Hanoi (VNA) - Vietname💙se National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man met✤ with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who is on a three-day official visit to Vietnam, in Hanoi on October 13.

Man warmly welcomed and spoke highly of Li's first official visit to Vietnam in his capacity as the Premier, which is also the first Vietnam visit by a Chinese premier over the past 11 years. The top legislator stressed that Li's visit marks a significant milestone in the bilateral relations as the two nations are striving to build a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, contributing to maintaining regular high-level strategic exchanges, advancing the concretisation of common perceptions, realising the agreements signed during visits by senior leaders, and creating new momentum for the bilateral relationship, including cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the National People's Congress of China. Reviewing achievements in the ties between the two Parties, nations and legislatures, Man and Li agreed that the bilateral relationship is entering the phase of profound, comprehensive and substantive development. Vietnam remains unwavering in its commitment to strengthening and developing its cooperative and friendship relationship with China, considering it a consistent policy, an objective requirement, a strategic choice and a top priority in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, cooperation, development, multilateralisation and diversification of external ties, Man said. Li, for his part, affirmed that China considers Vietnam a priority its neighborhood diplomacy policy. Expressing delight at the fruitful meeting and talks between Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Li, the NA Chairman put forth recommendations to further enhance the bilateral cooperation, including strengthening political trust, advancing economic, trade and investment collaboration in a balanced and sustainable manner, and stepping up people-to-people friendship exchanges. Other suggestions include accelerating the connectivity of rail and expressway infrastructure, expanding Vietnam's exports of agricultural and aquatic products to China, broadening collaboration in digital economy, green development and renewable energy, and effectively holding activities for the Year of Vietnam-China Humanistic Exchanges 2025. Regarding parliamentary cooperation, the Vietnamese NA and the National People's Congress of China should continue upholding their legislative and supervisory roles in promoting the bilateral relations, increasing the sharing of experiences in institutional improvement and building of a socialist law-governed state under the Party's leadership, Man said. On marine issues, both sides need to thoroughly understand and seriously implement high-level agreements and common perceptions, better control and settle disputes at sea through peaceful means in accordance with the agreement on the basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues between Vietnam and China, and international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Li expressed support for Man’s proposals, reaffirming that the Chinese Party, State and people want to work together with their Vietnamese counterparts to continuously consolidate, preserve and promote the friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, and build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, contributing to socialist building and modernisation in both countries. The Premier put forward three key proposals to enhance bilateral exchanges and cooperation in the time ahead. First, he advocated for maintaining regular strategic exchanges between the high-ranking leaders of the two Parties and countries in order to have timely discussions on strategic matters regarding the bilateral ties, as well as regional and international issues, providing strategic guidelines for building the China-Vietnam community with a shared future. Second, he called for expanding cooperation between the two legislative bodies, suggesting the effective implementation of the cooperation mechanism between the National People's Congress of China and Vietnam’s National Assembly. Premier Li said he welcomes the Vietnamese top legislator to visit China to further enhance legislative exchanges. Third, he emphasised strengthening public support for the bilateral relations, and the organisation of activities for the 2025 Year for Vietnam-China Humanistic Exchange. At the end of the meeting, Man asked Li to convey his invitation to Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China Zhao Leji to soon pay an official visit to Vietnam and co-chair the first meeting of the Vietnam-China Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Mechanism./.