Vietnam, China issue joint statement on deepening Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership in new era

Vietnam and China have issued a Joint Statement on further deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and advancing the building of a Vietnam China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance at a higher level in the new era.

The joint statement was reached during the state visit to China by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam, made at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President Xi Jinping from April 14-17.

During the visit, the Vietnamese leader held talks with his Chinese counterpart and met with Premier Li Qiang, Chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee Zhao Leji, and Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning. The two sides exchanged views on their respective Party and national situations, as well as on regional and international issues, reaching broad and important common understandings.

Both sides affirmed that the CPV and the CPC share historic missions to advance national development, improve people’s well-being, and contribute to global progress. They emphasised that maintaining and strengthening the comprehensive leadership of the two Parties constitutes a fundamental guarantee for advancing socialist modernisation in each country and for ensuring the long-term, stable and healthy development of bilateral relations.

The two sides agreed that Vietnam and China, sharing common aspirations and development paths, view the bilateral relationship as a strategic choice of overarching and long-term significance. China reaffirmed its consistent policy of friendship with Vietnam and its priority status in China’s neighbourhood diplomacy, while Vietnam reiterated that relations with China remain an objective requirement, a strategic choice and a top priority in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification.

Both sides stressed the importance of carrying forward the traditional friendship described as “both comrades and brothers,” nurtured by past leaders, and of adhering to guiding principles of “friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability and future orientation,” as well as the spirit of being “good neighbours, good friends, good comrades and good partners.” They committed to advancing the overall goal of “six major orientations,” including stronger political trust, more substantive defence and security cooperation, deeper practical collaboration, firmer social foundations, closer multilateral coordination, and more effective management and resolution of differences.

Vietnam congratulated China on the CPC’s 105th founding anniversary and its recent national achievements, expressing confidence in China’s continued progress toward modernisation. In turn, China congratulated Vietnam on the success of the 14th National Party Congress, the election of deputies to the 16th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2026-2031 term as well as the organisation of the first session of the 16th NA, expressing support for Vietnam’s ongoing reform, industrialisation and modernisation, and international integration.

Both sides agreed that high-level strategic guidance is crucial to bilateral relations, while practical cooperation serves as a driving force and people-to-people friendship as a foundation. They pledged to build on past achievements, further enhance political trust, deepen cooperation across sectors, strengthen social foundations and expand multilateral coordination, while effectively managing and resolving differences.

They agreed that these achievements fully reflect the strategic nature and high level of Vietnam China relations, demonstrating the accomplishments of China’s socialist modernisation and Vietnam’s ‘Doi moi’ (Renewal) process. Both sides also agreed to continue adhering to the overarching goal of the “six major orientations,” and steadily advance the Vietnam China community with a shared future toward greater depth, substance and effectiveness.

Both sides held that regular contacts between the top leaders of the two Parties and the two countries, which set directions and guide the development of Vietnam China relations, are of particularly important strategic significance. They agreed to continue maintaining high-level exchanges through forms such as mutual visits, the dispatch of special envoys, hotlines, letters, annual meetings, and meetings on the sidelines of multilateral forums. These will help promptly exchange views on major issues in bilateral ties as well as regional and international situations, thereby steering the Vietnam China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership in the new era toward sound, stable development from a strategic and long-term vision.

The two sides agreed to fully bring into play the special role of the Party-to-Party channel as a foundation for safeguarding the two Parties and the socialist regimes in each country, while promoting the steady development of bilateral relations. They agreed to continue implementing the new cooperation plan between the two Parties, organise theoretical seminars, and strengthen exchanges and cooperation between corresponding agencies at the central and local levels, especially in border provinces.

The two sides also agreed to further strengthen friendly exchanges and cooperation between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the National People’s Congress of China, the two Governments, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. They will continue to effectively organise meetings of the cooperation committee between the two legislatures and exchanges between mass organisations, particularly in border areas. The role of the Vietnam China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation and the “3+3” strategic dialogue mechanism at ministerial level among the two countries' foreign affairs, defence and public security ministries will be further promoted to coordinate development and security, deepen comprehensive strategic cooperation, and advance the building of a Vietnam China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Both sides concurred to effectively implement cooperation agreements between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs, maintain regular contacts between their leaders, and enhance exchanges between departments and agencies, while supporting improved working and living conditions for diplomatic missions in each country.

