Ambassador He Wei highlights three key phrases defining Vietnam-China relations in 2025
WVR - Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei emphasized the prominent features of Vietnam-China cooperation over the past year as 'large-scale, substantive, and innovative'.
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| Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei shares his assessment on the bilateral relations in 2025. (Photo: Anh Duc) |
On the afternoon of December 29, in Hanoi, the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam held a press briefing to highlight the significant achievements in bilateral relations and the direction for cooperation between Vietnam and China in the new phase.
As part of his regular press briefings, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei this time enthusiastically shared key highlights of the two countries’ relations in 2025. This year holds special significance, marking notable progress in bilateral ties as both sides actively implement the common understandings of their senior leaders and celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
Large-scale, Substantive, and Innovative
According to the Ambassador, the most important highlight of the past year was the historic reciprocal visits of the highest leaders of the two Parties and countries, particularly the visit to Vietnam by General Secretary and President of China, Xi Jinping.
This visit not only reaffirmed that Vietnam remains a top priority in China's neighboring diplomacy but also led to the signing of a record 45 cooperation documents, covering traditional areas from economics, trade, agriculture, culture to new fields such as artificial intelligence, infrastructure connectivity, and social welfare assurance.
Under the guidance of the senior leaders of both countries, exchanges and cooperation between China and Vietnam in 2025 were vibrant across all fields, especially the increasingly tight integration of industrial chains. More and more Chinese enterprises with strong financial and technological capabilities are choosing Vietnam as a priority destination in their overseas expansion strategy.
Assessing the practical cooperation between China and Vietnam in recent years, especially in 2025, Ambassador He Wei summarized it with three words: "large-scale, substantive, and innovative".
China continues to maintain its position as Vietnam's largest trading partner for over 20 consecutive years, with bilateral trade turnover in the first 11 months of 2025 surpassing the entire year of 2024 and reaching the highest level in the history of the two countries' trade exchanges. Investment cooperation and supply chain connectivity are continuously strengthened, bringing practical benefits to businesses and people on both sides.
Agricultural cooperation, cited by Ambassador He Wei, serves as evidence of "substantive" cooperation between the two countries, bringing tangible benefits to the people. Ambassador Ha Wei noted that Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports to China, particularly durian, reached 3.4 billion USD this year, with durian exports to China accounting for over 90% of Vietnam's durian export market. More than 60% of Vietnam's fruit and vegetable products are exported to China.
In the tourism sector, Vietnam has become one of the most favoured international destinations for Chinese tourists. Payment difficulties between the two countries are gradually being resolved, especially with the connection and compatibility of QR payment codes since early December this year, opening up opportunities to boost tourism between the two nations.
Regarding cultural exchanges, 2025 has been designated as the "Vietnam-China Humanistic Exchange Year" with numerous vibrant, diverse, and rich activities such as the "Red Journey," people's forums, and youth friendship meetings.
On the "innovative" aspect, Ambassador He Wei stated that China is entering a new development phase, with scientific and technological innovation as the main driving force, aligning with Vietnam's economic transition towards an innovation-based model: "During the implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan, China will continue to use technological innovation as a guiding principle, vigorously developing new productive forces. This logic aligns perfectly with Vietnam's strategy of transitioning its economy towards technological innovation".
Currently, the list of high-tech cooperation fields between the two countries is continuously expanding, with Chinese investment increasingly focusing on the green economy, energy transition, and essential areas of industrial modernization in Vietnam, including artificial intelligence. Strategic infrastructure projects such as three standard-gauge railway lines in northern Vietnam and the waste-to-energy plant project in Soc Son (Hanoi) are being vigorously promoted, contributing to Vietnam's modernization and green transition.
Reflecting on the achievements in 2025, Ambassador He Wei affirmed that Vietnam and China share a common development path and ideals. Sharing experiences and developing together not only serves the interests of each nation but also demonstrates the stability of the development path chosen by both sides. With a solid political foundation, increasingly deep and substantive cooperation, and continuously reinforced innovative momentum, Vietnam-China relations are expected to continue developing in a stable, long-term, and more effective direction in the future.
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| Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei, frequently hosts press briefings to inform about the bilateral relations over the past year. (Photo: Anh Duc) |
Strengthening strategic foundations
Looking towards 2026, Ambassador He Wei emphasized that this is a pivotal time as China begins implementing the 15th Five-Year Plan with the goal of fundamentally achieving socialist modernization by 2035.
This is also the year Vietnam holds its 14th National Party Congress, ushering in a new era - an era of national awakening. The similarities in development strategies regarding innovation, the digital economy, and new quality productive forces will be the driving force and foundation for the two countries to enhance strategic connectivity and share state governance experiences.
According to the Ambassador, the two countries need to intensify theoretical exchanges and experience sharing. Both sides should strengthen sharing and summarizing development experiences, thereby learning from each other and jointly forming a solid theoretical foundation for sustainable long-term development. Jointly researching development models suitable to each country's conditions and traditions is crucial in the context of a volatile international environment.
The two countries are enhancing the effectiveness of substantive cooperation, focusing on industrial and supply chains. Vietnam-China economic cooperation continues to be promoted in-depth, with tighter integration of production chains. Both sides encourage investment in high-value-added sectors while effectively leveraging China's vast market to expand Vietnam's export of goods.
The two countries are continuously deepening cultural exchanges. Strengthening people-to-people exchanges will create a solid social foundation, bringing practical benefits to both countries and reaffirming the traditional Vietnam-China friendship as an important driver for each side's development.
In the context of complex international developments, the Ambassador affirmed that China and Vietnam will continue to strengthen coordination and jointly promote global initiatives on development, security, civilization, and governance, making positive contributions to peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.
On the occasion of the New Year 2026, Ambassador He Wei extended best wishes to the Vietnamese people, expressing confidence that Vietnam will successfully organize the 14th National Congress of the Party, while affirming that the media agencies of both countries will continue to be an important bridge, contributing to nurturing the traditional Vietnam-China friendship.
