Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his entourage left Hanoi on November 5 for the 8th Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Summit in China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

His trip to China from November 5-8 also includes attendance at the 10th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Summit, the 11th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam (CLMV) Cooperation Summit, and working sessions.

The PM is accompanied by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan, Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat, Government Inspector General Doan Hong Phong, Minister and Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs Hau A Lenh, Secretary of the Lai Chau provincial Party Committee Giang Pao My, Secretary of the Dien Bien provincial Party Committee Tran Quoc Cuong, Secretary of the Cao Bang provincial Party Committee Tran Hong Minh, General Director of the Voice of Vietnam Do Tien Sy, Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of Public Security Lieut. Gen. Le Van Tuyen, Deputy Chairman of the Government Office Nguyen Sy Hiep, Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai and Vietnamese Consul General in China’s Kunming Hoang Minh Son.

These are the first in-person high-level activities of the GMS, ACMECS and CLMV mechanisms since 2018. Vietnam views these cooperation platforms as strategic venues to connect with top significant partners and enhance international support for the Mekong sub-region's development.

Vietnam's active and proactive participation in these mechanisms reflects its commitment to contributing to the common interests of the region, improving sub-regional cooperation effectiveness, and effectively pooling external resources for national development.

This working trip comes at a time when Vietnam-China fine neighbourliness is flourishing, characterised by the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. The highlight is high-level visits between the two countries' leaders in recent times.

Economic cooperation, trade and investment between Vietnam and China have seen substantial strides, with two-way trade reaching 171.9 billion USD in 2023. China remains Vietnam’s largest trade partner and second largest export market. Meanwhile, Vietnam is China's largest trade partner in ASEAN and its fifth largest globally.

The trip underscores Vietnam’s message of valuing and contributing to the promotion of the GMS, ACMECS and CLMV mechanisms, as well as overall Mekong sub-regional cooperation, creating a breakthough in a new phase of development. At th♍e same time, it aims to continue strengthening and boosting friendly neighbourliness and the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries and the Vietnam - China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance./.