Vietnam-China border exchange concludes successfully

In the morning of the same day, General Ngo Xuan Lich, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission and Defense Minister of Vietnam, and Senior Lieutenant General Fan Changlong, Politburo member and Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission jointly chaired a number of exchange activities taking place in Jinping district, Chinese province of Yunnan.

Determined to build a peaceful, friendly, long-term and sustainably-developing Vietnam-China borderline

Before heading for China, the Vietnamese high-ranking military delegation, led by General Lich, performed a ritual of saluting Border-marker 66 at Ma Lu Thang Border Gate of Vietnam.

At the Jin Shuihe Border Gate of China, the Vietnamese delegation was warmly welcomed by the armed forces and people of Jinping district. The welcome ceremony was hosted by Senior Lieutenant General Fan Changlong, head of the high-ranking Chinese military delegation.

The two head delegates witnessed a joint patrol engaged by the two countries’ border guard forces and performed a further ritual of saluting Border-marker 66.

During talks between the Vietnamese and Chinese delegations, led by General Lich and General Fan, respectively, held later at Jinping district’s Border Guard Command, Yunnan province, the two sides agreed on the success of the fourth Vietnam-China Border Defense Friendship Exchange.

They voiced that in recent years, the armed forces in general and the border guard forces in particular have consolidated their solidarity, contributing to the stability and development of border areas. Besides, border exchanges have reinforced trust between the two countries’ armies and peoples.

The two heads of the delegations gave the assessment that the exchanges have tightened the solidarity and closeness between border guard forces of the two nations and improved their coordination capability to give timely solutions to violations of law along the shared borderline. Additionally, they have helped boost ties, experience-sharing between the people of the two countries living along the border areas and been good foundation for information dissemination to raise public awareness of territorial sovereignty and to bring into play the public’s strength in building, managing and safeguarding sovereignty and border integrity in each country.

During the talks, General Lich expressed thanks to the Chinese Central Military Commission, Ministry of National Defense and Yunnan province’s authorities and people for a warm, friendly, comradely and brotherly reception for the Vietnamese delegation and for their active cooperation in successfully organizing the fourth Vietnam-China Border Defense Friendship Exchange.

General Lich emphasized the great spiritual value of the exchange towards the armies and peoples of the Vietnamese province of Lai Chau and the Chinese province of Yunnan, contributing to their mutual understanding, friendship and trust in an environment of peace, stability and development in border areas and the ever-lasting friendship between Vietnam and China.

Agreeing with General Lich’s opinion, General Fan stressed that the two sides’ political trust and the two Parties’ and armies’ ties should be strengthened for the two countries’ interests.

Affirming that friendship is the two sides’ valuable treasure which has been nurtured by generations of leaders, General Fan suggested the two sides properly address existing issues.

According to the Chinese general, the two countries’ good implementation of the border demarcation and marker planting, via negotiations, has proved that the two sides could deal with disagreements.

He also held that land border cooperation should bring into play the outcomes of the four border exchanges with renovation in exchange methods at different levels and be outstanding cooperation of the two armies, contributing to the building of a shared borderline of peace and development and to practical benefits of the two peoples.

The two sides reached a consensus on the due attention given by the two countries’ leadership at all levels to the border exchange, demonstrating the exchange’s uniqueness and the two countries’ special ties.

They underlined that activities involving the two countries’ armed forces and authorities and people in border areas have bolstered law enforcement, borderline and marker protection and strengthened trust and promoted win-win cooperation between the two countries in a practical, healthy and sustainable direction.

They highlighted experience-sharing and proposed cooperation initiatives with the aim of strengthening border management and crime prevention and control for the benefit of the two peoples during the fourth Vietnam-China Border Defense Friendship Exchange as well as the two armies’ responsibilities and determination to build the Vietnam-China shared borderline of peace, friendship, long-term and sustainable development.

Both generals hailed relevant agencies and units under the two Ministries of National Defense for their cooperation task performance, maintenance of border security, joint patrol, anti-terrorism exercises and for creating favorable conditions for twinned villages and actively tackling arising issues along the shared borderline.

Before concluding the talks, Generals Lich and Fan signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

Helping younger generations further understand and respect Vietnam-China relationship

Before the talks, the two delegations visited, presented gifts and had joint photos at Jin Shuihe Border Gate Primary School, which lies near the two countries’ borderline. 

At the school, the two head delegates were touched with the warm welcome of the locals and the school’s teachers and pupils.

In their speeches, they emphasized that the younger generation is the future of each country; therefore, it is the two countries’ joint responsibility to educate them to learn more about and respect the two countries’ ties.

General Lich highly valued the school’s achievements recently and hoped that the students continued to study hard, learn the Vietnamese language and find out more about Vietnam’s culture.

Saying that the Vietnamese city of Lai Chau is not far from the Chinese town of Jin Shuihe and people living along the shared borderline drink water of the Red River, General Lich suggested the two sides’ leadership and relevant agencies create favorable conditions for the Chinese school’s staff and students to exchange with the staff and students of Lai Chau city-based primary schools.

General Lich believed that Jin Shuihe Border Gate Primary School’s staff and students would be a firm friendly bridge for Vietnamese and Chinese people and be an important factor in the building of a shared borderline of peace, friendship, stability and prosperous development.

At noon on the same day, General Fan chaired a solemn party for the high-ranking Vietnamese military delegation.

In the afternoon, a farewell ceremony for the Vietnamese delegation was held, concluding the fourth Vietnam-China Border Defense Friendship Exchange.

Translated by Mai Huong