The top leaders of China and Vietnam reached a consensus Wednesday that the two countries and two peoples should be good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners who trust, help and tolerate each other and develop together.
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President Jiang Zemin held talks with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nong Duc Manh and Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong in Hanoi Wednesday afternoon.
After the talks, the two countries signed a framework agreement on the provision of preferential loans by China to Vietnam and an agreement on economic and technical cooperation.
Friendly Relations to a Higher Level
Manh warmly welcomed Jiang and praised him as a great friend of the Vietnamese people. He said Jiang's visit will add new impetus to the development of bilateral relations and push the relations to a higher level.
Noting that bilateral relations have maintained a good momentum of all-round development over the past decade, Jiang said the mutual understanding, mutual trust, friendship and cooperation between the two parties, two countries and two peoples have reached a new level.
He said bilateral relations have entered a new stage of development since the two sides jointly set the principle of "long-term stability, orientation towards the future, good-neighborliness and friendship and all-round cooperation" in 1999.
As Nong Duc Manh visited China last year, Jiang and Manh agreed to make the friendly relations of all-round cooperation between the two parties and two countries even better and closer and pass on from generation to generation.
Jiang's Suggestion on Cooperation in Five Areas
In order to push forward the all-round development of bilateral relations in the new century, Jiang suggested that the two sides should work together in the following five areas:
High-level Exchanges
Firstly, to carry on the good tradition of high-level exchanges between the two parties and two countries and maintain frequent contact and meetings of their leaders so as to frankly and extensively exchange opinions on issues of common concern from time to time.
Trade & Economic Cooperation
Secondly, to continuously expand and deepen trade and economic cooperation between China and Vietnam, consolidate the material foundation of friendly bilateral relations, keep improving the efficiency and quality of cooperation and substantially lift bilateral trade and economic cooperation to a new level.
Spirit of Long-term Friendship
Thirdly, to educate the people, especially young people of the two countries, with the spirit of long-term friendship. To further strengthen exchanges among the young people in various forms so as to foster and bring up millions of successors of the cause of Sino-Vietnamese friendship.
Bilateral Cooperation
Fourthly, to strengthen bilateral cooperation on the issue of borders, accelerate the process of various follow-up work of the land boundary and the delimitation of the Beibu Bay territorial sea and build the borders between China and Vietnam into borders of long-term peace, stability and friendship.
Experience and Consultation
Fifthly, to deepen the share of the experience between the parties and governments of the two countries and strengthen their consultation, cooperation and coordination on international issues so as to facilitate and try to create a better external environment for the construction and development of both countries.
Jiang expressed the belief that under the earnest efforts of the two sides, the long-standing flower of Sino-Vietnamese friendship will flourish more brightly in the new century.
Bi-relations in Best Period: Manh
Manh said the relations between the two parties and two countries are now in the best period of development over the past decade. He emphasized that the two parties and two countries share many common points. The CPV, the Vietnamese government and people will always treasure the Vietnamese-Chinese relationship of comrades and brothers.
Long-term Policy of Vietnamese Side
It's the prior orientation and long-term policy of the Vietnamese side to develop the good-neighborly and friendly relations of cooperation between Vietnam and China. The Vietnamese side will educate its people to inherit and carry forward the traditional friendship cultivated by the older generation of revolutionaries of the two countries and pass it on from generation to generation.
Cooperation and Exchanges to Be furthered
He suggested that the two sides should maintain the tradition of high-level meetings, strengthen exchanges in all fields, promote mutually beneficial cooperation and increase in-depth share of theory and experience.
Manh noted that the 16th CPC National Congress to be held later this year will be the first national meeting of the CPC in the new Millennium. He expressed the belief that the meeting will be a great success under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee. He wishes the meeting success.
Greater Opportunities than Challenges: Jiang
Great Achievements Made by Vietnam
Jiang highly praised the great achievements that Vietnam made in the cause of renovation and socialist construction. He expressed the belief that under the leadership of the CPV Central Committee, Vietnam will definitely realize the goals set by the Ninth National Congress of CPV.
Both Countries Facing Greater Opportunities than Challenges
Jiang said the international situation is undergoing the most profound changes since the end of the Cold War, with unpredictable and unstable factors on the rise. However, he pointed out that the general layout of the international situation and the general trend of economic globalization remained unchanged. Peace and development remain to be the theme of the times. He said both China and Vietnam are facing greater opportunities than challenges.
He said both countries should follow the general trend and face the challenges by focusing on economic development and their own things so as to promote peace and development in the region and the world.
He also briefed the Vietnamese side about the development of China in the past year.
After the talks, the top leaders of the two countries attended the signing ceremony of two agreements between the governments of the two countries. Before the talks, Manh and Luong held a grand welcome ceremony for Jiang.
(People's Daily February 28, 2002)
