Lang Son (VNA) –The third Vietnam-China Youth Festival kicked off at the Huu Nghi (Friendship) International Border Gate in Vietnam’s northern province of Lang Son on November 7, bringing together thousands of young people from the two countries.
Addressing the ceremony, Standing Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee (HCYUCC) Nguyen Manh Dung hailed the Vietnam-China friendship, which was nurtured by Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong together with generations of revolutionaries, leaders and people of the two countries, as a shared valuable asset.
The bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has overcome multiple challenges to gain achievements across fields, including youth collaboration, he said.
The cooperation and friendship between Vietnamese and Chinese young people have been deepened pragmatically, contributing to fostering the relationship between the two countries, Dung noted.
He added that the youth festival has contributed to enhancing mutual understanding and trust, becoming a friendship bridge in the two countries’ people-to-people diplomacy.
Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China Wang Hongyan stressed that the Chinese Party and Government attach importance to the friendship and cooperation between the two countries’ young people.
According to the official, Chinese delegates to the festival are outstanding representatives of different sectors like politics, economy, education, communications, science-technology and culture.
The festival will give the Chinese young people a chance to learn about Vietnam’s rich history and culture and witness the achievements of Vietnam’s 30-year renewal cause, she said.
The two sides will also learn about the history of the long-standing friendship between the two countries, thus contributing to developing the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the time ahead.
The festival’s major activities will take place in the Vietnamese provinces of Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh, Ninh Binh, Phu Tho and Lao Cai with the focus on youths’ role in environmental protection, sustainable development, cultural protection, tourism development and socio-economic development. After participating in activities in other localities, the 1,000 Chinese delegates will join their peers in Hanoi capital city for a closing ceremony.
The first Vietnam-China Youth Festival was organised in Guangxi province, China, in August 2010, and the second took place in the Zhuang Autonomous Region in Guangxi province, in November 2013.-VNA