Xi urges China, Vietnam to work together towards bright future

President Xi Jinping (R), who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attends a welcoming ceremony held by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong before their talks in Hanoi, Vietnam, Nov 5, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

HANOI - China and Vietnam should join hands to create a bright future for bilateral relations, said President Xi Jinping in an article published Thursday.

China and Vietnam are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers, and the two peoples have a long history of friendship, Xi said in the signed piece, carried by Vietnamese newspaper Nhan Dan, or The People.

The article went public as Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, arrived in Hanoi for his first state visit to the country at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang.

In recent history, the two nations supported each other and shared weal and woe in their struggle for national independence and liberation, recalled the Chinese president.

In the new era, sharing the same beliefs and having their future and destiny closely connected, the two countries have been supporting each other in the building of socialism, and are enjoying increasingly enriched bilateral relations, more and more common interests, and fruitful achievements in practical cooperation, Xi said.

China and Vietnam have established a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, set up many cooperation mechanisms, and remarkably advanced bilateral cooperation in various fields, Xi said.

China has been Vietnam's biggest trading partner for 11 consecutive years, and Vietnam has become China's second-largest in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, he said, adding that bilateral trade is expected to reach the target of $100 billion ahead of schedule.

More importantly, the two sides, through friendly consultations, have solved the demarcation of the land border and the Beibu Gulf, laying a solid foundation for the stability, security and common development of the border regions, he said.