The Chinese Prime Minister arrived in Hanoi, starting his visit to Vietnam

The visit of Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang took place on October 12-14, at the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. This is the first time Prime Minister Ly Cuong has visited Vietnam since taking office in March 2023.

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai and other officials welcomed the delegation at the airport.

Ambassador Pham Sao Mai said this is the first visit to Vietnam in 11 years by the Chinese Prime Minister, taking place at a time of special significance for bilateral relations, when the two countries aim to celebrate the 75th anniversary. established diplomatic relations and immediately followed important visits by senior leaders of both sides.

China was the first country to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam on January 18, 1950. The two countries established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2008.

At the end of 2023, General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Vietnam. In August, General Secretary and President To Lam paid a state visit to China.

China is continuously 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.

In 2023, the total trade turnover of the two countries will reach 171.9 billion USD. Trade in the first 8 months of the year reached 130.78 billion USD, an increase of 25%.

China’s investment in Vietnam last year reached 4.47 billion USD with 707 projects, making it the 4th largest investor in Vietnam in terms of registered capital and the largest in number of projects. In the first 8 months of the year, China ranked third with registered capital, reaching nearly 1.7 billion USD, but ranked first in the number of new projects with 662 projects.

Accumulated to August, China invested 29 billion USD in Vietnam, ranking 6th among 148 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with more than 4,800 projects.

In 2023, 1.75 million Chinese tourists will come to Vietnam, ranking second after South Korea. In the first 8 months of the year, 2.4 million Chinese visitors came to Vietnam, accounting for 21.4% of the total number of international visitors. Vietnam has 23,000 international students studying in China, double the number before Covid-19.

Pham Giang