A cultural and musical exchange performance between Vietnam and China
High-level exchanges and contacts take place regularly, and economic - trade and investment cooperation between the two countries is a bright spot. Vietnam and China have traditionally had strong ties during the more than 7 decades since diplomatic relations were established in 1950.
Vietnam and China are both good neighbors and good friends sharing one strip of mountains and rivers and the people of the two countries have a long-standing traditional friendship. In recent times, besides the foreign affairs work of the Party and State, foreign affairs work is also a bright spot in Vietnam-China relations.
Important milestones Vietnam - China relations
After the foundation of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, China was the first country to establish diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on January 5, 1950.
That event also started the relationship between Vietnam and China both good neighbours and good friends sharing one strip of mountains and rivers, and good comrades and good partners with the same purpose, sharing a common destiny and making joint efforts for people’s happiness, wealthy and strong countries, and the noble cause of peace and development of mankind ( cited from the joint statement on continuing to promote and deepen the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership on November 1, 2022 on the occasion of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s official visit to China from October 31 - November 1).
Along with the good development of relations between the two Parties and the two countries, relations between mass organizations and peaceful friendship organizations of the two countries have been established and developed. Just over a month after the establishment of diplomatic relations, the Vietnam-China Friendship Association was established on February 15, 1950.
Moreover, the Vietnam's World Peace Protection Committee was also founded on November 19, 1950 connecting with China's friendship and peace organizations, actively contributing to the development of friendship relations, cooperation and exchange bilaterally and also at multilateral people's forums.
In October 1952 when Vietnamese people were fighting against French colonialism, a 11 Vietnamese people -strong delegation paid a visit to China for participating in the Asian Peace Conference in Beijing. According to President Ho Chi Minh's instructions, the delegation was led by Chairman of the Vietnam Peace Committee cum Vice Chairman of the Central Resistance Committee Le Dinh Tham and delegates from every walk of life including workers - farmers - soldiers – intellectuals like Labor hero Ngo Gia Kham, Military heroes Nguyen Quoc Tri, La Van Cau, Nguyen Thi Chien and Mathematics Professor Le Van Thiem.
Since the early 1990s, along with the development of relations between the two Parties, the two States, the National Assembly, the economic-trade relations and the peaceful friendship between the two peoples have increasingly developed deeply and widely demonstrating through official visits and annual friendly exchanges of inhabitants in border provinces. Thousands of Vietnamese students have been studying in Chinese schools and many Chinese students have also come to Vietnam for learning.
Currently, the Hanoi -located Vietnam - China Friendship Palace with an investment of VND800 billion from China's non-refundable aid and Vietnam's counterpart capital through the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations bears a strong mark of Vietnam - China friendship. Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao were attending the construction groundbreaking ceremony of the Vietnam - China Friendship Palace which has been implemented since 2004. After 13 years, China's Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan cut the ribbon to put the Friendship Palace into operation in 2017.
One of the highlights in the two countries' people-to-people foreign relations in recent years is the official visit to China of Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. from October 30, 2022 to November 2, 2022. During the visit, the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on friendly cooperation for the period 2022-2027 between the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries with important contents.
Vietnam and China enhance mutual understanding
In recent years, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Vietnam-China Friendship Association have organized many very diverse activities, contributing to strengthened understanding and mutual trust between the two peoples and successful agreements between senior leaders of the two countries.
First of all, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations has taken the initiative and coordinated with Chinese partners to successfully organize 11 Vietnam - China people's forums annually taking place in both Vietnam and China.
With the themes "Enhancing mutual trust for mutual benefit and win-win", "Political trust, practical cooperation", "Preserving traditional friendship, promoting practical cooperation" and "Consolidating foundation of the people's hearts, contributing to the promotion of the traditional friendship between the people of Vietnam and China", the forums have become one of the important cooperation mechanisms where people of the two countries discuss the relationship situation and measures to promote cooperation and development in a healthy, stable, effective and practical direction. Leaders of the two countries praised the activities of such forums.
In addition, meaningful activities including photo exhibition of President Ho Chi Minh with Vietnam - China relations (2016), tours to places where President Ho Chi Minh used to reside in China (2015), photo exhibition of achievements in Vietnam's innovation and international integration and Vietnam's reform and opening up China, meetings with Vietnam - China friendship officials, the visit to Vietnam by General Secretary and President Xi Jinping (2017) were organized in the two countries to raise traditional values and friendship, connecting the two
At the same time, there are many people-to-people exchange activities on large and small scales that the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and the Vietnam-China Friendship Association have successfully organized.
Most recently, during a visit to China in October 2023, President of Vietnam Vo Van Thuong proposed that the two countries should strengthen people-to-people exchanges to consolidate the foundation of long-term friendship for the two countries' relationship when receiving Standing Member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Secretariat, Chief of the Office of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Cai Qi.
On his part, Mr. Cai Qi affirmed that Vietnam and China are important neighbors of each other, sharing widespread common interests. He stressed that China always considers prioritizing Vietnam in its neighboring foreign policy, and is ready to work with Vietnam to strengthen strategic exchanges and promote the relationship between the two Parties and the two countries for continuously sustainable development for a long time. It is recommended that the two sides strengthen Party and State channel exchanges and people-to-people exchanges, further deepening and solidifying the friendship between the two countries' people of all walks of life.
