Vietnam and China should strengthen cooperation in the construction of significant, practical, and sustainable projects, and expedite the interconnection of transportation infrastructure.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photos: Nhat Bac/VGP

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made the suggestion during a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping on June 26.

At the meeting, President Xi Jinping reaffirmed that China highly values its relations with Vietnam, considering it a priority in its overall neighborhood diplomacy policy. He emphasized China's support for Vietnam in safeguarding national independence and dignity.

Xi stressed the need for both sides to enhance political trust, maintain regular high-level exchanges, and strengthen cooperation in key sectors such as diplomacy, defense, and public security.

For his part, Prime Minister Chinh proposed cooperation on large, symbolic, practical, and sustainable projects. He also called for accelerating the connectivity of transportation infrastructure, particularly in railways, roads, and border crossings, under the "Two Corridors, One Belt" and "Belt and Road Initiative."

He urged China to facilitate the export of key Vietnamese products like frozen durian, fresh coconut, and rice, and to ease the transit of Vietnamese goods to Central Asia and Europe through China.

The Vietnamese leader also expressed his desire to boost local cooperation as a new growth driver, explore the pilot establishment of cross-border economic zones, expand border economic cooperation, and build smart border gates.

Localities in both countries should actively collaborate to harmonize regional development strategies and expand cooperation in finance, banking, education, and healthcare, Chinh said.

Overview of the meeting.

President Xi agreed to consider piloting cross-border economic zones and stated that China is willing to expand imports of high-quality Vietnamese goods. He reaffirmed China's support for Vietnam's industrialization and modernization efforts and for building sustainable supply and production chains in the region and globally.

Xi noted that China's ongoing comprehensive reforms and new quality production capacity development will provide opportunities for bilateral trade cooperation, road and rail transportation connectivity, and digital economy linkages. The Chinese Government supports increased investment by enterprises in Vietnam, especially in high-tech and emerging industries, he said.

Both sides agreed to manage and address differences appropriately and to maintain peace and stability at sea. Chinh emphasized the importance of strictly implementing high-level agreements, respecting each other's legitimate interests in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and ensuring that maritime disputes do not affect friendly relations between the two countries.

The Prime Minister and Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning.

Later in the day, Prime Minister Chinh met with Wang Huning, Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The Prime Minister called for innovative thinking and practical implementation of high-level agreements, especially the Joint Statement on deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, to build a Vietnam-China Community with a shared future of strategic significance based on the "6 more" principle. Wang expressed his willingness to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Vietnam Fatherland Front at all levels to deepen practical cooperation between the two sides.

Wang also introduced new theoretical innovations of the Chinese Communist Party, particularly the "two combinations" (building socialism in  combination with China's practical conditions and traditional culture), "Chinese-style modernization," and the development of "new quality production capacity."

Chinh has been attending the 15th Annual Meeting of the New Champions of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Dalian, Liaoning Province, and is on a visit to China from June 24 to 27. On the afternoon of June 24, he held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Dalian to discuss measures to strengthen bilateral relations across various fields.