General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping and Politburo member and permanent member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Tran Quoc Vuong have affirmed the two Parties and governments’ willingness to consolidate and advance bilateral relations. Hosting a reception for the Vietnamese official on August 20, who is on a visit to China from August 19 to 23, the Chinese president affirmed that the Chinese Communist Party, government, and people treasured ties with Vietnam, and are willing to work, together with their Vietnamese counterparts, to build trust and develop bilateral relations in a sound and sustainable way, Vietnam News Agency reported.

Xi said he hoped that the two sides will continue to increase the exchange of high-level delegations, and enhance strategic connectivity and promote humanitarian exchanges.

For his part, Vuong said the active progress has been made in relations between the two Parties and nations across many fields, noting the first-ever exchange of visits by their top leaders in the same year in 2017.

CPV General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited China in January 2017. In November that year, Xi selected Vietnam as the first country he paid a state visit to after being reelected at the 19th National Party Congress.

Vuong called on the two sides to effectively realize the consensus reached by senior leaders of the two Parties and countries; continue to strengthen political trust through high-ranking meetings and improve the efficiency of existing cooperation mechanisms.

The Vietnamese official also called for proper handling of maritime issues, maintaining the development trend of bilateral ties, and ensuring peace and stability in the region.

Also on August 20, Vuong held talks with Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee.

The two officials also discussed measures to fully and seriously implement agreements and common perceptions reached by senior leaders of the two Parties and nations, and to properly settle maritime issues, improve the efficiency of practical and mutually-beneficial cooperation in different fields.