Initiative announced to invite youth from Vietnam for 'Red Study Tours' in China

President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, To Lam (third from right), general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (second from right) and other Chinese and Vietnamese officials attend the launching ceremony for the China-Vietnam railway cooperation mechanism in Hanoi on Tuesday. FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY

President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that the time-tested China-Vietnam relations are rooted in the people, upheld by the people and strengthened with the support of the people, and he called on the two countries to converge the small creeks of friendly people-to-people interactions into a mighty river of China-Vietnam friendship.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with representatives who attended the Chinese and Vietnamese People's Friendship Meeting in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong also attended the event.

In a speech delivered at the meeting, Xi said that people are the creators of history, and it is the endorsement and the support of the two peoples that have provided a solid foundation for building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future.

Speaking to the representatives, most of whom were young people, Xi announced that China will invite young people from Vietnam for "Red Study Tours" in the country in the next three years.

The tours will allow the young people to retrace the revolutionary footsteps of the elder generation of leaders of both parties and countries and experience in-person the vibrancy of Chinese modernization, he said.

The late Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh was engaged in revolutionary activities in China for 12 years, during which time he established the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and later founded the Communist Party of Vietnam in Hong Kong.

Xi urged the young people of both sides to pool strength for the two countries' respective socialist cause and for building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and is also the China-Vietnam Year of People-to-People Exchanges.

The socialist neighbor was the first stop of Xi's first overseas trip this year. The two-day visit, which wrapped up on Tuesday, was also his fourth state visit to the country.

For a long time, the Chinese and Vietnamese people have stood together through thick and thin, from jointly sowing the seeds of revolution to save the nations, to fighting side by side for national independence and liberation, and now embarking together on the journey of modernization, he said.

Xi emphasized that the China-Vietnam friendship has taken root and sprouted through mutual support between the two peoples, and has blossomed and borne fruit through their solidarity and coordination.

Xi said the China-Vietnam friendship has been sustained and upgraded as the two countries firmly defend international fairness and justice, and consistently stand on the right side of history and on the progressive side of the times. Doing so, the two sides are providing more stability and positive energy for Asia and the world, he said.

To Lam said that friendship and cooperation have been the mainstream of Vietnam-China relations.

Hailing young people as the hope for inheriting and developing the traditional friendship between the two countries, To Lam said Vietnamese and Chinese young people should shoulder their historical mission of passing down the traditional friendship, which was nurtured and cultivated by generations of leaders from both countries.

He also called on them to deepen the China-Vietnam friendship of "comrades and brothers", and play a leading role in the two countries' respective modernization drive.

The important role of people in terms of developing the China-Vietnam relationship and fostering friendship is a recurring topic of Xi's state visits to Vietnam.

In a signed article published ahead of his visit in 2015, Xi said that the development of China-Vietnam relations cannot be separated from the understanding and support of the people of both countries.

On the first day of his state visit to Vietnam in 2017, Xi attended the inauguration and handover ceremony of the Vietnam-China Friendship Palace.

During his visit in 2023, he met with representatives of young Chinese and Vietnamese people who have contributed to China-Vietnam friendship, and he encouraged them to take the lead in promoting this friendship.