China Vietnam Photo: VCG

 General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam met with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Hanoi on Thursday. Dong and his delegation attended a grand gathering marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Since the beginning of this year, there have been frequent high-level exchanges between the military forces of China and Vietnam. An analyst reached by the Global Times said that the positive interactions between the two militaries show a high level of political mutual trust, which has positive significance for jointly maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Lam said that Vietnam and China are socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers. Vietnam cherishes China's valuable support in the cause of national liberation, national independence and socialist construction in Vietnam, and takes developing friendly relations with China as a strategic choice and top priority in its foreign policy. 

Lam expressed the hope that the two militaries will strengthen practical cooperation and inject new vitality into the development of bilateral relations. 

The Chinese side cherishes the traditional friendship between the two parties, the two countries and the two militaries, and stands ready to follow the guidance of the consensus reached by top leaders of both parties and countries, deepen practical cooperation with the Vietnamese side in various areas including maritime security, enhance strategic mutual trust between both militaries, promote the constant development of bilateral relations and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability, Dong said. 

Since the beginning of this year, there have been frequent high-level exchanges between the Chinese and Vietnamese militaries. From October 24 to 26, Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited Vietnam at the invitation of the Vietnamese side, where he held talks with Vietnamese Defense Minister Phan Van Giang. They conducted in-depth exchanges of views on international and regional situations as well as bilateral military relations, and witnessed the signing of relevant agreements to strengthen defense cooperation.

On August 20, China's Minister of National Defense Dong Jun met with his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Giang in Beijing. 

From April 11 to 12, China and Vietnam held the eighth border defense friendship exchange in Hekou county, Yunnan Province in Southwest China, and Lao Cai of Vietnam, as well as relevant port areas. Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Giang led delegations attending the event and held talks. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a hotline between the Chinese People's Liberation Army's Southern Theater Command and the Vietnamese navy, according to Xinhua News Agency. 

Lam highly praised Dong Jun's visit with the delegation, emphasizing that strengthening defense and security cooperation is one of the cornerstones of the bilateral relationship and a concrete manifestation of the consensus at the leadership level of both countries.

Ding Duo, a deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Law and Policy at the China Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times that since the beginning of this year, the positive interactions between the two militaries have demonstrated a high level of political mutual trust, and have shown the regional and international community that China and Vietnam are capable of effectively managing and addressing maritime differences, jointly maintaining regional peace and stability.

"In the current international environment of increasing uncertainty, China-Vietnam cooperation serves as a stabilizer. The military and security cooperation between China and Vietnam is not aimed at any third party," Ding Duo said.