This Feb 1, 2021 shows Vo Van Thuong, a senior leader in the Communist Party of Vietnam, at a press conference after the closing ceremony of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s 13th National Congress at in Hanoi. (PHOTO / AFP)
BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday congratulated Vo Van Thuong on assuming office as president of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Noting that China and Vietnam are friendly socialist neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, Xi said that since last year he and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong have reached important consensus on consolidating traditional friendship, strengthening strategic communication and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.
They have also jointly drawn a grand blueprint for the development of the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era, he added.
READ MORE: Vo Van Thuong elected Vietnam's new president
The Chinese leader said that he attaches great importance to China-Vietnam relations.
Xi said he stands ready to work with Thuong to continuously promote sound and stable development of bilateral relations, so as to make progress towards jointly building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that bears strategic significance.
Vietnam's top legislature convened a special meeting and elected Thuong, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam, as the new president of the country with an approval rate of 98.38 percent, according to Vietnam News Agency.
The youngest among members of the party’s Politburo, Thuong will serve until the present term ends in 2026.