China-Vietnam Landscapes and Cultures: High-Level Meeting Opens a New Chapter of Cooperation on the 75th Anniversary of China-Vietnam Diplomatic Relations

At the important juncture of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Vietnam, which carries an important mission of deepening the traditional friendship between the two countries and expanding practical cooperation, and is of extremely special significance in the current complex and volatile international economic situation.

In recent years, China-Vietnam cooperation has achieved remarkable results. In the trade sector, China has been Vietnam’s top trading partner for more than 20 consecutive years, and bilateral trade turnover in 2024 will strongly exceed the $260 billion mark. Cross-border e-commerce is booming, with Vietnam’s durian, dragon fruit and other tropical fruits quickly entering Chinese households through convenient logistics, enriching the tables of Chinese consumers and boosting the pockets of Vietnamese fruit farmers. According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, in the first 11 months of 2024, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports to China amounted to 4.1 billion USD, up 28.7% year-on-year. At the same time, Vietnam Meanwhile, Vietnamese consumers favor new Chinese shoes and clothes, and Chinese goods can be delivered to Hanoi consumers in just two or three days through cross-border e-commerce platforms.

In terms of infrastructure construction, the Hanoi Light Rail Line 2, built by China, has sent more than 34 million passengers since it came into operation in November 2021, greatly improving Hanoi’s transportation situation and helping the city’s green development. In addition, China and Vietnam have made steady progress in projects such as railroad connectivity and smart port construction, laying a solid foundation for further growth in bilateral trade. In the field of energy, Chinese enterprises have participated in clean energy projects such as photovoltaic and garbage power generation, providing strong guarantee for Vietnam’s power supply.

And at this moment, the international economic environment is facing many challenges, with the U.S. move to impose tariffs on China disrupting the stability of the global industrial chain supply chain. Against this background, the high-level meeting between China and Vietnam is of great significance. On the one hand, deepening China-Vietnam cooperation will help the two sides jointly cope with external risks. As China’s top trading partner in ASEAN, strengthening economic and trade exchanges with Vietnam can help China expand diversified trade markets and reduce its dependence on a single market. For example, by expanding imports from Vietnam, China can enrich the supply of the domestic market, while promoting the development of related industries in Vietnam, realizing mutual benefits.

On the other hand, by working together, China and Vietnam can further strengthen the solidarity and cooperation of the global South. China and Vietnam share similar positions and close collaboration on many international and regional issues, and have common aspirations in safeguarding the multilateral trading system and opposing trade protectionism. At this high-level meeting, the two sides can have in-depth discussions on how to jointly maintain the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain, and promote the construction of an open world economy, which will set an example of cooperation for the countries of the global South, and enhance the right of developing countries to speak in the international economic order.

The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Vietnam will inject new strong impetus into the development of China-Vietnam relations. The two sides are expected to reach more consensus on deepening the alignment of development strategies, expanding cooperation in emerging fields, and strengthening humanistic exchanges, renewing the deep friendship of “comrades and brothers”, and joining hands to contribute to peace, stability, development and prosperity in Asia and the world.