On 26 July 2024, Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) went to the Embassy of Vietnam to China to mourn the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee.

     Shi Zhongjun walked to Nguyen Phu Trong's portrait, paused to pay silent tribute before bowing three times to the portrait, and signed the book of condolences. He expressed his profound sadness at the passing of Nguyen Phu Trong to Ambassador Pham Sao Mai of Vietnam to China and commended that Nguyen Phu Trong, as a great leader of the CPV and the Vietnamese people, had made outstanding contributions to China-Vietnam as well as China-ASEAN relations. Ambassador Pham expressed his appreciation for Secretary General Shi to come to pay his condolences, and stressed that the Vietnamese side will carry on Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong's aspirations and continue pushing forward the growth of Vietnam-China and ASEAN-China relations.