The Vietnamese side reaffirmed its adherence to the “one China” policy, recognising that there is only one China in the world, that Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, and that the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing all of China. Vietnam supported the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and China's cause of national unification, firmly opposes any separatist activity seeking “Taiwan independence”, and consistently backed the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. The Vietnamese side does not develop any state-level relations with Taiwan. Vietnam held that the issues of Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet are China’s internal affairs, and supported China in maintaining the stable development of Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet. The Chinese side expressed its support for Vietnam in maintaining social stability, ensuring national security, development, and national unity, and addressing both traditional and non-traditional security challenges.

The two sides agreed to enhance high-level and all-level exchanges between their militaries, making full use of mechanisms such as border defence friendship exchanges and defence policy dialogues. Cooperation will be expanded in areas including political work, officer training, joint exercises and training, research, defence industry, naval visits and military inspection. They will also expand cooperation in logistics, military medicine, United Nations peacekeeping operations, and non-traditional security.

Border defence cooperation will be deepened through strengthened coordination in border management, joint land border patrols, and the encouragement of friendship ties between the two countries' border guard forces. The two sides will continue to effectively implement joint patrols in the Gulf of Tonkin and deepen exchanges and cooperation between their navies and coast guards, while strengthening multilateral security cooperation to promote regional peace and stability.

Both sides agreed to further deepen cooperation between their security and law enforcement agencies, effectively utilising mechanisms such as the ministerial-level conference on crime prevention, the hotline between the two ministers of Public Security, and deputy ministerial-level security dialogues. They will enhance high-level exchanges and coordination in safeguarding political security, ensuring safety for high-level visits and major political and diplomatic events.

Cooperation will be strengthened in security, intelligence, counter-terrorism, and the fight against cross-border crimes, including telecommunications fraud, online gambling, drug trafficking, human trafficking, economic crimes, illegal migration, and violations of immigration regulations. The two sides will also cooperate in the arrest and handover of wanted persons, recovery of illicit assets, and protection of the legitimate rights and interests of their citizens and organisations in each other’s country.

They agreed to coordinate in international law enforcement campaigns such as the “Mekong Dragon” initiative, while enhancing cooperation against smuggling, trade fraud, illegal cross-border transport of goods, and trafficking of narcotics, precursors, endangered wildlife, explosives, dual-use goods, tobacco and counterfeit products.

Both sides stressed the importance of the deputy ministerial-level strategic security dialogue mechanism, strengthening intelligence sharing and exchanging experience in countering interference, separatism, “colour revolutions” and “peaceful evolution” of hostile forces, while safeguarding economic and technological security and ensuring the safety of key cooperation projects. The Vietnamese side announced its intention to officially join the Lancang-Mekong Integrated Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Centre and expressed its readiness to participate as a co-founding member of an international alliance against telecommunications fraud.

In the field of law and justice, both sides agreed to intensify cooperation and exchanges between their respective ministries of justice, effectively implement signed memoranda of understanding and cooperation programmes, and strengthen collaboration in resolving civil and commercial disputes in border areas. They will maintain the mechanism of justice conferences among border provinces and enhance exchanges on building a socialist rule-of-law state.

Cooperation between procuracy agencies will also be strengthened through regular exchanges, mutual visits, training programmes, and coordination in protecting public interests and vulnerable groups. Both sides will continue to share experience in anti-corruption efforts, enhance coordination in multilateral frameworks, and promote cooperation in law enforcement in the judicial field regarding corruption combat.

The two sides agreed to step up communication and public education on the traditional friendship of being “both comrades and brothers” between the two Parties and countries, while highlighting exemplary models of people-to-people cooperation. They will expand exchanges and collaboration in cinema, publishing and media, and promote projects to translate and publish classical works from both Vietnam and China.

Both sides also agreed to enhance exchanges among mass organisations such as trade unions, women’s and youth organisations, as well as between localities with established friendship ties.

They concurred on continuing the effective implementation of their cultural and tourism cooperation plan for 2023 2027 between relevant agencies, while encouraging cultural organisations and art troupes to strengthen exchanges and collaboration. Vietnam expressed support for the China Cultural Centre in Hanoi to expand its activities; and China welcomed Vietnam’s plan to establish a culture centre in Beijing.

The two countries announced the launch of the “Vietnam China Tourism Cooperation Years 2026 2027”, agreeing to elevate tourism cooperation as an important bridge for people-to-people exchanges and socio-economic development. Cooperation in sports will also be strengthened, with sporting bodies encouraged to enhance coordination in international events.

