Vietnamese Party chief, State President To Lam’s upcoming China visit meant to deepen strategic alignment

The visit, scheduled for April 14 to 17 at the invitation of Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, will be Lam’s first trip to China as the top leader of both the Party and the state, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu said in an interview ahead of the trip.

It comes exactly one year after Xi’s state visit to Vietnam in April 2025 and marks the third exchange of visits between the two countries’ top leaders in less than two years.

A visit of strategic significance

The trip takes place as Vietnam–China relations maintain a positive trajectory, with notable progress across multiple areas.

Against this backdrop, Vu said Lam’s upcoming visit holds significance in three key aspects.

First, it marks a new starting point in bilateral relations as both countries are entering new stages of development.

Vietnam is moving into a new era following the success of the recent 14th National Party Congress, while China is beginning the implementation of its 15th five-year socio-economic development plan.

The arrangement of the coming visit reflects the high priority and strong commitment both sides place on advancing their relationship as ‘comrades and brothers’ in a more stable, substantive, and sustainable manner, Vu emphasized.

Second, it provides an opportunity to elevate strategic alignment and set a new level for ties between the two Parties and countries.

The top leaders are set to define new directions and breakthroughs in cooperation across key areas, including trade, investment, tourism, supply chains, education, and science and technology, with the aim of supporting each country’s development goals.

Third, it is expected to strengthen political trust, promote solutions to outstanding differences, and expand people-to-people exchanges as well as local-level cooperation.

These efforts are expected to contribute to more stable and sustainable bilateral relations, while supporting peace, stability, and cooperation in the region and beyond.

Vu said stronger, more effective, and substantive ties between the two countries would help advance their growth and development objectives in the new era, while contributing to stability and cooperation amid global and regional uncertainties.

He added that the visit is expected to leave a lasting mark and generate new momentum for bilateral relations.

Comprehensive cooperation underpins ties

Vu also reviewed Vietnam–China relations in recent years, saying they have maintained steady and broad-based development, with cooperation expanding across multiple fields.

Political trust has been strengthened and continues to guide the overall direction of bilateral ties.

Cooperation in diplomacy, defense, and security has recorded tangible progress, highlighted by the first ministerial-level ‘3+3’ strategic dialogue involving foreign affairs, defense, and public security officials.

Economic, trade, and investment ties remain a key pillar, sustaining strong growth momentum.

Vietnam has been China’s largest trading partner in ASEAN for 10 consecutive years and ranked as its fourth-largest trading partner globally in both 2024 and 2025.

People-to-people exchanges and cooperation in education, culture, tourism, and localities have also expanded.

In 2025, Vietnam received 5.28 million Chinese visitors, up 41.3 percent year on year, making China the country’s largest source of international tourists.

The two sides have maintained close coordination in multilateral frameworks, supporting multilateralism with the United Nations at the center and international law as the foundation, while backing each other’s major development initiatives.

Border and territorial issues have remained largely stable on land, while dialogue mechanisms on maritime issues continue to be maintained.

Both sides have emphasized the importance of managing differences appropriately to ensure a peaceful and stable regional environment.

Vu said these achievements have been underpinned by strong mutual trust and understanding between the two countries’ top leaders, along with coordinated efforts by ministries, localities, businesses, and people.

They provide a solid foundation for further advancing bilateral ties in a stable, healthy, and sustainable direction.

They also create favorable conditions for breakthroughs that could usher in a new phase of development, with expanded cooperation and stronger momentum driven by Party General Secretary and State President Lam’s upcoming visit.