At the meeting (Photo:VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – A friendship meeting was held in Hanoi on November 9 on the occasion of the visit by Permanent Politburo member and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China Zhang Dejiang.
Attending the meeting on the Vietnamese side were Politburo member and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, and Chairman of the National Assembly Committee for External Relation Nguyen Van Giau, along with representatives from agencies and nine cities and provinces in Vietnam
On the Chinese side, there were Permanent Politburo member and Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee Zhang Dejiang, and representatives from the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China as well as six cities and provinces.
On behalf of Vietnamese Party and State leaders, VFF President Nguyen Thien Nhan praised the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and the Chinese party’s International Liaison Department for their initiative to hold the friendship meeting. He said the meeting will contribute to strengthening mutual understanding and trust between the two sides, promoting exchanges and cooperation between localities of the two countries, thus enriching the content of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
Nhan stressed that Vietnam attaches importance to boosting its friendship and cooperation with China, considering this a strategic choice and a top priority in the country’s external policy.
Maintaining a Vietnam-China relationship with stable and healthy development and increasing ties between the two Parties, States and peoples are important factors to peace, stability and development of each country, the VFF President said.
He pointed out that localities and the people are important in realising the common perceptions of the two countries’ senior leaders, and exchanges and mutually-beneficial cooperation between localities and people are the key factors in strengthening understanding, trust and social foundation for the development of relations between the two parties and countries.
Nhan suggested the two sides use the occasion created by the meeting to discuss in depth measures to promote their traditional friendship and expand ties across the board, particularly in economic development, trade, investment, tourism and other fields of mutual interest, between cities and provinces.
For his part, Chairman of the China NPC Standing Committee Zhang Dejiang proposed that the two countries enhance strategic connectivity and bolster partnership in all fields of sustainable development.
He said the Chinese and Vietnamese economies are closely connected and mutually supplementary with more and more shared interests, therefore, China treasures the development strategies of both sides and looks towards stronger connectivity in infrastructure and the construction of border economic zones.
At the same time, the two sides should also continue to expand cooperation in all areas, such as economy, trade, investment, agriculture, transport, culture, education, health care, joint border patrol and cross-border crime fight, Zhang said.
He called for more experience sharing between the two countries, adding that ministries, agencies, localities and businesses of the two sides should increase contact and discussion on both theory and reality of economic development, social management and Party building.
People-to-people exchange and cooperation between localities of both sides should also be encouraged, Zhang said.
At the meeting, delegates introduced their localities and put forth recommendations on how to stimulate partnership and exchanges at local levels.-VNA
