Xi's trip sends strong message of trust

Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to Vietnam this past week was a great success as it sent a signal of enhanced mutual trust between the two countries, said a leading China expert in Hanoi.

"The visit is very successful because (the agreements signed) showed that the bilateral cooperation will be more pragmatic, more profound and more effective," said Nguyen Vinh Quang, vice-president of the Vietnam-China Friendship Association and senior adviser at the Center for Strategic Studies and International Relations Development in Hanoi.

The Vietnamese side attaches great importance to the visit by Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and the reception was at the highest and warmest level, Quang said.

Xi's visit, from Tuesday to Wednesday, was made at the invitation of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong.

In October last year, Trong was the first foreign leader to visit China following the conclusion of the 20th CPC National Congress.

Besides talks between the leaders, a series of events were held during Xi's visit, including a meeting with representatives of young Chinese and Vietnamese and people who have contributed to the China-Vietnam friendship — a meeting in which Quang participated.

"Xi's visit showed to the world that our mutual trust has become higher," said Quang, noting that mutual trust is the most important thing in strategic cooperation.

With this year marking the 15th anniversary of the establishment of comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Vietnam, Quang said various achievements have been made over the years.

China has long been Vietnam's largest trading partner, and Vietnam is China's biggest trading partner in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the fourth largest globally. In the first 10 months of this year, bilateral trade reached $185.1 billion, with China being Vietnam's biggest market for vegetable and fruit exports, Xinhua News Agency reported.

"The cooperation between the two sides has developed so rapidly in just 15 years. It certainly shows that the establishment of a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in 2008 was the right decision," said Quang, noting that Xi's visit has led to more achievements.

During the visit, the two sides jointly announced the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Noting that the neighbors have established cooperation in economy, trade, diplomacy and security, Quang said the way they try to resolve different issues through negotiation has set an example for the region.

As one of the few in Vietnam who started to learn Chinese in the 1960s and later translated several key Chinese works, including Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, Quang said he is glad to see more young Vietnamese learning the language.

"Language is the tool of communication, so with more people learning the (Chinese) language, our relationship can be closer," said Quang, adding that both of his sons have studied in China.