Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends a grand welcome ceremony hosted by Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, ahead of their talks in Hanoi, Vietnam, Nov 12, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

HANOI - China and Vietnam cemented their special bond of "camaraderie + brotherhood" and agreed to explore new prospects for interconnected interests during a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

This is Xi's first overseas trip on the heels of the landmark 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held in October, which reflects the irreplaceable importance of the Sino-Vietnamese relations.

"The visit is an important diplomatic activity for implementing Xi's proposition of building a community of shared future for mankind in the new era," said Zhang Yunling, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

CEMENTING BOND OF FRIENDSHIP

Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, has been accorded with friendly and high-level reception during his trip to the Southeast Asian nation.

Upon his arrival at Hanoi, Xi was welcomed by a cheerful crowd wearing traditional clothes and waving the flags of the two countries.

At the Presidential Palace, he attended a grand welcome ceremony hosted by Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, with full military honors and a 21-gun salute.

"While stepping on this beautiful and fertile land once again after two years, I feel strongly the friendly feeling of the Vietnamese people towards the Chinese people," Xi told a welcoming banquet jointly hosted by Trong and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang.

During his meetings with the Vietnamese leaders, Xi repeatedly recalled the China-Vietnam traditional friendship nurtured by previous generations of the two countries' leaders.

He said China and Vietnam are close neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, good friends sharing weal and woe, good comrades with similar ideals and beliefs, and good partners for win-win cooperation.

During their talks, Xi and Trong agreed to carry forward, preserve and promote the traditional friendship between China and Vietnam.

As a special arrangement, Xi chose the Vietnam-China Friendship Palace as the first stop of his Hanoi visit.

The Palace, a landmark project built with Chinese assistance, is a reflection of the consolidated friendship between the two peoples in the new era.

With Xi's visit this time, the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries have had mutual visits within a single year twice in just three years.

Xi's visit is of great importance to the Vietnam-China relationship in the new period, said Do Tien Sam, the former director of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) Institute of Chinese Studies.

Sam said the visit has consolidated mutual political trust between the two countries and created favorable conditions for all types of cooperation between China and Vietnam in the future.