greatest benefits thanks to China-Vietnam relations.
