Xi meets chairman of Vietnam's National Assembly

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the Chairman of Vietnam's National Assembly Tran Thanh Man in Hanoi on Monday.

Xi, also Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee General Secretary, arrived in Hanoi earlier in the day for a two-day state visit, at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong. 

During the meeting, Xi said that during his state visit to Vietnam, he had witnessed the achievements of Vietnam's reforms and felt the deep foundation of China-Vietnam friendship. At present, both China and Vietnam are in a critical period of development and revitalization. Faced with the turbulent international situation, the two sides should strengthen solidarity and cooperation, continue to deepen the construction of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, and work together towards modernization, so as to bring more stability and positive energy to the world, he said.

Xi stressed that China and Vietnam are both socialist countries under the leadership of the Communist Party, and their political direction is related to the future and destiny of both parties and countries. The top leaders of the two parties and the two countries should exchange views on bilateral relations and major issues of common concern in a timely manner, to constantly build consensus and enhance mutual trust. It is necessary to maintain exchanges and cooperation between the two parties, legislative bodies, and political consultative organizations, and deepen exchanges of experience in state governance, Xi said.

He said the two sides should take the opportunity of celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Vietnam and the "China-Vietnam Year of People-to-People Exchange" to enhance mutual understanding and friendly feelings between the people of the two countries, especially the younger generation.

Xi said that the National People's Congress of China and the National Assembly of Vietnam have maintained frequent exchanges and interactions and achieved fruitful results in cooperation. The legislative bodies of the two countries should ensure the implementation of practical cooperation, conduct exchanges on the construction of socialist democracy and rule of law, and continuously enrich the connotation of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future.

For his part, Tran Thanh Man said that Xi's visit reflects the importance that the CPC, the Chinese government and people attach to Vietnam-China relations. The general secretaries of the two parties have provided important strategic guidance on promoting the construction of a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, which will open a new chapter in the bilateral relations.

On behalf of the Vietnamese National Assembly, Tran Thanh Man congratulated China for the successful convening of the "two sessions" political meetings this year, and said he looks forward to enhanced communication and cooperation with the National People's Congress of China to effectively implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries, and make positive contributions to promoting the common prosperity and development of the two countries and enhancing friendship between the two peoples.

Xi meets chairman of Vietnam's National Assembly

Xi meets chairman of Vietnam's National Assembly

Xi meets chairman of Vietnam's National Assembly

Xi meets chairman of Vietnam's National Assembly

African nations aim to push forward industrialization, agricultural transformation and trade growth in the future development, said African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf in an interview with the China Media Group released on Friday.

These three areas are very important focus for the AU to achieve the Agenda 2063, Africa's development blueprint to achieve inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development over a 50-year period, said Youssouf.

"We are working on the transformation of the continent through industrialization. And industrialization has prerequisites. One of them is energy. So we are developing on the continent energy pools everywhere in the regions relying on renewables, developing our own resources of energies. So this is also where we are making progress," he said.

As 80 percent of African people live in rural areas, transforming agriculture is very important, Youssouf said.

"[We'll have] reliance on smart grains, smart irrigation and developing the capacity of the African continent to increase the production. So transformation is very important. If you have a value chain which helps the Africans to get the best value of their product instead of exporting raw materials, raw crops without transformation, tea, coffee, cacao, etc. African countries are really developing their capacity to transform these agricultural projects," he said.

Noting that trade between nations brings wealth, as well as peace and stability, Youssouf said the AU is working to intensify the trade relations within the continent.

"We are working on how best we can increase the intra-Africa trade figures. We're doing it through mechanism and strategies that we have put into place. One of the mechanisms is the African Continental Free Trade Area. This treaty has been signed and implemented since 2017 and then it has mechanisms inside it, [including] the certificate of origin, the compensation and payment mechanism, etc," he said.

African nations aim for industrialization, agricultural transformation, trade growth in future development: AU Commission chief