PANO – The Defense Ministry on July 28th held a meeting for Vietnam People’s Army troops trained in China over several periods, on the special occasion to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on August 1st.
General Phung Quang Thanh, the Vietnamese Defence Minister, Senior Lieutenant-General Ngo Xuan Lich, Director of the General Department of Politics, Senior Lieutenant-General Nguyen Thanh Cung and Senior Lieutenant-General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister, and other leaders of the Defense Ministry attended the meeting.
In addition, present at the meeting were representatives from the Central Party Commission for External Affairs, Ministry of Public Security, Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO), and hundreds of officers from Vietnam People’s Army who used to be trained in China.
Especially, Qiang Zai Dong, Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of People’s Republic of China to Vietnam, led the Chinese delegation to attend the event.
Addressing the meeting, Lieutenant-General Mai Quang Phan, Deputy-Director of the General Department of Politics, stressed that the event is a special occasion in remembrance of great sentiments and wholehearted assistance of China’s Party, State, people and PLA for Vietnam’s Party, Government, People and Army in the cause of Vietnam’s liberation, building and defense.
“The meeting is a practical opportunity not only to express gratitude to great help of China’s Party, State, people and PLA in training Vietnamese People’s Army officers, but also to enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two Parties, States, Armies and people”, he added.
He said that over the past several years, many Chinese universities and academies trained thousands of army troops and officers for Vietnamese People’s Army in various sectors. “All these army troops quickly and creatively applied knowledge they learnt for their jobs with excellent achievements in national construction and defense”, he stressed.
General Phung Quang Thanh sincerely congratulated great achievements in Chinese PLA’s building and development. “On behalf of Vietnam’s Central Military Party Commission and Defense Ministry, I would like to send to China’s Military Party Commission and entire PLA troops best wishes”, the general said.
Also, the general stressed that Vietnamese People’s Army always wishes China to enjoy peaceful and prosperous development and play an important role in keeping peace and stability in the region and over the world.
“We always respect and remember great and wholehearted help of China’s Party, State, people and PLA for Vietnam”, said the general.
“In the upcoming time, the two armies need to enhance solidarity and protection of revolutionary achievements in each country. Vietnam People’s Army highly appreciates friendship, comprehensive and stable cooperation with Chinese People’s Liberation Army. This is a top priority in Vietnamese policy for defense and foreign relations”, the general confirmed.
The general added that in the coming time, the two armies will continue to enhance exchanges at all levels, joint patrol, Defense Policy Dialogue, as well as set up a hot line between the two Defense Ministries, and boost young officers’ exchanges and education cooperation.
The general stressed that it is necessary to establish the two armies’ deep, real and trusty cooperation and well implement agreements signed between the two nations’ Parties, States and Defense Ministries.
In a friendly atmosphere, representatives from Vietnamese People’s Army trained in China, including Lieutenant-General Nguyen Hoa Thinh or Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Pham Xuan Phong, confirmed their gratitude to China’s Party, State, army and people in helping Vietnamese trainees.
Through many moving stories of assistance, Vietnamese troops and officers in the meeting seemed to remember their beautiful stay in China.
Lieutenant-General Nguyen Hoa Thinh confided that he could not forget the moment when millions of Chinese people hand in hand sang the song “Let’s be together, Vietnamese friends…” in a parade to support Vietnam people in the resistance war agains American invaders. Also, Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Pham Xuan Phong said he could never forget whole-hearted assistance from Chinese teachers and people in teaching traditional medicine.
At the meeting, Qiang Zai Dong, Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of People’s Republic of China to Vietnam confirmed: “China and Vietnam, with long-standing traditional friendship as expressed by President Ho Chi Minh in his poem: “Vietnam-China Friendship, Comradeship and Brotherhood”. Recently, the two countries’ friendship has been well developed. Many visits of high-ranking leaders from the two Parties, States, and Defense Ministries, have made active contributions to boosting that great friendship”.
“The two sides implemented many joint patrols and agreed to set up a hotline between the two Defense Ministries. The stable development of defense cooperation contributed much to Vietnam-China relationship. We hope that great relationship between the two Parties, States and armies will further be improved in the upcoming time. Also, the Embassy of People’s Republic of China to Vietnam will do its best and closely work with its relevant departments to make Vietnam-China friendship eternally stable”, Qiang Zai Dong said.
Translated by Nguyen Thao