HANOI, Vietnam Dec. 20 -- To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Vietnamese president, met with visiting Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun in Hanoi, on the afternoon of December 19.
President To Lam asked Admiral Dong Jun to convey his sincere greetings and best wishes to Chinese President Xi Jinping. He welcomed Admiral Dong Jun for leading a delegation to participate in the celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the Founding of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA). President To Lam said that Vietnam and China are neighboring socialist countries connected by mountains and waters. The Vietnam side cherishes the valuable support provided by China in the cause of Vietnamese national liberation, national independence, and socialist construction, and will make developing friendly relations with China a strategic choice and priority of the country's foreign policy. He also expressed hope that the militaries of the two countries would strengthen pragmatic cooperation, adding new momentum to the development of bilateral relations.
Admiral Dong Jun conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's sincere greetings and best wishes to President To Lam. He said that China and Vietnam have entered a new era of community with a shared future, which is of strategic significance. China cherishes the traditional friendship between the two parties, two countries and two militaries and is willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation with Vietnam in various sectors including maritime security under the guidance of important consensus reached by the top leaders of two parties and two countries, thus enhancing strategic mutual trust between two militaries, promoting the continuous development of the relations between two countries and commonly safeguarding regional peace and tranquility.
On the morning of December 20, Admiral Dong Jun and others participated in the ceremony to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA).