Chinese, Vietnamese leaders exchange New Year greetings

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Phu Trong exchanged New Year greetings on Monday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Phu Trong [File Photo: China Plus]

President Xi, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said China and Vietnam should strengthen high-level exchanges and deepen cooperation in various fields to map out the blueprint of bilateral ties through a "broader" perspective and pass on China-Vietnam friendship "from generation to generation."

In his letter, Xi also praised achievements the two countries have reached in the past ten years as 2018 marked the 10th anniversary of China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

"The Spring Festival is a new beginning. I firmly believe that with the joint efforts of both sides, China-Vietnam relations will surely achieve greater development," Xi said.

President Nguyen Phu Trong, also general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC), said he's willing to work with the Chinese side to lift the relations between the two countries and parties to a new level in 2019.

Good-neighborly friendship and cooperation between the two parties and the two countries have yielded fruitful results in the year 2018, he added.

The two countries will further strengthen high-level visits and exchanges, and consolidate political mutual trust to achieve substantive progress, he said.

He also extended New Year greetings and wished to his Chinese counterpart, the CPC, the Chinese government and people.