In education, both sides agreed to effectively implement the Vietnam China education cooperation agreement and explore the establishment of a joint committee on education and training cooperation. They will promote exchanges of teachers, students and scholars. China welcomes and encourages more outstanding Vietnamese students to study and conduct research in China, pledging to offer additional scholarships. Vocational training cooperation and language exchange programmes will also be deepened, alongside partnerships between schools, universities and research institutions.

The two sides affirmed support for increased exchanges and cooperation between localities, particularly border provinces/regions, and agreed to continue mechanisms such as spring meetings between Party Secretaries of Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang and Hai Phong of Vietnam and Guangxi of China, as well as an annual meeting involving Party Secretaries of Vietnam’s Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, Dien Bien, and Lai Chau, and of China’s Yunnan.

Both sides also reaffirmed their firm commitment to upholding the international system with the United Nations at its core, an international order grounded in international law, and the fundamental norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. They pledged to jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, uphold solidarity and cooperation within the international community, and promote the shared values of humanity, including peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom. They expressed support for an equal, orderly multipolar world and inclusive economic globalisation that delivers shared benefits, while advancing a more just and equitable global governance system. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing independent, self-reliant and peaceful foreign policies, upholding genuine multilateralism, and jointly opposing hegemonism and power politics, as well as unilateralism in all its forms and any actions that undermine regional peace and stability.

They agreed to promote cooperation within major initiatives, including the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, in order to jointly address global challenges. The sides will continue to enhance coordination and cooperation in international and regional frameworks such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), BRICS, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), ASEAN China and Mekong Lancang cooperation mechanisms, while supporting each other’s candidacies in international organisations and working together to safeguard peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.

Vietnam spoke highly of the important role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in maintaining regional stability and development, and expressed its readiness to maintain exchanges on the possibility of becoming a partner of the SCO.

Both countries will continue to advance internal procedures towards the early ratification of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime (Hanoi Convention), promote its early entry into force and effective implementation.

The two sides agreed to promote the comprehensive and effective implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and welcomed the application by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to join the agreement.

Vietnam expressed its support for China’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), in line with the agreement’s standards and procedures. Vietnam also voiced support for China hosting APEC in 2026, while China backed Vietnam’s hosting of APEC in 2027. The sides further affirmed support for countries to engage in equal negotiations to address trade issues through measures consistent with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Both sides also agreed to bolster cooperation in the Mekong Lancang framework, jointly building a community with a shared future for peace and prosperity in the sub-region.

On human rights, they affirmed that promoting and protecting them is a shared goal of humanity. It is necessary to take into account each country’s specific conditions in identifying approaches to human rights development that best meet the needs of its people. The two sides expressed readiness to promote exchanges and cooperation in the field on the basis of equality and mutual respect, while resolutely opposing the politicisation and instrumentalisation of human rights, double standards, and the use of human rights issues as a pretext for interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states.

Both sides emphasised the need to better manage and actively resolve disagreements at sea, while maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea. They agreed to adhere to important common perceptions reached by the senior leaders of the two Parties and countries, based on the agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues between Vietnam and China. The two sides will persist in resolving disputes through friendly consultations, actively seek fundamental and long-term solutions acceptable to both parties, in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and refrain from actions that could complicate the situation or expand disputes, thereby maintaining stability at sea. They also agreed to promote discussions on delimitation of waters outside the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and on maritime cooperation for mutual development, aiming for substantive progress; and to actively expand cooperation in less sensitive maritime areas and enhance coordination in search and rescue at sea.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to working with ASEAN countries and China to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and to soon conclude an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Both sides also agreed to continue implementing the three legal documents on the Vietnam China land border and to strengthen cooperation in border management and protection as well as cross-border development collaboration.

During the visit, the two countries signed a number of cooperation agreements covering Party channels, security, justice, economy, supply chains, customs, science and technology, social affairs, human resources, media and locality-to-locality cooperation.

The two sides noted that the State visit to China by Party General Secretary and State President To Lam was a great success, positively contributing to strengthening the traditional friendship and accelerating the building of the Vietnam China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, thus promoting peace, stability, development, and prosperity in the region and the world.

On this occasion, the Vietnamese leader invited Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping to visit Vietnam at an early date, and the Chinese leader gladly accepted./.