Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on August 31 and September 1 at the invitation of the Chinese Government reflects the host’s respect for Vietnam’s growing role and stature in the region and the world.
Deepening Vietnam – China substantive relations
PM Chinh’s presence as a guest highlights China’s recognition of Vietnam’s role and stature, as well as its high evaluation of the Southeast Asian nation’s development path and foreign policy of peace, independence, and self-reliance. The PM's participation also underscores the strong commitment of the Vietnamese Party and Government to the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China.
In recent years, thanks to joint efforts, bilateral relations have maintained steady momentum and produced fruitful results.
Since the elevation of ties to a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance in December 2023, their relationship has advanced more comprehensively under the six major orientations, comprising stronger political trust, more substantial defence – security cooperation, deeper and more practical cooperation, more solid social foundation, closer multilateral coordination, and better management and settlement of differences.
Since the start of 2025, as Vietnam and China celebrate the 75th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties (January 18, 1950–2025), the two sides have maintained all-level visits and contacts, including a phone call between Vietnamese Party General Secretary To Lam and Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping on January 15, when the two countries launched the Year of Humanistic Exchange 2025; General Secretary and President Xi’s state visit to Vietnam in April; PM Chinh's attendance at the WEF's 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin in June; and the official visit to Vietnam and participation in the celebration of the 80th National Day anniversary by Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, from August 31 to September 2. Such frequent high-level exchanges have helped strengthen political trust and reinforce the political foundation of ties between the two Parties and countries.
The strong political relations have provided momentum and a crucial cornerstone for economic links, particularly in trade. The two sides have maintained regular economic and trade cooperation mechanisms, fostering more stable, balanced, and sustainable growth in bilateral trade.
Trade has consistently been a bright spot of Vietnam – China ties in recent years, with Vietnam remaining China’s largest trading partner in ASEAN and now its fourth-largest globally, after the US, Japan, and the Republic of Kore. Bilateral trade reached 205.2 billion USD in 2024 and stood at 136.47 billion USD in the first seven months of 2025.
As of January 2025, China’s cumulative registered FDI in Vietnam reached 31.26 billion USD across 5,195 active projects, ranking sixth among 149 foreign investors.
Regarding tourism, Vietnam welcomed 3.74 million Chinese visitors last year, surging by 114% compared to 2023 and accounting for 21.26% of all international arrivals in Vietnam. In the first seven months of 2025, over 3.1 million Chinese tourists came to Vietnam, making up 25.5% of total international arrivals, the largest share of any source market.
People-to-people exchanges and cooperation in education and culture have been vibrant in recent years. To mark the 75th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties and the Year of Humanistic Exchange 2025, ministries, sectors, and localities of both countries have actively organised exchange activities. Meanwhile, cooperation at international forums has also expanded.
Amid the deepening and comprehensive development of Vietnam – China relations, PM Chinh’s attendance at the 2025 SCO Summit provides an opportunity for the two countries’ high-ranking leaders to discuss concrete measures to advance the implementation of the common perceptions reached by the top leaders of the two Parties and two countries, thus fostering bilateral connections for the sake of both peoples and also for regional and global peace, stability, cooperation, and development.
SCO solidifies role in global affairs
The SCO, founded in Shanghai in 2001, initially aimed to address border issues, combat drug trafficking and terrorism, and enhance economic partnerships among its members.
Over more than two decades, the SCO has grown to encompass around 40% of the world’s population and cover over 60% of the Eurasian continent, steadily increasing its influence on the global arena.
The organisation’s cooperation extends beyond border security to a wide range of mutually beneficial cooperation areas, including politics, security, diplomacy, economy, trade, science, technology, culture, education, energy, information, and the environment. Annual SCO meetings involve not only heads of state but also foreign and defence ministers and relevant agencies, enabling rapid development in both the scale and depth of cooperation within the organisation.
Amid complex and unpredictable developments in the world today, multilateral mechanisms and cooperation organisations like BRICS and the SCO are emerging to boost a stable security environment to achieve economic prosperity. While maintaining a focus on security and counter-terrorism cooperation, the SCO is expanding collaboration to economic, connectivity, culture, education, and tourism.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this year’s summit marks a significant milestone in the SCO’s development said it will affirm the organisation’s growing role in maintaining security, promoting cooperation, and contributing to regional and global peace and stability.
The 2025 SCO summit is expected to host more than 20 national leaders, including representatives from 10 full members, one observer state, seven dialogue partners, and several guest countries such as Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Turkmenistan. The event will also see the participation of leaders from international organisations, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, and President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Jin Liqun. The scale of this summit reflects member states’ ambitions for deeper cooperation and greater global attention.
Participants are expected to adopt a declaration, endorse an SCO development plan for the next decade, and issue a joint statement commemorating 80 years since the end of World War II. The summit agenda also features an expanded session on strengthening multilateralism, safeguarding regional security, and promoting sustainable development./.
