Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted an official welcome ceremony for Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who is on a three-day official visit to Vietnam, in Hanoi on October 13 with the highest protocol for visiting foreign heads of governments.

This is Li’s first official visit to Vietnam in his new position, and also the first by a Chinese Premier over the past 11 years. It takes place at the time when the two countries are preparing for celebration of the 75th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties in 2025, and following important visits by their high-ranking leaders.

The visit is expected to help strengthen the relations between the two Parties and countries intensively, practically, and comprehensively, meeting the aspirations and common interests of the two countries’ people, for peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

The two PMs inspected the guard of honour, and then visited an exhibition featuring Vietnam and its people, as well as the thriving relations between the two countries, which is jointly organised by the Government Office and the Vietnam News Agency, before holding talks.

Earlier, right after arriving in Hanoi on October 12 afternoon, Li met with Party General Secretary and State President To Lam. During his visit, the Chinese Premier is scheduled to meet with Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man, and join with PM Chinh in attendance at the Vietnam – China Business Forum and some other activities.

The trip takes place in the context that the two nations are gearing towards the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations (January 18, 1950 - 2025) as well as following the state visits by General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping to Vietnam in December 2023 and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam to China in August 2024, and a tour of China by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions and working sessions in the country in June.

The visit is a continuation of the tradition of high-level exchanges between the two Parties and two countries, and is of great significance in further strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, promoting the building of a Vietnam-China community of a shared future that carries strategic significance in the direction of “six major goals”.

China has continuously been Vietnam's largest trading partner and Vietnam's second largest export market. Vietnam is China's largest trading partner in ASEAN and China's 5th largest trading partner in the world. Bilateral trade reaching 171.9 billion USD in 2023 and 148.6 billion USD in the first nine months of 2024.

China's investment in Vietnam reached🌃 4.47 billion USD with 707 projects in 2023, making it the 4th largest investor in Vietnam in terms of registered capital and the largest in number of projects. In the first nine months of 2024, China was the second largest foreign investor in Vietnam with registered capital tot⛦aling 3.2 billion USD, accounting for 13% of the FDI in Vietnam. By August 2024, China had invested 29 billion USD in Vietnam, ranking 6th among 148 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with more than 4,800 projects./.