On 2 November 2022, H.E. Mr. Shi Zhongjun, Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Centre, gave a written interview to Vietnamese Newspaper Nhan Dan on the visit to China by Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV), which was published on the newspaper’s Vietnamese and Chinese websites as follows.

In the interview with Nhan Dan’s Beijing correspondent Do Huu Hung, H.E. Mr. Shi Zhongjun, Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) said that the visit by Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam to China, is the first visit by a top foreign leader to China after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and the first diplomatic event of the new leadership of CPC Central Committee hosted by China.

Mr. Shi Zhongjun noted that Viet Nam and China have the same political system and similar development paths, with a shared future. Strengthening friendship and cooperation between Viet Nam and China is not only in the fundamental interests of both sides, but also conducive to regional peace, stability and development. The visit will further elevate the bilateral relations, and inject new impetus into the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between ASEAN and China, which was established late last year.

Mr. Shi Zhongjun stressed that as the only inter-governmental organization established by ASEAN Member States (AMS) and China, ACC will actively implement the consensus reached by the leaders of Viet Nam and China, promote economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides, and continue to provide all round support to Viet Nam and other AMS in conducting exchanges and cooperation with China.

According to its website, Nhan Dan is the official newspaper of CPV Central Committee and was officially launched on 11 March 1951.