Xi, Trong exchange greetings for festival

Leaders of socialist neighbors highlight common interests amid global changes

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, exchanged greetings with Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, on Tuesday on the upcoming Spring Festival, a traditional festival celebrated by both Chinese and Vietnamese peoples.

In his message, Xi said 2021 was extraordinary for both the CPC and the CPV, as well as for China and Vietnam.

The CPC celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding in 2021, Xi said, adding that China has embarked on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects, and the Chinese people are striding confidently on the path toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The CPV held its 13th National Congress in the same year, and is leading the Vietnamese people in implementing the resolution adopted in the meeting and in marching toward the development goals set in the meeting, Xi said.

China and Vietnam are socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, and form a community with a shared future that has strategic significance, Xi emphasized. The two countries are sharing more common interests as the world faces combined challenges posed by profound changes and the pandemic, he said.

The CPC and the CPV have adhered to people-centered approaches, kept deepening friendly cooperation between the two countries and promoted socioeconomic development and pandemic response in a coordinated manner, Xi said.

Also, they have pushed forward their countries' causes of reform and opening-up, which have witnessed new accomplishments one after another and demonstrated the strengths and vitality of the socialist system, Xi added.

Xi said he hopes to keep close communication with Trong in 2022 to steer China-Vietnam ties toward sustained development for the better.

Xi also expressed his hope that the two countries will uphold the spirit of good neighbors, good friends, good comrades and good partners, consolidate their traditional friendship and enhance political mutual trust.

Xi called for the two neighbors to deepen pragmatic cooperation, handle their differences properly, work together to tackle challenges and lift regional cooperation to a new level.

In his message, Trong said the consensus he had reached with Xi has played a strategic and leading role in promoting the sustained, sound and steady development of the ties between the two political parties and between the two countries.

Trong said he hopes to work with Xi to increase political mutual trust and strengthen people-to-people exchanges and pragmatic cooperation, especially in response to COVID-19, trade and investment.