PM Phuc begins official visit to China

Those among guests welcoming the Vietnamese cabinet leader at the airport included China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin and Ambassador to Vietnam Hong Xiaoyong, Vietnamese Embassy staff and Vietnamese community representatives in the country. An official welcome ceremony for the PM and his entourage is scheduled to take place at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing later the same day. The Vietnamese government leader will then hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang and high-level meetings with Chinese Party and State leaders.

This is the first visit to China by a Vietnamese senior leader after the 12th National Party Congress.

The China visit by PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc takes place amidst flourishing Vietnam-China relations based on the comprehensive strategic partnership and regular exchange visits and meetings conducted by senior leaders. The trip is expected to maintain the positive development trend in the bilateral relations.

Vietnam and China established diplomatic ties on January 18, 1950.

Bilateral trade reached US$95.8 billion in 2015, a year-on-year increase of 14.6%. During the seven-month period of this year, Vietnam’s exports hit US$10.85 billion, up 14.93% while its imports were at US$16.47 billion, down 3.42%.

In the first half of 2016, China poured 537.6 million into 127 new investment projects in the Southeast Asian nation.

As of July 2016, China (excluding Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau), ran 1,500 investment projects in Vietnam valued at US$10.86 billion, ranking ninth out of the 116 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.

China continued to take the top spot in the number of tourists to Vietnam with nearly 1.5 million in the first seven months of 2016, accounting for over one quarter of international travelers to Vietnam in the period.

Both countries consented to take effective measures to lift two-way trade to US$100 billion in 2017. China pledged to pay greater to Vietnam’s trade deficit and gradually carry out large-scale investment projects as the better way to boost bilateral trade in the time to come.