Parliamentary diplomacy strengthens Vietnam-China political trust
The trip also reaffirms Vietnam’s consistent policy of considering relations with China a strategic choice and a top priority in its foreign policy.
Beijing (VNA) – Parliamentary diplomacy is playing an increasingly important role in strengthening political trust between Vietnam and China, creating a legal framework for bilateral cooperation and helping translate high-level agreements into concrete policies and projects, Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Thanh Binh has said.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident correspondent in Beijing ahead of National Assembly (NA) President Tran Thanh Man’s official visit to China from October 11-15, the Ambassador highlighted the significance of the visit and the second session of the Cooperation Committee between the NA of Vietnam and the National People’s Congress of China (NPC).
The visit, to be made at the invitation of Chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC Zhao Leji, will be NA President Man’s first trip to China in his current position. It will take place as Vietnam is implementing the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress and the 16th National Assembly has begun its new term, while China enters the first year of its 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development.
Binh said the visit would continue the close high-level exchanges between the two Parties and countries and help implement common perceptions reached during General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping’s state visit to Vietnam in April 2025 and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam’s state visit to China in April 2026.
The trip also reaffirms Vietnam’s consistent policy of considering relations with China a strategic choice and a top priority in its foreign policy, he said.
According to the Ambassador, the visit is expected to deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and advance the building of a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance at a higher level in the new era, guided by the “six major orientations”.
The visit is also particularly important to cooperation between the two legislative bodies. Following the successful first session of the Cooperation Committee held in Hanoi on August 31, 2025, the second session is expected to make the mechanism more regular, with clearer programmes, priorities and areas of focus.
Binh noted that high-level orientations needed to be followed up through appropriate legal frameworks, coordination among specialised agencies and monitoring of implementation. This is a practical contribution that the two legislatures can make to bilateral relations.
Bilateral ties maintain positive momentum
Assessing Vietnam-China relations since the beginning of 2026, the Ambassador said development had remained positive and comprehensive, particularly following the top Vietnamese leader’s state visit to China in April.
Political trust has continued to be strengthened through regular high-level and other exchanges and the effective operation of cooperation mechanisms, including the Steering Committee for Vietnam-China Bilateral Cooperation and the “3+3” Ministerial Strategic Dialogue on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Public Security.
Defence and security cooperation has also become more substantive, while coordination at multilateral mechanisms and forums has continued to increase.
Economic and trade cooperation, investment and infrastructure connectivity have recorded strong growth. Railway connectivity has made new progress and entered a stage of substantive implementation, while the development of smart border gates and cross-border economic cooperation zones is being accelerated.
According to the Ambassador, bilateral trade reached approximately 216.1 billion USD in the first eight months of 2026, up 35.2% year on year. The figure reflects the increasingly close and complementary links between the two economies within regional production and supply chains.
Cooperation is also expanding into areas linked to future development, including science and technology, innovation, digital economy, green transition, clean energy and human resources development.
The two sides are paying greater attention to connecting production and supply chains, strengthening industrial capacity and using technology safely and effectively, he said.
Meanwhile, local-level cooperation, culture, education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges have remained vibrant. The two countries are actively implementing the Vietnam-China tourism cooperation year 2026-2027 and the “Red study tour” programmes for young people’s study and research, helping enhance mutual understanding and friendship and strengthen the social foundation of bilateral ties.
“These results show that the common perceptions and major orientations reached by the top leaders of the two Parties and countries are increasingly being translated into concrete cooperation outcomes, bringing practical benefits to the people of both countries,” Binh stressed.
Four priorities for parliamentary cooperation
The Ambassador described cooperation between the Vietnamese NA and the NPC of China as an important component of overall Vietnam-China relations.
Alongside Party-to-Party diplomacy, State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy, parliamentary diplomacy is increasingly contributing to political trust, creating legal frameworks for cooperation and helping turn high-level common perceptions and agreements into policies, cooperation programmes and practical benefits.
He shared his hope that NA President Man’s visit would lead to meaningful outcomes in four key areas.
First, it would further strengthen political trust and concretise common perceptions between the top leaders of the two Parties and countries, contributing to the development of the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and the building of the Vietnam–China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance at a higher level in the new period with “six major orientations”.
Second, the visit would elevate and deepen cooperation between the two legislative bodies, particularly through the second session of the Cooperation Committee. The two sides are expected to review implementation of previously agreed areas, identify priorities for the coming period and increase exchanges among specialised agencies on legislation, supervision, decision-making on major national issues and institutional development.
Third, the two legislatures are expected to enhance their role in creating legal frameworks and supervising the implementation of bilateral agreements and practical cooperation projects. They can also help identify and address policy and legal obstacles, particularly in infrastructure connectivity, trade and investment, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and human resources development, on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.
Fourth, parliamentary exchanges between deputies, friendship parliamentary groups and local-level legislative bodies will be strengthened, alongside people-to-people exchanges. The two sides will also step up coordination at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums, contributing to the effective management of differences and to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
Binh expressed his confidence that, with the determination of the two countries' leaders and close coordination between the NA of Vietnam and the NPC of China, the visit would mark new progress in cooperation between the two Parties and countries and between their legislative bodies, helping to further strengthen and develop the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership./.