At a seminar reviewing bilateral relations in 2025, held on December 29, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam He Wei outlined substantive cooperation outcomes across multiple fields and highlighted three defining features of current Vietnam-China cooperation: “large-scale, substantive and innovation-driven”.

According to Ambassador He Wei, 2025 holds profound significance for China-Vietnam relations as it marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the designation of the year as the Vietnam-China Year of People-to-People Exchanges, a decision that demonstrates the strategic thinking of both sides’ senior leaders on bilateral relations in the new context.

Under the guidance of senior leaders from both countries, exchanges and cooperation between China and Vietnam in 2025 have been vibrant across all sectors, particularly with increasingly close linkages in industrial chains.

An increasing number of Chinese enterprises with strong financial capacity and advanced technological capabilities have chosen Vietnam as a priority destination in their overseas expansion strategies. Assessing practical cooperation between China and Vietnam in recent years, and especially in 2025, Ambassador He Wei summed it up in three words: “large-scale, substantive and innovation-driven”. Among these, “large-scale” is reflected first and foremost in the scale of bilateral trade and investment.

Ambassador He Wei said,  “Over the past 11 months of 2025, bilateral trade exceeded US$267.7 billion, surpassing the total for the whole of the previous year. China has continued to maintain its position as Vietnam’s largest trading partner, while also leading in both the number and value of newly registered investment projects in Vietnam.”

On the “substantive” aspect, Ambassador He Wei cited concrete figures in agricultural cooperation, tourism and areas directly affecting people’s livelihoods. More than 60% of Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports go to China, with durian alone reaching a value of US$3.4 billion, accounting for over 90% of Vietnam’s total durian export turnover.

In tourism, Vietnam has become one of the most favored international destinations for Chinese travelers. Difficulties in cross-border payments are gradually being resolved, particularly with the connection and interoperability of QR-code payment systems since early December this year, thereby  opening up new opportunities to further boost tourism between the two countries.

Regarding the “innovation” dimension, Ambassador He Wei said China is entering a new stage of development that takes scientific and technological innovation as a primary driver, which is consistent with Vietnam’s orientation to shift its economy toward an innovation-based model.

“During the implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan, China will continue to take technological innovation as a guiding principle and vigorously develop new productive forces. This logic is fully in line  with Vietnam’s strategy to shift its economy toward technological innovation,” he said.

At present, the list of high-tech cooperation areas between the two countries continues to expand, with Chinese investment increasingly focusing on the green economy, energy transition and key sectors of Vietnam’s industrial modernization, including artificial intelligence.

Reviewing the achievements recorded in 2025, the Chinese diplomat  affirmed that Vietnam and China share a common development path and common ideals. Sharing experience and pursuing development together not only serves the interests of each country but also helps demonstrate the stability of the development path jointly chosen by the two sides. With a solid political foundation, increasingly deep and substantive cooperation, and strengthening innovation momentum, Vietnam-China relations are expected to continue developing in a stable, long-term and more effective manner in the time ahead.

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