Prime Minister Chính Holds Productive Talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Tianjin
Tianjin, The Gulf Observer: Prime Minister of Vietnam Phạm Minh Chính held extensive talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday in Tianjin, on the sidelines of the 16th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum’s New Champions and as part of his working visit to China.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Chính conveyed warm greetings from General Secretary Tô Lâm, President Lương Cường, and National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn to General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and other senior Chinese leaders. He congratulated China on its remarkable socio-economic achievements and expressed confidence in its continued growth and global leadership.
Prime Minister Chính emphasized the importance of implementing three standard-gauge railway lines connecting Vietnam and China, urging the timely commencement of the Lào Cai–Hà Nội–Hải Phòng route by December 2025. He called on China to provide preferential financing, transfer technology, and offer training to support the development of a modern and synchronized Vietnamese railway system.
He also highlighted the positive momentum generated by recent high-level exchanges, including meetings between the two countries’ top leaders in 2024 and 2025, which have laid a strong foundation for enhanced cooperation across a wide range of fields. He reiterated Vietnam’s steadfast policy of prioritizing its relationship with China as an objective, natural, and strategic choice.
Premier Li Qiang conveyed warm greetings from President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese leadership to their Vietnamese counterparts and praised Prime Minister Chính’s consistent attendance at the WEF in China as a reflection of Vietnam’s commitment to the bilateral relationship.
Congratulating Vietnam on its socio-economic development and preparations for the 14th National Party Congress, Premier Li affirmed China’s support for Vietnam’s reform and development goals. He expressed appreciation for the deepening ties between the two Parties and States, marked by strengthened political trust, expanding economic and trade cooperation, and robust local and people-to-people exchanges.
Both leaders agreed to actively implement the shared understanding of the top leaders of their Parties and the outcomes of their bilateral meetings. They committed to maintaining regular high-level engagements, enhancing the quality and effectiveness of cooperation, and coordinating closely in multilateral forums to safeguard regional peace and stability and deliver tangible benefits to their peoples.
Prime Minister Chính proposed advancing security and defence collaboration as a core pillar of bilateral ties and suggested enhancing practical cooperation in infrastructure, currency, maritime affairs, education, training, finance, culture, and youth exchanges.
To ensure balanced and sustainable trade, he urged China to expand imports of Vietnamese agricultural products, accelerate electricity connectivity, develop smart border gates, and consider establishing a cross-border economic cooperation zone. He also called for investment in symbolic, large-scale joint projects in science, technology, healthcare, innovation, sports, tourism, and aviation.
Premier Li Qiang welcomed these proposals and voiced support for expediting the establishment of a joint committee on railway cooperation. He emphasized the importance of launching feasibility studies and adopting technically sound, safe, and regulation-compliant railway development plans.
China also pledged to increase imports of high-quality Vietnamese products and encouraged capable Chinese firms to invest in key areas such as artificial intelligence, digital transformation, the green economy, 5G, and satellite technologies. Premier Li expressed interest in strengthening people-to-people ties and fast-tracking livelihood improvement projects at the grassroots level.
The two sides also exchanged candid views on maritime issues and reaffirmed their commitment to properly managing differences and maintaining peace and stability at sea. Prime Minister Chính called for the strict implementation of high-level agreements and the 2011 “Agreement on Basic Principles Guiding the Settlement of Sea-Related Issues between Vietnam and China.” He urged efforts to reach an effective and substantive Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Both leaders also discussed regional and global matters of mutual concern and agreed to maintain close collaboration within international and regional frameworks. Premier Li welcomed Vietnam’s decision to become a partner country of the BRICS grouping, reflecting the country’s growing international role and engagement.
The talks concluded with both sides reaffirming their shared commitment to fostering a comprehensive, strategic, and mutually beneficial partnership for the future.
