Xi's visit to strengthen China-Vietnam bond, regional growth

MULTILATERAL COLLABORATION

As the world undergoes accelerated changes unseen in a century, regional peace and development face mounting challenges, making solidarity and cooperation more crucial than ever.

China and Vietnam, both vocal advocates of multilateralism, have actively engaged in regional and international cooperation to tackle common challenges and promote shared prosperity.

The two nations play active roles within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations cooperative framework, contributing to the bloc's efforts to foster economic integration and regional stability.

Both nations are signatories to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), underscoring their dedication to an open, rules-based trading system.

Noting that the trade war and tariff war will produce no winner, and protectionism will lead nowhere, Xi said in the signed article that "our two countries should resolutely safeguard the multilateral trading system, stable global industrial and supply chains, and open and cooperative international environment."

China and Vietnam can work together to uphold the global order based on international law, including an international trade system based on established international norms, said Tran Khanh, former editor-in-chief of the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

As RCEP members, the two countries can use this platform to promote deeper regional integration and contribute to a stable trading system, Do Thi Thu said, adding that the two neighboring countries can also work together to make greater contributions to regional stability.

Xi's visit underscores the commitment of both Vietnam and China to peaceful development and regional stability, said Bui Minh Long, managing editor of the Vietnamese daily newspaper Tien Phong. "I believe that closer Vietnam-China relations will become a stabilizing force in Southeast Asia," Bui said.

Amid a complex and volatile international landscape, Ambassador He emphasized that China and Vietnam should deepen their comprehensive strategic cooperation and inject more certainty and stability into the region. This, he said, is not only an essential aspect of building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, but also a necessary step to promote regional cooperation and development.