Vietnam-China Strategic Partnership

Vietnamese President To Lam undertook a three-day state visit in August 2024, marking his first overseas trip since assuming the country's top position earlier in the month. During his visit, from August 18 to 20, Lam held meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and other high-ranking officials.

The visit focused on high-level strategic dialogues aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between the countries and resulted in the signing of 14 memorandums of understanding covering cooperation in education, infrastructure, healthcare and banking.

The most prominent projects were related to infrastructure development, including plans for three standard-gauge cross-border rail links; the 555 kilometers Vientiane-Vung Ang railway, linking the Lao capital with a Vietnamese port; and the Hanoi metro, building on agreements reached during Xi’s visit to Vietnam in December 2023.

China and Vietnam established diplomatic relations in 1950 and upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in 2008, which was further strengthened in 2013 to address shared international and regional interests.

According to customs data, China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner and its second-largest export market, while Vietnam is China's largest trading partner within ASEAN and its fifth-largest trading partner globally. In 2023, trade between the two countries amounted to USD 229 billion, while Chinese investment in Vietnam reached USD 8.3 billion, accounting for 28.9 per cent of the country’s foreign investment.

The documents signed by the two countries include:

• A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA) and the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee (National Academy of Governance)

• An MoU on industrial cooperation between Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade and China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

• A certificate of the handover of the results of the aid project for Vietnam in the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong standard gauge railway planning between the two governments.

• An MoU on healthcare cooperation between Vietnam's Ministry of Health and China's National Health Commission.

• An MoU between the State Bank of Vietnam and the People's Bank of China on enhancing cooperation and information exchange in banking operations

• A protocol on plant quarantine requirement for fresh coconuts exported from Vietnam to China between Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the General Administration of Customs China (GACC)

• A protocol on plant quarantine and health requirements for farmed crocodiles exported from Vietnam to China between Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the General Administration of Customs China

• A protocol on plant quarantine and food safety for frozen durian exported from Vietnam to China between Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the General Administration of Customs China

• An MoU between Vietnam's Ministry of Planning and Investment and the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) on promoting development cooperation projects in the social and livelihood fields

• An official letter between Vietnam's Ministry of Transport and the CIDCA on the feasibility study of the technical aid project for planning two standard gauge railway routes of Lang Son-Hanoi and Mong Cai-Ha Long-Ha Noi

• An agreement on professional cooperation between Vietnam News Agency and China's Xinhua News Agency

• An MoU on strengthening cooperation between Vietnam Television and China Central Radio and Television

• An MoU between Vietnam's Ministry of Health and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine on cooperation in traditional medicine

• An MoU on press and media exchange program for 2024-2029 between the Vietnam Journalists' Association and the All-China Journalists Association (ACJA).