Political Lens

Xi, Vietnamese counterpart exchange festive wishes

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, exchanged Spring Festival greetings with Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, on Friday, with both leaders vowing to promote the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future.

Xi, who is also the Chinese president, said in his message to Trong that the year 2023 was of epoch-making significance in bilateral ties, as high-level exchanges between the two sides were warm and frequent, political mutual trust was solidified and the traditional friendship was enhanced.

Xi recalled his visit to Vietnam in December, and said that he is ready to work with Trong to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation at all levels and in all fields to inject fresh impetus into the countries’ modernization drive and provide positive energy for the prosperity and development of the Asia-Pacific region.

Trong said that he is willing to maintain communication and contact with Xi and continue to push for the implementation of the consensuses and agreements reached between the two sides, which, he said, are beneficial for the relationship between the two parties and the two countries and will contribute to the peace, stability, cooperation and development of the region and the world.

Li highlights people-centered development in Shanxi

Premier Li Qiang visited Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, on Thursday ahead of the Spring Festival, extending Chinese New Year greetings to locals.

During the visit, Li emphasized the importance of implementing a people-centered development philosophy with a focus on earnestly addressing the urgent needs and immediate concerns of the people. He also underscored the need to continuously improve the well-being of the people while promoting high-quality development in order to ensure everyone better lives year after year.

At an eldercare center in Jinyuan district, Li called for enhancing the training of specialists to provide higher-quality services.

While visiting a smart greenhouse in Sanjia village, the premier conversed with agro-technicians and farmers, emphasizing the importance of promoting the development of technology-driven agriculture and green cultivation. He voiced support for policies, funding, technology and market access that accelerate agricultural and rural modernization.

Premier congratulates opening of China-ASEAN year

Premier Li Qiang sent a congratulatory message to the opening ceremony of the China-ASEAN Year of People-to-people Exchanges, which was held in Fuzhou, Fujian province, on Friday.

Li said in the message that China and ASEAN countries, connected by mountains and rivers, enjoy a long history of cultural exchanges and people-to-people interactions. Together, they have created a rich and diverse Asian culture, yielding brilliant cultural treasures, he said.

Saying that Southeast Asia has historically been an important hub along the Maritime Silk Road, Li added that the current development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and ASEAN is seeing good momentum with fruitful achievements in various areas.

Construction of the China-ASEAN community with a shared future continues to make new progress, he added.