Significance of General Secretary, President To Lam's upcoming visit to China

This is the first foreign visit by General Secretary To Lam since he was elected as State President of Viet Nam on April 7, 2026. 

The visit takes place exactly one year after Xi Jinping's State visit to Viet Nam. It is the third mutual visit between the top leaders of the two Parties and countries within a short period of less than two years.

To Lam's China visit carries significance in three dimensions, Standing Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu told reporters ahead of the visit.

First, it marks a new beginning in bilateral relations as both countries enter new development phases. Viet Nam has embarked on a new era following the successful 14th National Party Congress, while China is implementing its 15th Five-Year Socio-Economic Development Plan.

The early arrangement of this visit reflects the high priority and strong determination of both sides to further strengthen the relationship described as 'both comrades and brothers,' making it more stable, substantive, and sustainable in the future," Vu said.

Second, the visit provides an important opportunity to elevate strategic connectivity and define a new level for relations between the two Parties and countries. The top leaders of the two Parties and States are expected to outline new directions and breakthroughs in cooperation across key areas, including economy, trade, investment, tourism, supply chains, production chains, education and training, and science and technology—contributing to the realization of each country's development goals and aspirations.

Third, the visit is also expected to enhance political trust, promote solutions to address existing differences and obstacles, and strengthen people-to-people exchanges and local-level cooperation. This, in turn, will contribute to a more stable and sustainable bilateral relationship, while supporting peace, stability, and cooperation in the region and beyond.

Vu emphasized that the increasingly stable, effective, and substantive relationship between the two countries will play a significant role in achieving their growth and development goals in the new era, while contributing to maintaining stability, security, cooperation and development in the region and the world amid ongoing uncertainties.

"This visit is therefore expected to be highly significant, leaving a strong mark and creating new momentum for bilateral relations," he affirmed.

Positive growth momentum

Viet Nam and China have maintained positive growth momentum in the bilateral ties over recent years, with notable and comprehensive progress guided by the "six more" orientation.

Political trust has been strengthened, continuing to play a strategic guiding role in advancing bilateral ties across multiple areas, said the Standing Deputy Foreign Minister.

Cooperation in diplomacy, defense, and security has seen meaningful developments, highlighted by the successful organization of the first-ever 3+3 Strategic Dialogue at the ministerial level involving the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Public Security.

Substantive cooperation—particularly in economy, trade, and investment—remains a bright spot. Viet Nam has retained its position as China's largest trading partner within ASEAN for 10 consecutive years, and in 2024 and 2025, it ranked as China's fourth-largest trading partner globally.

People-to-people exchanges, as well as cooperation in education, culture, tourism, and local partnerships, have flourished. In 2025, Viet Nam welcomed 5.28 million Chinese visitors, a 41.3 percent increase from the previous year, making China the largest source of international tourists to Viet Nam.

The two countries have also maintained close coordination in multilateral frameworks, sharing common views on supporting multilateralism with the UN at its core and international law as its foundation, while backing each other's major development initiatives.

On border and territorial issues, the land border situation has remained generally stable. Mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation on maritime issues are regularly maintained, with both sides emphasizing the importance of managing and appropriately addressing differences to preserve peace, stability, and development in the region.

According to Vu, a key factor behind these achievements is the strong mutual trust and understanding between the top leaders of the two Parties and countries, along with the active participation and support of ministries, sectors, localities, businesses, and citizens of both nations.

These accomplishments, he noted, form a solid foundation for further advancing bilateral relations in a stable, healthy, sustainable, and long-term direction. They also create important momentum for breakthroughs that could elevate Viet Nam–China relations to a new level, with expanded drivers and opportunities for cooperation following To Lam's state visit to China./.