Beijing (VNA)♌ – Frequent reciprocal visits by high-level leaders of Vietnam and China have played a vital role in promoting cooperation and consolidating political trust between the two countries, according to Liu Ying, a researcher at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies under the Renmin University of China.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s resident correspondents in Beijing on Vietnam–China relations and the prospects for further developing the traditional friendship between the two nations, she said Vietnam and China enjoy the traditional friendship of “both comrades and brothers”. The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the Communist Party of China (CPC) have forged close ties built on the profound friendship between President Ho Chi Minh and Chairman Mao Zedong. With their geographical proximity and the stable, healthy growth of bilateral relations, Liu stressed that the Vietnam – China friendship serves as an important foundation supporting development and economic growth in both nations. She noted that China has been Vietnam’s largest trading partner for more than 15 years, while Vietnam is now China’s biggest trading partner within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Over the past five years, ASEAN has become China’s leading trading partner. Both sides encourage enterprises to strengthen practical cooperation in agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing, science, and technology. The Chinese scholar emphasised that Vietnam – China relations are not only maintained in line with the principle of the “four goods” – good neighbours, good friends, good comrades, and good partners – but have also advanced to "six major orientations", comprising stronger political trust, more substantial cooperation in defence-security, deeper and more practical cooperation, more solid social foundation, closer multilateral coordination, and better management and settlement of differences. In recent years, cooperation across politics, Party channel, economy, social and cultural fields, and defence has continued to grow stronger. This progress has been driven by frequent exchanges and visits between the two countries’ senior leaders, which provide momentum for advancing the bilateral ties in all fields, she noted. In recent years, leaders of the two Parties and States have conducted regular visits, thereby playing a positive role in promoting comprehensive cooperation, Liu stated, adding that these visits not only strengthen political trust but also provide strategic guidance for cooperation in economy, science and technology, education, and infrastructure. She cited Party General Secretary To Lam’s visit to China in August 2024, during which both sides agreed to deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and accelerate the building of a Vietnam–China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. This high-level engagement is crucial for ensuring stability and predictability in bilateral cooperation despite a complex international environment, while also laying a solid foundation for the long-term development of the bilateral relations. Reflecting on Vietnam’s achievements, Liu highlighted that over the past 80 years, the country has reaped remarkable progress, particularly in economic reform and external opening. The Communist Party of Vietnam has played a pivotal role in policy direction and institutional reform, ensuring the nation’s development path. Looking ahead, Vietnam will need to sustain growth momentum while tackling challenges on the way toward high-quality and sustainable development. In this process, Vietnam–China relations, bolstered by high-level exchanges and strengthened bilateral cooperation, will continue to open up broad prospects and cooperation between the two countries is set to deepen across all areas in the time to come, she added./.