Beijing, 19 August 2024 (TDI): Vietnamese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and To Lam arrived in Beijing on Sunday after a stop in Guangzhou, , kicking off his three-day state visit to China.
Experts believe the visit reflects Vietnam’s emphasis on strengthening its relations with China as a top priority while maintaining a balanced diplomacy among major powers, noting that the focus of this trip is not only on enhancing coordination between two socialist nations but also on strengthening infrastructure cooperation such as railway construction.
Lam was elected as general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee on August 3, following the death of former General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on July 19.
During his stay in Guangzhou, Lam followed the “red footprints” of the late Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh and reviewed his revolutionary activities in China.
#XiJinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, held welcoming ceremony for To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of #Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and Vietnamese president, on Monday in Beijing. pic.twitter.com/vq3XiDPuEf
— ShanghaiEye🚀official (@ShanghaiEye) August 19, 2024
Lam’s choice of Guangzhou as his first stop in China holds historical importance as this year marks the 100th anniversary of Ho’s revolutionary activities in Guangdong. It signifies the deep-rooted revolutionary tradition and friendship between the two nations, and underlines the close relations between the two parties, said Yu Xiangdong, director of the Institute for Vietnam Studies at the Zhengzhou University.
Guangzhou a Base for Comrades
In the early 20th century, Guangzhou attracted many Vietnamese patriots, making it the key overseas base for comrades like Ho.
Lam, his wife and a high-ranking delegation of his country paid a floral tribute to martyr Pham Hong Thai at his grave in the Huanghuagang Memorial Park in Guangzhou, and visited the relic site of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League’s headquarters in the city early Sunday morning.
In addition, the Vietnamese delegation also aims to learn from China’s opening-up and reform process by studying the case of Guangzhou, which has been at the forefront of this process.
Given that Guangdong ranks at the top among Chinese provinces in terms of trade volume with Vietnam, the delegation would seek deepened cooperation to promote its own economic development, Dean of the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University Gu Xiaoson said.
China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner, with Guangdong accounting for 20% of the bilateral trade, and enjoying a productive collaboration with Vietnam in different fields.
